China Youth Tour | Wipe-Outs and Jumping Off Bridges in Changsha

The constant heat makes China a tough place to travel during summer months. Grand plans can be thwarted by extreme temperatures, intense humidity, or torrential downpours. Changsha is no exception. It consistently ranks amongst China’s hottest cities. Yet, it’s community of outdoor sports enthusiasts is growing rapidly!

The most visible sport was cycling. Day and night, high-end bikes can be seen parading along the Xiang river. Road bikes are scarce — Changsha’s cycle enthusiasts swear by their mountain bikes. It’s little surprise since they frequently go to Changsha’s Yue Lu Mountain to bike mountain paths. Other times, local bike clubs pile their gear into vans to take off to remote areas to ride.

By far the most visible brand was Merida. I occasionally saw mid-end Giant bikes, but Merida certainly has a lock on the market with cyclists coughing up to 15,000 RMB for a top-of-the-line ride. I settled on a cheaper Giant rental for two days, then met up with eight local riders to hit the trails. Except for one rider on a Trek, the rest were on Meridas, claiming they trusted the brand, and because all stores in town stock Merida, parts are easy to get or fix.

Eager to show me how serious Changsha riders are about mountain biking, the crew took me to Yue Lu mountain for some off-road biking. My cut-off jean shorts and Shanghai Alleycat t-shirt was out of place in the sea of lycra, bike gloves, and high-end helmets. We spent the day exploring Yue Lu’s foot-wide paths along fear-inducing cliffs. After hours of exhausting up-hills and exhilarating downhills, we were at the top of the short mountain. Mission accomplished: I survived Changsha’s back-country biking.

Unfortunately, I failed miserably in surviving Changsha’s urban biking the following day. A near head-on collision with a sports car going against traffic on a bridge’s on-ramp led to a 20-foot skid followed by me going aerial with a full flip over the handlebars and into hard concrete. Shoulder, knee, hip, and cyclist ego damaged, I picked myself off the road and made my way to the bridge’s walking lane, where I came across these guys:

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Nick is enovate’s ears and eyes on the streets of China’s large and small cities. His adventures help keep us informed and knowledgeable about emerging Chinese youth cultural trends as well as providing support to client projects. Check here for more stories, photos, and videos of Nick’s adventure as well as follow his personal blog thesinoists.com/baronburns, and twitter (@MrBaronBurns) for more great trends and insights around China.