The domestic adventure

Put in a work shift on Sunday to keep the task implosion at bay, and took a day's leave on Monday to avoid the weekend crowds - up at 4.15am, out the door at 4.55am - adventure time.  It was lovely.  I think the HK gov is perhaps being generous to itself (and why not?) referring to this as "a cycle track" - it's not really - its a collection of cycle track's with some significant missing pieces.  The problem with the misrepresentation, is that it creates an unhelpful expectation - and probably a measure of dissatisfaction - which is SUCH a pity, because its an absolutely DIVINE experience, with some astonishing  infrastructure.  If I had to sell this, I would be calling it a cycling treasure hunt, or a perhaps a bicycle rally with 20 special stages.  I had such a jol - and would have been spared the learning with a more accurate version.  It's simple, when the special stage ends, put on your google maps and enter the next village or landmark and head off on the regular road.  After 5 odd minutes, another "special stage" will appear.  Until you worked that out, a lot of time will be spent arsing about looking for bike tracks that don't exist.  At one point I rode a track for a good 40 minutes, to come out where I started.  WTF?!?  So excluding those loops, the route is below - 107kms - but, improbably, 7+ hours in the saddle.  Such is the extent of stop start, look for the track, oh there isn't one - well I'm not stopping now so lets just ride to the next.... oh look a track!

Given the early start, it was dark until Ma On Shan where the "track"(s) started, so no pics of that.

The first thing to get used to is that where there was track, it was weirdly urban and rural - like this

with many gems for the inquiring mind - the un-signposted subway for example - left or right at the end, you decide; ha!

And some pretty substantial barriers, with limited crossing options - miss it - 4km penalty.

But at the same time, pieces of astonishing infrastructure...

...including tree-lined avenues with endless views of high-rises across water.

Had to stop for this, people after my own heart ... morning swimmers.

Breakfast in a deserted BBQ park (for a want of a better name).

Very cool monastery in the distance, amazing 76m high Goddess of Mercy statue...

I really hate MAMIL pics, they are weird shit, but I rode up the bloody hill to the monastery, only to have a very un-zen bloke refuse to let me in, and refuse to let me take a pic... so I acted un-offended "of course" extra over-friendly and then asked him to take a pic of me and tried to get the monastery and the statue in the background.  So MAMIL pic it is.

Loved this old village house - its balcony running right round.

On the subject of infrastructure - so you need to cross a railway line.  You know this because the track ends at a ramp which appears to be modified steps that you can ride up and down (carefully, mind you).  But for those who don't feel like it, there is also a lift!  No jokes.

Between Sheng Shui and Sam Tin - farms and cycle perfection, and with the high-rise buildings of the PRC across the border.

Looking for lunch in Fook Yat Path in Yeun Long.  No sign of track anywhere.

Tsuen Mun Ferry Pier, the end goal - though I had to go to Butterfly Beach (a ridiculous name, neither butterflies nor beach) to get picked up by Wing Yu, the GoGoVan maestro.

You do have to wonder what you've been inhaling, when your legs 
look like this.  Ate a pretty fierce headwind for the last 40 odd which 
no doubt didn't help :-).  What a jol the whole thing was.