Huangshan MTB Festival Race Day

Well, it was a beautiful day to race. Just like the day before, it stayed warm and I could still wear a short sleeve jersey. I would wear the Astana Stars and Stripes jersey worn last year by Levi Leipheimer. I love to wear this jersey because it is the US National Champion Jersey. I feel that even in China, I can represent the US when I race. It gives me extra motivation to do my best.

In the 20 km open men's category, there were over 200 participants. We would all line up at the start and ride for maybe 2km before we got into the single track. I was lined up close to the back of the group, so I was unlucky on the first climbs. I can climb, but people ahead of me could not climb and it forces the group to have to walk or run with there bikes to pass the people who can not climb. This problem makes it harder to pass people and get to the front of the race. I was able to pass many people and start to move up to the front.

It was an exciting feeling riding, climbing, and passing people, but it did not compare to the adrenalin rush on the downhill sections. Since it was single track, there was only one thing to do, just do it. I successfully road the downhills sections, even the twisty technical section. This section went straight down and at the end had a sharp right turn followed by a sharp left turn and then downhill again. This section was the section the day before I could not ride. Race day on the single track, I would not think, I would just react. After that section, I could feel myself trembling. It was an amazing feeling. Then, I maneuvered through the rock garden with no problem. I was feeling very good. Race day means race face. I like the look of concentration on my face as I fly through the course.

For Suzhou, the team was overall very successful. We took first place in the Men's 40 km race, 4th place in the Women's 40 km race, and 3rd place in the Women's 20 km race. All in all a special day for everyone. If you are in China during March, this event is a must do for anyone who likes mountain biking.

Huangshan MTB Festival 2009 Recon

Well, it has been quite a while since I have posted my adventures. I have been told that I will return to my home country by the end of June. The economic crisis has now effected my life. There are always two ways to look at things and I am finally coming around to see the glass as half full and not half empty.

I was really not sure if I wanted to go to Huangshan and participate in the event, but I decided to take a chance and get on the bus and go to the biggest mountain biking event in China. It was a decision I was really glad I made. I enjoyed the whole weekend of riding and I will never forget the event. The only regret I have is doing the 20 km race. I should have done the 40 km race. Next time!

Friday we would meet in the morning and load up the bus with a group of about fifteen people eager to participate in the event and all of our bikes. We would take a four to five our trip to Hongcun where the race would start. Friday was considered a reconnaissance day to get to know the race track. The race was to be Saturday morning on broad casted on China national television CCTV 5.

We arrived and had lunch then checked into what is known as a family hotel. This hotel is a small hotel with maybe 15 rooms owned by a local family and very inexpensive. I do not actually know the price because the whole weekend including hotel, registration, and one meal was 700 RMB ($102.19 US). Depending on how many beds were in the room, was the number of people who would stay in the room. My room had two beds, so I would share it with Jiri, the only other foreigner with our group. He is from Poland and has been biking since before mountain biking was considered a sport!

I loved the local hospitality provided by the family at the hotel. It would have to say it was a little different than other hotels, but it made the weekend all the more enjoyable. It felt like a real adventure with new experiences. Below are a few pictures of the hotel.

The one thing that I think westerners would not be able to get use to in this hotel is the bathroom. It is quite different than the bathroom seen in many western hotels. The shower is part of the sink and the bathroom is the typical public bathroom you find in China. Showering was a much different experience with this type of device. Also, the whole bathroom gets wet when one showers. For large westerners it would be a real challenge to have to squat and do their business in the bathroom. Maybe this type of bathroom would cause many to loose weight just so they can go use the toilet, haha.

Well, after check-in, we would go ride the course. It was a very interesting course. There was some nice climbing, very nice single track, dangerous rocky uphills, fast and furious downhills, rock gardens, and twisting technical downhills. This day I would feel a little weary of the competition to follow. I come from a completely pancake flat town with no climbs and no descents. I have learned all my little downhilling ability here in Suzhou. I can climb all day and would prefer a hilltop finish over technical descents. Below you can see some of the sections of the course.

A Ride to Nowhere

Wednesday Aik Peng and I decided we would go riding. We had a small breakfast at McDonald's and decided we would try riding to Kunshan. Armed with a google printed map we were off on our adventure. We had chose some streets to head in the general direction. Since we were on mountain bikes, we decided to go off-road and see if we could find some shortcut. this idea was short lived due to the fact that the we hit the lake and there was no way to cross it by bike.

