On 25 July 2015 I met 5 other Busanites to join forces and cycle together from Haeundae to Jinha Beach.  To be honest I'm not a big fan of Facebook, but it has it's practical uses, one of which made 5 strangers meet up at 08:00am in front of Starbucks to cycle together. 

The purpose of the cycle was social and not performance based, and so we ended up being a very diverse and interesting group.  And yet everyone's open mindedness and support for each other is what made the ride great!

Here's a slide show created by one of the participants:

Start: Haeundae
Finish: Gijang and back to Haeundae
Distance: +/-40km
Elevation: mostly flat with a steep hill on Dalmaji road
Road surface: mostly car road, a small section of cycling track. 
Transportation: Take the subway to Jungdong station on the green line, Exit 7
Transportation back: There is an option of a train between 15:00 and 16:00 from Gijang or any other East coast station back to Haeundae or Dongnae station. It has 5 bicycle seats. 

After a bit of a lull in my cycling I'm back and I've been out and about lately revisiting some favourite routes. A lot of construction has been going on near Songjeong beach and Gijang, due to the development of the East Coast Tourism Complex. A huge Lotte mall has been built and they are still busy building a theme park, water park, hotels, retirement villages and golf courses.  Some of this construction is resulting in new roads, tunnels and routes that did not exist before. 

I've also been noticing the signs going up for the new East coast cycle route, starting at the top of the East coast of Korea. It seems down here near Busan, they are simply adding signs for the route and not really creating any new cycling roads. Also some of the route seems to follow the busy road 14, while there are other lovely coastal alternatives available.  I was really hoping the old train track would be converted into a cycling track going round Dalmaji, but it will be left as an old train track for tourists to walk on, while Dalmaji hill has become part of the East coast cycling route. I guess for the long distance cyclists it will become that last climb before descending into Busan and Haeundae.

Another change is that Dalmaji road has been re-paved, almost 100%. This is great news! It's been part of my commute in the past and now many of those nasty potholes and uneven bits are history! There's also some markers installed near drain covers that stand out, which is a nice touch.

Above is the route I would recommend for the first 30 km up the coast. There are subtle changes. 

• Descending from Dalmaji, turn immediately right and go straight over the old train line to Songjeong beach.
• From the end of Songjeong past Lotte mall up to Jukdo coastal town has a dedicated cycling lane.
• There are two new connecting roads and a cycle friendly tunnel between the coast and road 14 just after Lotte mall and before Jukdo coastal town. (However I would just try to avoid road 14 if possible.)
• For a fast finish and a loop ride, you can cycle up the coast to Gijang and then just take road 14 back. Just be aware it will have traffic and buses.

A lovely 50km flat ride along the river and you can take a train from Miryang back to Busan at 18:20 with a bicycle rack. 

I've cycled up the Nakdong river many times, but this time I decided to veer off the dedicated cycled route and try to make my own way to the town of Miryang. However to my great surprise I found a dedicated cycling path all the way to Miryang. What was even more surprising is that this path is not even indicated on Naver maps, it's completely empty of other people and all between the farmlands. This was literally the perfect 50km if you just want to cruise along with the wind in your hair or try to reach top speeds.  ( I chose to cruise.)

Of course you can cycle to Miryang and back for a perfect 100 km.

Start: Yangsan
End: Miryang
Distance: 50km
Elevation: very flat
Surface: cycling road all the way
Transport to Yangsan: Take the subway to Yangsan station or take a bus to Yangsan
Transport from Miryang: Take a train to Busan station (18:20 only train with cycle racks) or take a bus to Sasang.

One of my favourite rides in Busan, is from Haeundae up the East coast in the direction of Ulsan.  Scroll down for some pictures and a detailed google map of the route.
DISTANCE: 85 - 95km

The MBC bike festival over Gwangan Bridge has been rescheduled for 25th of May 2014.  

For our 3rd Busan Bike Party we will take part as a group in the MBC Bike festival, it is a family bike ride over Gwangan Bridge in Busan. The top part of the bridge will be closed for cars and cyclists will get a chance to cycle over it. (usually no bikes allowed).

Date:   Sunday 25 May 2014
Place:   Daecheon Elementary school, near Kyungsung University station. Busan
Race Start time:   9:00 am
Group meeting time:   8:00 (see map below)
Distance:   15km
Completion time:   1 hour 30 minutes
Application fee:   5000 won
Helmets:    Required, participants will be disqualified without them.
Course map:   http://busanmbcbike.com/course/course01.php
Please read the Rules and regulations (translated from Korean) carefully before participating.

For detailed directions on where and when to meet please click the picture below:

1. Kyungsung University station

• Arrive 7:45 am at the station and use exit 3
• From there cycle the red cycling route on the map to the meeting point.  
  
• I will pick up the race numbers before the race.
• Meet at 8:00 at the meeting point. to receive your race numbers. 
  
• Please don't be late. 
  
• Depart at 8:15 from here to Daecheong Elementary School 
  

2. Daecheong Elementary School

• Change your clothes and store your bags here. 
  
