Ride Asia with Nino Schurter and Kohei Yamamoto lands at AKKI Bike Park in Hong Kong on 12 and 13 December. Filipino riders can be on that start line for about P1,930.
Nino Schurter has won the Elite cross-country world championship ten times. Gold at Rio, silver at London, bronze at Beijing. When he stepped away from World Cup racing in 2025, he left as the most decorated XCO racer the sport has produced.
This December he’ll be at a bike park in Yuen Long, Hong Kong. Two hours in the air from Manila. And the entry fee to be at the same event is HKD 240, which is about P1,930.
That’s the whole pitch.
AKKI Bike Park and AKKI MTB Group are bringing Ride Asia with Nino and Kohei to Hong Kong on 12 and 13 December, with Asia Union TCS Racing Team backing it. Two days of racing, riding, and time on the trails with Hong Kong’s and Asia’s MTB communities.
Schurter is one of the two featured riders. The other is Kohei Yamamoto, who raced four straight Olympic Games for Japan: Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo. He’s not just showing up either. He helps run the thing.
Saturday is a race
Day one is an open XCO race with real categories. Youth, Junior, Masters 50+, Open Women, Open Men. Check-in opens at 07:30, the opening ceremony is at 09:30, and racing runs from 10:00 through to 15:15.
Then it turns into a community day. There’s a kick bike race for the kids at 15:30, a signing and photo session, and awards at 16:30.
There’s also a Limited Practice Ride at 08:00 with Schurter and Yamamoto, capped at 40 riders. It’s an add-on at HKD 120, about P960, and you need an XCO entry to buy it. Worth knowing it’s for learning the course, not a skills clinic.
Spectating is free. So is the kids programme.
Sunday is a ride
Day two is the Fan Ride. Around 60 riders total, 40 of those public places, moving in groups of about 20. Check-in at 08:30, safety briefing at 09:00, rolling at 10:00 for roughly three hours. Food and hanging around after, photos, done by 14:30.
It’s HKD 630, about P5,060. Intermediate experience or better, and they mean it.
The route isn’t being published. Registered riders get what they need to know.
Read this part before you book
The organizers are refreshingly straight about what they’re not promising, and we’re going to be just as straight.
Both guests are scheduled to join the riding and the programme. But a full competitive race by either of them isn’t guaranteed, and neither is riding in the same group as them. If your reason for going is a photo of you wheel to wheel with Schurter, understand that’s not what’s being sold.
This is a local open race. It isn’t UCI sanctioned, so there are no points in it.
Signing is limited to official event merchandise and the VIP kit. Personal items aren’t eligible. Don’t fly over with a frame in a bag expecting a signature on it.
And the schedule is provisional. Weather, trail conditions, safety, and guest availability can all move it.
Registration closes 30 November
That’s the number that matters. Entries opened 7 October and close at 23:59 Hong Kong time on 30 November. Payment is in HKD and there’s no discount for doing both days.
If you’re going, the flight and the entry both need sorting in the next few weeks, not in December.
Why we’re writing about it
Because the point of this event is the part that doesn’t show up in the schedule.
Yamamoto spends his working life now connecting racing experience to the next generation of riders across Asia. Posting from the bike park on 7 October, he put it simply: “It will be great to meet riders from Hong Kong and across Asia, share some time on the trails and enjoy riding together.”
Across Asia. That’s the invitation, and it’s open.
Somebody from here should be on that start line. Preferably several somebodies.
The details
What: Ride Asia with Nino Schurter and Kohei Yamamoto
When: Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December 2026
Where: AKKI Bike Park, Ha Mei San Tsuen, Ping Shan, Yuen Long, Hong Kong. The Sunday route isn’t published. Registered riders get it.
Who’s running it: AKKI Bike Park and AKKI MTB Group handle everything on the ground in Hong Kong. Asia Union TCS Racing Team covers the international side, guest liaison, and getting the word out across Asia.
What it costs: XCO race entry HKD 240, about P1,930. Practice ride add-on HKD 120, about P960, and you need an XCO entry to buy it. Fan Ride HKD 630, about P5,060. Spectators and kids go free.
Registration: 7 October to 30 November 2026, Hong Kong time.
Enquiries: info@akkibikepark.com or +852 9020 5724
Site: rideasiahk.a-uniontcs.com
The programme can shift with weather, trail conditions, safety, or guest schedules. Check the official updates for signing eligibility, capacity, and participation conditions.
Rates as of 19 October 2026, 1 HKD to 8.03 PHP. Check current rates before you pay.
Photos provided by Ride Asia. Nino Schurter by Piper Albrecht. Kohei Yamamoto action by Satoshi ODA, portrait by Asia Union TCS Racing Team.
Everyone outside.
Discover more from Sendr
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.