Escape To Freedom - Strava Challenge on November 13th/14th 2021

Challenge your climbing ability on this epic route as you escape from Tai Lam Prison, scurrying through the jungle before disappearing into the mist on top of the highest mountain in Hong Kong.

Sunday 7th November 2021

We've been looking forward to this one almost as much as the cooler weather that looks set to properly arrive this week!

A shout out to Redders, who in a brief moment of helpfulness, pointed out that racing as a group of cyclists in Tai Lam Country Park at speed through blind corners and gravel might end in calamity. Yes, there are downhills and narrow sketchy bits of road in there, so the plan was modified.

THREE SEGMENTS COMBINED

The escape consists of the following three segments which will be combined using Segment Spinner.

Segment 1 - Jail Break Get Away

https://www.strava.com/segments/30336132

Length: 1km Avg Grade: 9.1%

Straight from the prison gates, the goal is to get straight up into the park ASAP. This takes the "back route" and include the extra steep section at the top after turning off right.

Segment 2 - Losing the Scent

https://www.strava.com/segments/30336139

Length: 6.3km Avg Grade: 7.3%

Meander through the park crossing many streams to ditch those bloodhounds on your track!

This is a long and challenging segment. Nearly the entire segment is uphill and it includes the infamous "WALL" in its final kilometre.

The route has been chosen with safety in mind, as your average speed over the whole segment is unlikely to be more than 15km/h! Please be aware that there are a couple of flattish sections in the first kilometre, but the road surface and visibility is good.

There are also very brief downhill sections at kilometre 4 and kilometre 5, and these include a couple of corners. Please use these as recovery and think about the many steep inclines still to come! That said, they are very short, and the road surface is good.

Segment 3 - Into the Fog

https://www.strava.com/segments/30336152

Length: 4.3km Avg Grade: 10.4%

The final phase of the challenge is the top part of Tai Mo Shan, a road I think we are all familiar with. The segment starts near the canteen/carpark just after the turn-off from Route TWISK, and finishes at the top of Tai Mo Shan where your escape helicopter awaits.

Sign Up

You can ride this in a goup or solo, as you wish! The dates for participation are November 13th/14th 2021.

We will have a group start from the prison at 7am on November 13th.

Make sure you are registered on Segment Spinner and have signed up to the event. We have taken the liberty to sign up all the regulars.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR ESCAPE!!

FULL GPS

For those that want a bit of guidance, here is the full route from Tsuen Wan West. You do not need to follow the route exactly, just need to make sure you hit the three segments.

https://www.strava.com/routes/2893503220342126186

On this route, the segments are at:

JAIL BREAK GET AWAY: 12km to 13km

LOSING THE SCENT: 18km to 24km

INTO THE FOG: 26.5km to 31km

Another Note About Safety

These segments are all pretty steep and there is almost no chance of any accidents due to speed (at least on the climb up!!). In addition, we will be split into single riders and very small groups from the get-go, so there should be no issue there.

Please be aware of the following:

Pass riders and pedestrians with a 1meter berth, and use polite vocal warnings. Speed under 20kmh in sections with walkers present.
Be aware that there could be walkers and/or cars at any point on the road, especially near the top of segment 2.
Please ride slowly and carefully between the segments.

At best, we ruin our reputation by doing otherwise. Worse yet, we invite police presence and citations... and at worst, someone gets hurt. So slow down.