Still some not bad options up bao zhu...
At the top of the road before heading down to the downhill tracks (where most bikers stop), take the major dirt road on the left (watch for trucks, can get dusty). Up the road about 5km take a left and keep following your nose exploring a few decent tracks.
Do the first part of the downhill (the least dodgy) to the part with the nice view after the big jump and the smaller one, then turn left. This is a brilliant sometimes technical x country track. Watch out on this track for some big worm spots (writhing wriggling masses of worms) which I have never seen before! Ends at a cemetery where you can carry your bike through to a service road on the other side. Follow this to a Y intersection at a small cornfield next to a little house (yapping small dog), turn left to get back to the road (keep straight). I think you could turn right past the house maybe to hit the trail opposite side but I never tried. This trail is a very good x country ride which you can combine with the other bao zhu normal trails making a fairly good figure of 8 ride returning to the bottom of bao zhu. I used to do this as a run all the time about 12 km) - up bao zhu via the road, start of downhill track, turn left as above, take road back to start of downhill tracks, do start of downhill, turn right past the almost landslide hills (don't hang around), take the sometimes technical track down (watch for walkers).
There are also some good tracks that can be very long up jin dian beyond the expo gardens. Ride past the dam, stay on the road for about 10km more until you get to a village at the top of a series of climbs (you will likely see other cyclists here on the weekends). From here you can go right to hit some decent trails that can last for 30km plus (find your way!) or continue on the road a little and go left up through some villages to a quarry road with some interesting technical trails coming off the left... These all seem to end near a damn where a few people fish. Contact Lee at Pegasus cycles for these ones, he knows them pretty well and bikes them with (sometimes large) groups on Saturdays (look for "Guided Group Cycling to nearby hills" event).
I would go exploring with ya, but aren't in KM for the foreseeable future sorry!
Getting away: Changchong Mountain
Posted byCheers guys, will google earth it first to check it out! When I go and ride a route I will have a look around using a GPS tracking application on my phone so I can tell people if I find some nice tracks. I am a pretty sensible and skilled mountain biker so won't end up skewered by my handlebars down some dead end track, well, it hasn't happend in my 18 years of mountainbiking (5 years of racing!).
My tendency when exploring new routes is to cycle it at a sane speed first, remembering turns and key points for dismounting etc. The next time at medium speed and the next at 3/4 speed, which is about as fast as I dare in areas that could be changed one day to the next!
Can you guys tell me if there are access issues (private property etc) around the area, apart from the military base on the South side of the mountain? This may be a general China question - will I get shot at or arrested if I stray onto some farmland where the farmer doesn't like visitors? Probably a pretty general question, but being new to China it would be good for any local advice. So far when I have been riding up around the resovior areas most people don't take any notice of me and those that do usually give encouraging shouts (well, I think so, my Chinese isn't that good yet!).
Getting away: Changchong Mountain
Posted byJust did this ride (the original, will try Daniels update another time!), its pretty good for a training ride, some good extended uphills that keep the heart going for some time. This is the only ride where I have noticed the slight oxygen depletion from the altitude!
Can anyone tell me if there is any good single track off the mountain and how to get to it? There may be some off the various small roads leading off the main route, but I aren't sure where to start looking! Thanks