"The Huairou Loop" in North Beijing

Hey there MCM riders, for those of you riding around the Beijing area, I just wanted to report on a great 250+km loop I found recently just north of Beijing that makes for a great Sunday ride when you just need to get out of the city.

First off, I found this through an iPhone app called The Greatest Road. Though the community around Beijing/China on this app is obviously relatively small, there was still something to discover. Basically it's an app for riders to share, describe, and rate rides that they've done. You go to your area on a map and the routes are either highlighted on the map or in a list format. This particular ride (which was titled "Beijing Twisties" in the app) was courtesy of Iceman1000.

I've got the full map and a video posted on my blog, so if you're interested in seeing the full ride report, you can check it out here. Basically though, you loop north starting on the Badaling Expressway, but after the exit for the Ming Tombs, that's the last bit of expressway as you drive past fields, villages, the Great Wall (a great section where you can even go for a swim if you're so inclined!), and then of course up into the mountains before looping back towards Beijing on Jingmi Lu.

The video I put together is unfortunately a pretty low quality due to my old camera, but it's still a relatively fun watch nonetheless and I do plan on updating my filming gear in the very near future.

Here are some pics from the ride:
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Hey Bucko!

I totally second the rating in that app you were talking about.

Not far off, at 40.1924N 116.2025E there is a really nice japanese-style bath house with private hot springs. And there exists a route over small village roads connecting S213 via S308 via S212 and then on to the G110 west from there. Does not take long but has nice roads, too.

That sounds awesome! Guess just another excuse to head out in that direction :riding:. You should add it into the app. It'd definitely be great to get more people in the Beijing area on there. It was a great resource for a time when I just thought "hey I want to go on a ride, but where should I go." Anyway, thanks for sharing that spot!

I do about the same route all the time, except I come from the S213 instead of the S308. So basically go straigh up North along Line 5 (for example). It sucks to be around the Ming Tombs at the wrong time! Take the G45 on the way back to the city. 220 km, did it on saturday in just over 4 hours. Had to be back for drinks at 15:00 ;)