• Start of the Race, Opening ceremony  at 8:45. 
  
• Start at 9:00.
• Cycle over the bridge and back to Daecheon Elementary School.
  
• Receive a snack, socks and a medal at the end of the race.

3. Parking available

• You can park your car at Dongmyeong University from 7:30 - 13:00 for free if you show your race number.

This event has also been postponed until June 21st 2014 due to the unfortunate ferry accident.

I've always wanted to participate in this event, it happens every year.  So I just entered myself! It's all in Korean, but ask a Korean friend to help and it's quick and easy. I've heard so many good stories about this event!

Many cyclists arrive in Busan after completing their epic Seoul to Busan bike tour.  One of the biggest questions after giving your bum a rest and celebrating your achievement is how to get back to Seoul. There are 4 bus terminals in Busan, knowing which one to use can be very helpful.

• Closest bus terminal to the last certification center: SEOBU bus terminal
• Only bus terminal to go to Incheon airport: BUSAN CENTRAL bus terminal
• To smaller nearby cities DONGRAE intercity bus terminal
• To Seoul and smaller cities Haeundae Intercity bus terminals, discussed in a previous post.

FOR CLARIFICATION:

• Intercity bus terminals (시외버스터미널): serve cities in the immediate province or area and stops more than express buses.

• Express bus terminals (고속버스 터미널): serves main cities around the country with direct buses, not stopping at other cities.
• Many times a bus terminal have both above terminals inside one building.

• Korean name: 부산종합버스터미널
• Location: Nopo subway station exit 3
• Destinations: Many big and small cities all over the country including, Incheon, Andong , Seoul and more. 
• Buses: Intercity and Express buses
• Time schedule: Express buses, 
• Website (Korean): http://www.bxt.co.kr/express_bus.html 
• Express bus website (Korean): http://www.dbterminal.co.kr/
• BUS TO SEOUL AVAILABLE (Arrive at East Seoul Terminal, Gangbyeon st, or Express Bus terminal in Gangnam)
• BUS TO INCHEON AIRPORT AVAILABLE (05:30 / 07:00 / 09:00 / 10:30  / 12:00 / 23:30 / 01:00 / 02:00 (night bus)

• Korean name: 부산서부버스터미널) 
• Location: Sasang subway station exit 5
• Closest bus terminal to the 4 river trails and the last certification center.
• Destinations: Many big and small cities all over the country 
• Buses: Intercity and Express buses
• Website (Korean): http://www.busantr.com/main/main.htm
• BUS TO SEOUL AVAILABLE (Arrive at Nambu station in Seoul)

• Korean: 동래시외버스터미널
• Location: Dongrae Subway station exit 3 (very close to a bike path)
• Destinations: Gimhae, Changwon, Jinju, Masan etc.
• Website: None that I could find
• NO BUS TO SEOUL

Unfortunately many of these websites are in Korean, only works in Internet Explorer and only accepts Korean bank cards. If you use them, it's best to ask a Korean to help.  That said, just rocking up at any bus terminal and buying tickets on the spot is easy and there are usually more than enough available.

• National Intercity bus tickets : bustago, easyticket, busterminal, dongseoul
• National Express bus tickets: kobus

Pictures courtesy of Naver.com

If you happen to find yourself in Haeundae and you want to transport yourself and your bike via bus to another part of the country here is some information about the bus terminals, destinations, time tables available. 

The very first thing you need to know is that within less than the space of a kilometer there are actually 2 Haeundae Intercity Bus terminals (시외버스터미널).Very few people know that you can travel from Haeundae to Seoul directly with a luxury bus. 

"The Bicycle Service Center in Haeundae-gu, reopened on March 3.

The center, located along the Suyeong riverside under the Jwasuyeong-gyo Bridge (Suyeong Bridge No. 3) and next to Centum Middle School, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily until June and will be closed in July and then be reopened again from August to December.

Those wishing to rent a bike must provide identification and their contact information. Rentals are for one hour and there are currently 50 bikes available.

The center also offers free bike repairs* such as changing chains, brake cables, bike tires or tubes. 

Haeundae-gu will operate a used bicycle market from April. Anyone wishing to sell their bike may bring it to the center where it will be repaired and sold free of charge. Bikes that remain unsold after six months may be donated with the owner’s consent.   

You can view other free bicycle rental shops in Busan at http://english.busan.go.kr/04transportation/10_03.jsp. " 

I have decided that if I were to label myself it would be a very enthusiastic amateur cyclist. I'm by no means a professional, I was reminded of this fact just a few days ago when I experienced my first puncture since I started taking cycling more seriously. 

And for the first time in my life, I took the tube out, patched it and put it back in the tire. And how did I manage to achieve that, well it's not hard, I just googled it, watched a Youtube video or two and followed the instructions. 

Now I feel so much more confident if something like that would ever happen again in the middle of nowhere. Just always remember to have a pump with you, no matter how small.  Anyone can fix a tyre, but with no pump, it's a very unsatisfying achievement. 

LINKS

• Some picture instructions