Last Sunday, Drew and I went on a bike ride with a group of people, mostly a mix of Drew's coworkers and then friends of friends. Somehow when they said "3 hour bike ride," Drew and I were the only ones who showed in actually biking attire. This will be explained very soon. We were able to rent bikes for the day for a mere 30 Hong Kong dollars per person, or about $4USD. What a steal!
We had a great time on the ride, but more for the scenery and company, less for the workout part of it. This particular ride is one of the most popular rides in all of Hong Kong because it is an actual bike path with no car interaction. And it is relatively flat, a hard feat in Hong Kong. However, that also means it is incredibly packed, as all things in Hong Kong are. Drew and I imagine that if we went back maybe on a weekday evening or super early on a weekend, we could have more space, actually take our road bikes, and have a nice ride. The day was great for it, overcast and cooler. The pathway went right along the water for the majority of it, so the scenery was great.
Our group seemed to be made up of people who have biked a bit and were comfortable riding quickly, with a second group of less experienced bikers, who expectedly rode a bit slower. This allowed us to have nice breaks to wait for the rest of the group. At one point, we stopped by a park with exercise equipment, so Drew got to get a quick workout in. Someone in our group teased him to pick up his whole bike to demonstrate his strength, which of course he could. (Working out is not the norm for Asian people, both men and women, so any sign of strength seems to amaze them) I wish we had been riding our road bikes, in which case he'd probably be able to do that lift one-handed. (Of course, none of them would know how light our road bikes really are, but their faces would have been priceless.) I'm lucky to have such an in-shape hubby :)
The second, slower group of bikers made me realize something; most of the slower people were local Hong Kongers. Drew put it into a sound theory. Think back to when you were a kid and you learned to ride your bike. Where were you? In your driveway, on your neighborhood sidewalk, in the cul-de-sac by your house, or maybe in a park. Regardless, you had space to maneuver and flat ground to do it. Hong Kongers all live in apartments, so there is no driveway to practice. And the majority of streets are hilly. And all the sidewalks are packed with people. Simply not a good place to learn to ride your bike! We actually saw several people with training wheels on our ride, both kids and adults. Might have issued a chuckle from us, but hey! At least they were learning! Many people in Hong Kong never do.
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