The second Sunday in April is held by cyclists as one of the holiest days on the calendar as it is the day a few select riders face off against unpredictable weather, unstable roadway, each other and against Lady Luck on the rugged cobblestone tracks of the Paris-Roubaix. It is hard to miss an opportunity to straddle the bike on the second Sunday of April and mash through a long hard day to return with little more than a pained grimace for the effort.
This Sunday in Hell was no different. Unfortunately, my best effort of the day could only be 30k of Taiwanese backroads on Taichung's very own Dadu Shan-- not exactly the best analog for the French/Belgian countryside.
I uncharacteristically started with a climb up to the Tunghai (東海大學) campus for some coffee and then hit the "cobbles" of Art Street, where they used to serve the best coffee in Taichung before espresso drinks ever reached central Taiwan.
I decided to explore those tiny lanes on the western side of Dadu Shan （大度山) to work in a few more local climbs for some quick fitness routes. It is not unreasonable to stitch together a formidable route of climbing without ever leaving Dadu Shan. You can flop over the ridge on multiple roads from top to bottom until the legs give.
I skimmed the red clay sweet potato fields to Bang Wan Ln. A steep little sonofabitch that crests the hill over Shalu Township.
I made a tiny adjustment and felt my long lost climbing power begin to return without the stamina to back it up.
Frankly, it just felt great to be back out in the sunshine turning the pedals again.
The entire back side of Dadu Shan is one of those strange Taiwanese Bizarro worlds that exists in the margins between the metropolis and the countryside, where who knows what kind of political voodoo has allowed people to live, camp and conduct grey enterprises obscured from the outside.
When I reached the bottom of the hill, I climbed back up and really tried to cook it. After a little negotiation through a small neighbourhood, I was sliding back down the hill on some little "bike trail" that threw an occasional chop under the wheels.
I was startled by a "train crossing" someone had rigged to the driveway of their cafe that is hooked up to a motion sensor.
The road eventually disappears under the cover of some low trees and bramble. It is a pretty well manicured road that seems maintained for the occasional cyclist. I think they had weekend leisure mountain bikes in mind when they designated it a "bike trail".
At the bottom I took the next road up. The road was as a freshly paved slick of black asphalt that rose back up toward the crest of the hill.
I thought it looked interesting with Longyen trees and cactus covering the area.
A couple shacks, a homeless encampment and the sound of passing cars from the freeway were about the only things to disrupt the feeling of drifting through the mountains.
As I climbed toward the summit, I was turned away by a sign warning me not to enter. I was passed by a Nissan Cefiro that disappeared around the corner and then came right back down the hill. I figured that whatever was up there was nasty enough to scare away a Cefiro driver and therefore must be something truly horrible beyond comprehension. I followed the Cefiro back down and tried the road next door.
Aside from a little nasty, it wasn't a bad road....
...except it ended at the Taichung Metropolitan Park. There was a road marked on the GPS, which is in fact merely the area next to the fence above a deep ravine. It was completely unfit to ride, so I opted for more "cobbles" on the pathways of the park.
The Bangwan Ln. Section of this route would make a great companion to some of the better known climbs over Dadu Shan.
It made for a nice return to regular riding since January, so whatever it is, it made this Sunday in Hell a little more heavenly.
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