Hwaaksan by Bike: Korea's Rare Category 1 Climb, Plus Domachijae (A Big Rider's Story)
In my last post, I rode 165 km on flat river paths from Seoul to Chungju. This time, let's talk about the opposite kind of ride: short on distance, big on climbing. If you ride in Korea long enough, every cyclist you meet will eventually ask you one question: "Have you done Hwaaksan yet?" Hwaaksan (화악산, Hwaak Mountain) in Gapyeong is one of the very few Category 1 climbs in Korea — the kind of climb you'd normally have to fly to the Alps or Taiwan to find. Korean riders treat it as a rite of passage. On a Saturday morning in June, I finally did it — and since I was already up in the mountains, I added a second pass, Domachijae (도마치재), to make a 66 km loop. At 187 cm (6'2"), I'm a Clydesdale, not a climber. My bike's name on Strava is 중력받침대 — roughly "the gravity stand." You'll see why that name felt very accurate on this day. The Ride at a Glance Start / Finish Buk-myeon, Gapyeong (loop) Distance 66.2 km (41.1 mi) Moving time 4 h 0...
