Ride Mar 5th – Ming Tombs Bury Yourself
This Saturdays ride is around the Ming Tombs. The ‘bury yourself’ title is squarely aimed at the Elite riders who will have a fun little challenge to motivate them to dig a little deeper. For the Beginners and Intermediate group we’ve set up two fun routes to expose you to some of the nice back roads in the area and some Great Wall and Ming Tomb sightseeing.
All riders are required to fill the form below (including self drive) by Friday morning.
Departure Time :
07.30 Serk. Arrive at 07.15 am to load bikes
Return Time : 15:15 Serk
1. Beginner – 44km 600m Climbing
This route has more downhill than uphill – a beginners dream !
To facilitate this we will drive you up the first hill (self drive included) and drop you off at the top to make the first part of your ride more enjoyable. But don’t worry you will encounter some hills soon. Its hard work climbing when you are new to cycling but it won’t be long before you are climbing with ease if you commit to riding hills regularly. For some variety the route takes in a nice quiet and twisty backroad which is the same road that the Elite and Intermediate riders will travel along so we expect some interaction on this part of the ride. The best is saved to last – a long downhill all the way to the Ming Tombs carpark. We will have maps for you to follow and with about 3.5 hours allocated ride time you have plenty of time to enjoy the ride at your own pace.
Ride leader : Liman
Average Speed : 15 km/h – 20 km/h
This ride is recommended for all new beginner riders. If you find the pace too slow next week you can move to the Intermediate Group. Its much better to start out on the easier ride and then move up rather than start on the faster ride and find yourself getting dropped and left behind.
2. Intermediate – 58 km 1257m Climbing
Back roads, back roads and a few climbs to kick off the climbing season.
We start at the Ming Tombs car park with a little section over the cobbles before slowly starting to climb the backside of the Ming Tombs climb. This first climb is followed by a reasonably straight descent where you can pick up some speed. Keep that speed in check as you’ll need to slow down for the left turn onto the small back road in front of the school. Follow this road with a short sharp climb through a village and down through a tunnel to meet up with the main S212 climb. This climb is longest of the day but has some nice switchbacks to break it up. A short descent, another short climb and then we head off the main road again along a quiet connecting road. The road travels through a tidy little village at which point you turn left onto a narrow concrete road and begin climbing around the side of Dasha Mountain. The twists and turns of this road are the perfect for cycling and by the time you’re deep into the forest Beijing city will feel 1000’s of km away. The descent from the top is pretty fast – take care on the concrete road – its rough. Thankfully it only lasts a few km’s till you hit the main road and smooth tarmac which you will enjoy all the way back to the Ming Tombs carpark. The Elite riders will be riding the same route but they will be adding on some ‘out and back’ climbs on the side of the route. If you’d like to ride longer or push yourself some more you can join them for a few climbs – see the rules below.