Dakeng: Taichung's Closest Climbs

I have been off the bike for a six weeks and I am really feeling it. After having my leg realigned I was feeling well enough for another attempt at a ride. I needed something close. I needed something easy. I needed something interesting.

My buddy Chris finally had some time as well. He is new to cycling and has really only ridden through the clouds of scooters and cars in the flats of Taichung City with a couple of other excursions.

We decided to hit the foothills in Dakeng above Taichung to make the most of our time and conditioning.

We met in the city and were soon on the "bike path" out toward the golf course on Taiyuan Rd.

There were a few other cyclists out. It is still technically a work day, so not the same volume as on a weekend.

We stopped at the 7-11 on Buzi Rd. to wait for Michael Turton to join us.

Just as we started climbing toward the golf course, we took a left up the Dakeng Alley toward the CKS Campground.

The ride lazily twists around farms and creeks up to the top of the hill.

Chris got his first taste of climbing by burning all his matches on a couple of the steeper sections.

Michael easily spun his way up in preparation for is exciting cycling expedition to Sabah later this month.

I felt pretty good and my knee was pretty well behaved. I tested out my strength and comfort on the bike. The weather was also excellent.

At the top of the hill, I ran into a woman who looked to be in her late 60's getting ready to tackle the steepest section of the road up to the campground. I love seeing seniors still ripping it up.

Chris was happy to celebrate his first "summit". When I first met Chris, he was 6okg heavier and nowhere near being able to climb stairs... let alone a hill. Just awesome!

We chatted for a while at the top before bombing back down to the city.

What a wonderful excursion to get back into the swing of things.