Some of the local fishermen actually live right on the lake. They're home can move to different parts of the lake if necessary. We also noticed that all the restaurants on the lake were also boats. These restaurants can also move to different areas depending on the demand of the lake food.

Our shortcut took us very close to the train tracks and we were able to see many trains passing. I was very surprised at how quiet these trains are as they pass. Nothing like what I think about when I think about trains.

After returning to the main road and getting back on track, not on the train tracks. We made our way to G312. This road is a country road and there are motorbikes, cars, and bicycles making their way between the cities. There were not to many electric bikes. Electric bikes can only travel 50 km on one charge. We made our way to the YangChengHu resort area. There were alot of brand new high end homes in this area. The homes were very beautiful and cost about 5500 RMB($803 US)/ Square Meter.

We made it to the restaurant area and we were ready for lunch. Because it is Chinese New Year, there were no restaurants open. We saw just some dried meat hanging outside of some of the restaurants. This sight is not typically something we would see in the US.

We did find a little local store and had a few snacks before making our way around the lake. We tried to take another off-road shortcut that also led right to the lake. The country side was very nice and pleasant.
We saw quite a few farms growing different vegetables. All in all, the ride was long but peaceful. It would be an 80 km ride around the lake. It was nice to get out and enjoy some fresh air and wander around the countryside. We also were able to discuss the usual male topics of business, politics, finance, sports, among other things. I really like riding, I get to see parts of China that most people who visit will never see. Below is the map of our ride courtesy of Aik Peng. The black dot represents home.

Second New Year Ride

Well, Saturday was a bit warmer than Friday and I really did not know how my legs would feel with two days of consecutive riding, especially after 131 km. Today would be a mountain bike ride with a considerable amount of climbing. We would climb Chizi Shan （七子山）. This mountain is a pretty difficult climb with many switchbacks and some steep areas.

The temperature would be 2 C to 7 C. I would still wear a base layer, long sleeve jersey, a light windproof jacket, glove liners, gloves, and shoe covers. I chose this lighter jacket because it can go sleeveless as the body heats up during climbing.

Today I had invited Bill to join us. It would be his first mountain bike ride in Suzhou. We would meet at the Trek shop in SIP and then ride out to the mountain. In total there would be 10 riders. It would supposedly be a short ride with no lunch. As allows, it would be a 16 km ride out to the mountain and then we would start riding up the slopes.

My legs actually felt good and it was a joy to be climbing. It had been a while since my last ride at Chizi Shan. All the climbing made me feel on top of the world. No worries, just pure effort, joy, and satisfaction.

Bill climbs up the mountain followed by a local who decided to wear summer gear. The ride would be a 18 km ride with many ups and downs. There would be extremely difficult slopes which would have us walking our bikes up.

Above Zhang attempts to climb one of the steepest parts of the mountain. Out of the 10 riders that day, he was the strongest rider. Today was his third consecutive day of riding. He rode two days on the road and this day up the mountain.

We stopped for a brief rest and took a group picture. In total, there were three foreigners including Freddy, the strongest in the group.

One of the most beautiful things about being up in the mountain, is the view of the city. Each slope gives one a different view of the city. Below is a view of the houses in the valley from one of the slopes. It was a day enjoying the beautiful scenery.

We would do a down hill section to descend the mountain. We would be riding through a Chinese cemetery. I could not ride the whole section, but I felt pretty good because I had managed to ride most of the downhill. Home is really pancake flat, so this type of riding I am still learning. I think I am getting better each time I try.

First New Year Ride

The first ride of the year would be a long road bike ride. I would ride from my house to the Trek Bicycle Shop in SIP. There we would meet a group of guys and ride out to Tai Hu Lake. This ride would be 131 km with five complete hours of riding. There would be eight road riders.

We would ride all the way out the island on Tai Hu crossing the three bridges and then doing a short loop around part of the island. It would be very nice scenery and a very pleasant ride. We would average about 26 km/h with spurts up to 40 km/h.

We would eat lunch on the island before our return trip home. I have a few more food pictures of some new items that we consumed. The first is a nice and spicy fish, followed by the restaurant specialty. Their specialty was an eel or snake dish with pork. The eel was very good and supposedly good for men.

