Tribute To Turton
Seeing as I did this ride on Sunday, I guess it is a testament to how little blogging time I have had as of late.
I decided to give the climbing a test and headed out to the hills above Lugu with the hope of capping the tea farms of Sanlinxi. The distance is already a challenge from my home in Taichung city, but it is the climbing that wears you down. I have done this ride before, and I learned I am still some way away from that level of fitness.
Here is a sign telling "poor cyclists" to ask the staff for a pump or tools if they need them. Awesome!
The ride down the Highway 3 to Jiji was like sleepwalking. I just turned the pedals and I was there. Then as soon as I turned onto the Route 131 to Lugu, the legs kicked in. I was feeling fine and just enjoyed the weather with one eye toward the mountains to gauge how long I might have before the haze congealed into a mass of water.
Everything looked perfect.
There were several low elevation tea farms turning in a harvest.
I then hit the steady climb up to Sanlinxi. At about the spot where the road between Sanlinxi and Si Tou split, I felt some discomfort in my knee and promptly turned around. Last year I would have willed myself to the top. This year a wiser man took over and I was happy to roll home with my knee feeling... okay. I kept the throttle open until I ran out of gas just at the Taichung city limits. By the time I rolled to my door I had put in 150km and the weather was looking nasty.
Nice ride. Nice way to wrap up my summer vacation.
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