Beijing
Beijing is up there with the best cycling destinations in the world with amazing roads, great climbs and plenty of coffeeshops. It’s a cyclist’s paradise! - Learn more
Cycling Beijing
As a cycling destination, Beijing will surprise you. This bustling metropolis city is actually surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. To the north, the mountainous areas beyond the Jandu Mountains stretch towards the Gobi Desert and inner Mongolia so there are thousands of kilometres of roads to explore.
“The roads and terrain are so great here, we would even consider Beijing for a team training camp”.- Dan Martin, following the 2014 Tour of Beijing.
Beijing itself is a city of +20 million people but it is surprising just how accessible and diverse the cycling is 1-3 hours outside of the city. There are special cycling routes directly out of the city centre that reach 100km in length. It is also possible to ride to parts of the Great Wall of China, the closest section of the wall from the city is about 70km.
What sets Beijing apart from other cycling destinations is the quality of the roads. After the summer and winter olympics, the government continued to invest a lot of money into road infrastructure with new highways taking cars off the winding mountain roads, creating a cycling paradise.
Some of the best road surfaces you will ride. Resurfaced every 5 years or so, almost like a race track level of quality. Roads are swept once a month so there is no debris. You can descend.
New high-speed rail lines allow you to take your bike out a fair distance from the city to then ride back, creating amazing one-way routes.
There is also a great selection of boutique coffee shops and coffee vans. With electric cars already quite popular in China, some coffee vendors even set themselves up on the big climbs, charging their coffee machines from their car batteries.
Whether you’re travelling through Beijing on business or looking looking for a completely new cycling destination, this is one region you should look into.
Gravel in Beijing
There isn’t much note-worthy gravel around Beijing, mainly because most roads have been paved.
The province of Hebei is about 3 hours from Beijing. Here there is less urban development and there is some gravel to be found. For more information about cycling in Hebei:
Spots to ride
Planning your cycling trip
3. Know who to speak with:
Always speak with a local expert BEFORE booking your trip. Valuable local knowledge will ensure you get the most out of your cycling holiday.
More spots for cyclists
CyclingSpots proudly supports local businesses promoting cycling tourism in Beijing.