It was really a cold day with temperatures ranging from -2 C to 7 C. I would use full winter gear which includes two jerseys (one with an integrated hood), a wind resistant cycling jacket, glove liners, gloves, and shoe covers. It always feels cold, but the guys say that when we start riding at 30 km/h+ the cold goes away. I agree.

Five Peaks Mountian 五峰山

Well this last Saturday, we decided to join the Merida Bicycle Group for riding Five Peaks Mountain (Wu Feng Shan). We would spend the morning riding out to the mountain and then climbing some steep hills. After the riding, we would have a BBQ. Well, not your typical BBQ it would be a Chinese BBQ.

We started the morning by riding out to the Merida Bike Shop. The shop is 29 km (18 miles) from our house. As usual, it would be an early start without any breakfast. We would stop by and eat some local Chinese breakfast foods. This type of food is what the Chinese eat in the early morning on their way out to either daily activities or work. Last time we ate buns filled with meat. This time I would try something different. This time I would eat 油条 (you tiao) . It was like a warm sweet breakfast bread. It was crunchy on the outside from being fried and had a nice sweet taste. I had one and wish I had bought more than one. The cost of this meal was 0.50 RMB ($0.08 US). The street vendor noticed that I was a foreigner and commented to my Singaporean friend that foreigners are rich and he would like to charge me 1 RMB for the you tiao.

We would arrive at the shop and meet up with about thirty riders for today's ride. Everyone who wanted to have the BBQ lunch would chip in. The BBQ would cost us 30 RMB ($4.38 US) each.

From the shop we road out to Five Peaks Mountain. This area has been used for training by Chinese armored divisions (tanks). The first two climbs were very very steep. I don't think anyone in the group was able to climb up. We climb to the highest point possible and then push the bike up the remaining slope. Even pushing the bike up these steep slopes is tiring.

One of the Chinese girls who joined us is very strong. She picked her bike up and carried it up the second slope. I figure her bike weighs about 30 lbs easily. She can ride long distances, climb and also carry her bike when she has too. I was very amazed by her strength for such a small woman. I really admire her and wish more women would get to the outdoors and enjoy mother nature. After all, mother nature is a woman.

After climbing we continue down a nice single track. It was actually very enjoyable ride. It was up and down. Sometimes, it seemed a little dangerous because one side of the single track would be close to the edge of the cliff. One wrong move and maybe more than a few broken bones!

Well, we reached the area for the BBQ. This experience would be a little different than the typical BBQ. There was no way to start the charcoal. We would make a camp fire from materials located around the area. We would then place all the charcoal in the campfire. After the charcoal would light, we would remove them one by one to start cooking. This process actually took sometime. There was a time I thought we would never get to eat.

We were then divided into teams of about eight persons for a small two grill system. Each team would start his own charcoal and cook. Each team was given the same amount of meat to cook. It kind of reminded me of some team building activities. We would cook chicken wings, lamb skewers, chicken skewers, egg plant, and a few other things.

I was thinking about public and private property. In the states, or at least back home, it would be hard to find so many good places to ride. Most property is private and trespassing is not allowed. It seems like here in Suzhou the land belongs to the people. In the different areas we have biked at, we have also seen locals hiking around these hills. Even areas which have been locked, we still climb in and ride. There have been cases when the person with the keys opens up the gate and lets us all in. It gives me the feeling open to the public. I am sure that alot of people are riding the Olympic mountain bike course in Beijing because it is open to the public.

After the BBQ we would return home. It would be a long ride home. We would ride 83 km (52 miles) this day. On our return trip, we would ride down real local streets. I would be the only foreigner seen. On these streets you see a different side of China. Here in Suzhou, you hear some Mandarin, but the main spoken language is the local dialect, which many Chinese in Suzhou can not speak. There is a wet market for fish, local fruit stands, stores which sell local clothing brands, barber shops which cut hair for 5 RMB ($0.73 US), local food stands and meat markets.

I wanted to try some more local food, so I decided to try more street sold food. I would eat a nice rice dumpling. It was a dumpling filled with sticky rice. It would also cost 0.50 RMB ($0.80 US).

One of the most beautiful things I like about China is city design. The city is designed for walking, for biking, and then for cars. This city design makes sense for a green world. In the US, we all talk about a green world, but keep designing the cities for cars first. We all use the car for short trips. You do not see people walking. I think this is a serious issue the country must deal with as obesity increases. The lack of obesity in China is due to the fact that the people walk and people ride. I hope as China becomes more modern, the people keep these activities close to their heart and stay healthy and beautiful.

