An international mountain bike festival gears up

The Scandinavians are set to invade Anhui province on April 14th-16th, and they've invited the rest of us to join them. Vikings, warriors, sailors, fishermen, families and bikers will ride for the first Huangshan international mountain bike competition. Held high in the bamboo forests overlooking the historic World Heritage sites of Hongcun and Xidi in Southern Anhui province, the organizer, Nordic Ways, bills the Zhongkun Huangshan MTB Festival as the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon of mountain bike races .

Visitors to the area will quickly recognize the emerald bamboo hillsides and nearby villages from the classic romantic kung fu movie by director Ang Lee. Locals won't let you forget. Already christened with UNESCO accolades, businesses in Hongcun cajole travelers to eat where Michelle Yeoh ate, sleep where Zhang Ziyi leapt and now, with Nordic Ways, to ride where Chow Yun-Fat battled aloft shoots of bamboo. The Huangshan government, Chinese Cycling Association, Beijing's notorious fitness junkies, the Mobsters and Trek Bicycles have taken up their battle cry.
Complete with referees and carefully following international mountain bike race regulations, the race is intense and professional. The course begins at a local middle school down in the valley of Hongcun. Riders will stream out of the ancient city and begin a 10km ascent to the ridge above. Near the summit, a 1.5 meter single track trail darts further towards the summit and crawls past terraces of tea plants. Inside thick forests, bikers will begin one of the descents that will prove to be the signature section of the MTB Festival, a ninety degree bend that turns faster than Lee's fight scene. All in all, it's a figure eight track course that will test riders' skills as well as endurance. Todd McKean of Trek Bicycles China calls the event "Asia's first real bid to compete in the mountain biking marathon circuit." Five time world champion mountain bike marathoner, Chris Eatough will test Mckean's words and christen the course.

Yet, mindful of the Easter weekend, Nordic Ways has included activities for the entire family. There will be an Easter egg hunt in Xidi, where children can scour Ming architecture for prizes and treats. And just like ancient northern lords of the sea and those in Crouching Tiger, everyone can revel in nightly banquets, dream of the orient and ride in the wake of a Chinese legend, Huangshan. l CC