Hong Kong’s love affair with cycling is about to roar back to life, bells polished, tyres pumped, and Lycra stretched to its absolute limit. On 30 November, the Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon, the city’s largest annual cycling spectacular, makes its long-awaited return. Organised with customary flair by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the event promises an intoxicating blend of professional grit, amateur enthusiasm, and carnival atmosphere against the city’s famously photogenic skyline.
This year’s edition is not so much a comeback as a reinvention. Forget about cycling laps around the block — the organisers are upping the gears, offering brand-new routes, world-class athletes, and mass participation on a grand scale. As HKTB Chairman Dr Peter Lam put it with some pride:
“The Hong Kong Cyclothon is a true highlight of our sporting calendar, offering locals and visitors an exceptional competitive cycling experience and showcasing the city’s ability to blend sport with tourism.”
Well said, Dr Lam. In a city that treats spectacles like a competitive sport, this one is shaping up to be a world-beater.
A Ride for Everyone – From Lycra Legends to Weekend Warriors
Cyclothon 50km & 32km Rides
The jewel in the Cyclothon’s crown is the ever-popular 50km “four tunnels, three bridges” ride. This isn’t just a jaunt around Kowloon Park, it’s a proper test of fitness, stamina, and determination, as 6,000 riders from Hong Kong, Mainland China and overseas will snake their way across the city’s infrastructure like a giant human peloton.
For those who prefer a slightly less punishing adventure, the 32km “two tunnels, two bridges” ride debuts with a twist: the inaugural World University Trophy. Expect plenty of friendly rivalry as students from Hong Kong, Mainland China and some of the world’s top universities pedal furiously for bragging rights.
It’s not often that undergraduates can swap their textbooks for handlebars and still call it “cultural exchange”.
The Greater Bay Area Challenge: Speed, Sweat and Strategy
Those who think they’ve seen it all should think again. The City Cycling Challenge around the Greater Bay Area (Hong Kong) – Sun Hung Kai Properties Men’s and Women’s Open has shaken off its traditional loop and gone rogue. This year, it extends beyond the familiar Tsim Sha Tsui circuit, sending riders hurtling across more challenging terrain in a punishing single-lap format.
The route is as scenic as it is demanding, passing landmarks like the Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower, the International Commerce Centre (ICC) and the mighty Tsing Ma Bridge. Riders need stamina, strategy and sheer bloody-mindedness to stay in contention. Spectators, meanwhile, are in for a feast of drama.
This is cycling at its purest: a battle of legs, lungs, and determination, with the Hong Kong skyline as the backdrop.
Carnival Spirit at West Kowloon
Cyclothon_GBA Race
Of course, it wouldn’t be Hong Kong without a party attached. This year, the Cyclothon Carnival at the West Kowloon Cultural District’s Art Park promises as much colour and noise off the track as on it.
From dawn till dusk, the air will buzz with live music, sporting demonstrations, food stalls, face painting, balloon art and interactive sports experiences. Families can relax, foodies can graze, children can get their faces painted into miniature lions, and everyone can watch the cycling action on a giant screen without missing a pedal stroke.
It’s a festival of sweat and song — an only-in-Hong-Kong concoction where endurance racing collides with street theatre.
Hong Kong’s Sports-Tourism Pedal Power
The Cyclothon isn’t just a day out on the bike; it’s a statement. Hong Kong has been steadily flexing its sporting muscles, attracting international events that boost its global reputation and tourism numbers.
The HKTB, never shy of ambition, is already eyeing an expansion of the Cyclothon into a Greater Bay Area-wide brand. The aim? To transform this into a world-class event that links Hong Kong with its neighbours, turning the region into Asia’s cycling capital.
Cycling, it seems, is the new dim sum best shared widely and enjoyed often.
Registration and Details
Cycling enthusiasts eager to lock in their spot should mark 13 September in their calendars, when registration officially opens. Whether you’re an elite rider, a student cyclist, or simply a weekend warrior with a shiny new bike, there’s a saddle waiting with your name on it.
For more information on the SHKP Hong Kong Cyclothon 2025, visit the official Discover Hong Kong site.
The Final Word
The Hong Kong Cyclothon has always been more than a race. It’s a celebration of endurance, unity, and the city itself. It’s where athletes meet amateurs, bridges and tunnels become race tracks, and cycling becomes a passport to discovering Hong Kong anew.
This is your moment if you’ve ever wanted to see a city come alive on two wheels. And if you’ve ever doubted Hong Kong’s capacity to blend spectacle with sport, then on 30 November, prepare to have those doubts blown away faster than a peloton chasing the breakaway.
By Charmaine Lu