Second Winter Ride

This weekend was my second ride this winter. My first ride was about a week after the Shanghai Marathon. That ride was 37.5 km (23.3 miles) at night and pretty cold. This ride would start out at 6:45 am. We would ride out to the Mudu bridge to meet the group to start the ride. It would be about a 42 km (26.3 miles) just to the mountain. Once at the mountain we would ride another 10 km (6.2 miles) up and down hill. Then we would ride another 42 km (26.3 miles) home. The day would be a total of 94 km (58.8 miles) of riding.

Since we start so early, there really isn't much time for breakfast. Breakfast is usually on the run and consists of one or two granola bars. This time we stopped at one of the local hole in the wall and bought some buns. The buns had meat inside and were a very good snack to keep the energy reserves up for all the riding.

After our snack, we keep riding until we reached the mountain. We would ride out to Yu Yang Shan. I am not sure what temperature we were riding in, but it was sure pretty cold. The whole group was dressed in winter gear. I am the second to the last guy on the right hand side.

The mountain has a very nice, but very steep road to climb to the top. It also has some trails which can be used to climb all the way to the top. Some riders chose the trails to climb to the top and others chose the road. My fitness level for biking climbing isn't up to par yet. I had not ridden a off-road since October and decided I would stay on the path.

Here I am in full winter gear. I felt like I was on the wrong bike. Maybe I needed a Harley. Behind me is Tai Hu. It is one of the largest lakes I have seen in China. My buddy Xu Pei decided to take the trails to go down. He is a pretty good rider and was actually riding one of the other guy's bike that had a few problems with the shock.

This type of riding can become an all day event. We would go up and down the mountain a few times before lunch. After lunch come back for more climbing and then go home. Three of us decided to call it an early day and head out for an early lunch before heading home. We stopped at a local restaurant 香满楼酒家 (Xiang Man Lou Jiu Jia) close to Tai Hu.

Between the three of us we would eat five dishes. It would cost a total of 75 RMB ($10.95 US). The food was good for the price. We would eat an egg and tomato dish, a beef dish, a green vegetable dish, noodles, and a sweet and sour pork. See below:

As we returned home, we noticed a Suzhou in-line skating park. This park is located close to the Suzhou Stadium. We went inside to have a look and saw an instructor teaching kids how to race around the track. Looks pretty fun. I will have to investigate and see when it would be open to the public to use. I was thinking of taking the whole family for some skating fun.

All in all the weather turned out to be pretty nice and we enjoyed this long ride. I am looking forward to next weekend's ride. I am sure it will be cold, but I will have to stay in shape over the winter.

2008 Suzhou Look-Shimano Road Race

Today was the 2008 Look Shimano Road Race. It was held near Green Lake in Weiting. The starting line was less than a half a mile away from my house. The race would be 110 km road race around a 5 km loop. I would consider it like a crit that would be run in the US.

My cycling buddy Zhang Zhong Ming would participate. He works for the local Trek store in SIP and represents Trek in many of the races. He rides an Aluminum Discovery Channel Trek Road Bike. He is a really strong rider and can keep up with the peloton very well. He might not be fighting for the win, but he will be in the main group when it comes to the line. He invited me to participate and I probably would have participated if it wasn't so close to the Hangzhou Half Marathon. So, I decided not to race.

Above are a few pictures of the peloton. Some of the usual big racers from the Chinese Trek Racing Team and the Chinese Specialized Racing Team were present. This race would also be a really fast race. They were doing laps in about 8 minutes per lap, an estimated 38 km/h. I probably would have been able to keep up for about 6-7 laps before I would be dropped from the peloton.

This race was very well organized. All streets were completely closed of from motor traffic. In front of the peloton was a police car and then a police bike. Behind the last cyclist was also a police motor bike.

Zhong Ming in the peloton. He is besides one of the few foreigners I saw riding this race. I can tell by their faces that they are moving really fast. There is alot of concentration.

Another picture of Zhong Ming in the peloton on one of the corners of the race circuit. After a few laps, I no longer would see him in the peloton. He was unlucky and suffered a flat tire. In these races there are no neutral service help vehicles or team cars ready to pass out wheels. A flat usually means game over.

Well, I did not get to see all of the race. I don't know who won or how the final sprint turned out. I was off to a lunch wedding to celebrate a new beginning in the life of one of our engineers! It would be my first wedding in China.