Back Roads: Off Snow Mountain

Somewhere around the 14km marker on Xue Shan Rd (雪山路) there is a tiny lane that splits off along side the Changhua Telecom building. I have passed this road numerous times and always wondered about veering off to give it a shot. The usual reasons had always prevented me from doing that route; time...purpose...fuel...water...legs.....

I was out of excuses and figured I would give it a try. Honestly, my greatest fear is that I would be hiking my bike on impossible grades in the heat, without a clear path to civilization. This is a real fear in some parts of Taiwan. Everything may look dandy on a map, but become a totally different can of worms in the field.

I also liked the risk.



I completed the lower sections of lazy mountain switchbacks through the dazzling greens where the fruit orchards meet the forest. I always love the Daxue Shan Rd. for its open views across the Dajia River and alluvial plain. Local spaces that I know as shadowy clumps of concrete shops and townhouses shrink into the landscape. On a clear day Taichung and its surroundings can be seen from the southern side of the mountain. You can even look out into the Taiwan Strait.

The usual route is to keep climbing to the end of the road as the neighborhood practice climb for Wuling Pass or Alishan.

This route has a bit of a different character.



The immediate departure from the main road immediately offers up the goods on a slight descent. The area is shaded by tall trees of the forest that offer sanctuary for wildlife. I almost ran over a pheasant within the first 100m of roadway.



While the roads are not glass smooth, they are not unridable. There is an ultimate sense of quiet. I believe I did not see a car for over an hour of riding.



The road flattens out along cedar lined slopes over Dajia. There are a couple campgrounds along the way and a leisure farm at the end of one spur from the main road, so keep left when you come to an intersection.



This road feels like a portal into another world. One could easily imagine being on a lonely road deep in the forest of some other country. It is hard to believe you are still in Taiwan.

After a couple more kilometers through



The farm areas open up the northern slope of the mountain and reveal the full spectrum of central Taiwanese landscapes. The entire ride provides a 300 degree sweep of the areas below Daxue Shan from Taichung to Dahu and out into the mountains.



Most of the ride is perfectly fine for staying on the bike. Even a road bike can handle the terrain just fine.

The only part that poses a problem is the final descent. I found it to be mostly unrideable. the gradients were simply too steep for too long to feel safe. A short hike and I was back in a rideable location that eventually links to the high point of  the Route 47 (東崎街). The rest is a marvelous ride back to Dongshih for a satisfying day of riding without giving up the entire day. It offers a feeling of having stepped out of normal expectations for a brief vacation in an entirely different place before returning--a get away.

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Sima Xian Shan: The Alternate Route

I started out my morning unsure of where I would be riding. A few factors were in play and with a later start, iffy weather and even less predictable legs, I headed north at a good clip. I felt amazing. I chopped wood all the way to Dongshih and managed to continue at a good clip without leaving the big ring all the way through Dongqi Rd. 

As I crested the hill above the Da-an River, I felt the allure of the road up Sima Xian Shan; a nasty climb between Zhuolan and Dahu. 

A section of the main road was completely wiped out last year, and the word was that passage was impossible. I thought I might see if the situation had improved over the past year, and if not... I would just get a shorter ride and enjoy the afternoon. 



I blazed along and caught up with a couple riding road bikes. I stopped to ask if they had any info on a road crossing the mountain. They both thought the road was closed and were just going up the river, only to return the same way. 

I passed another group of riders all kitted out on expensive road bikes. When I hollered to see if they had come over the mountain they stopped and looked at me as if I had my hair on fire. 

Motioning like he might offer me a chocolate bar and a shiny trinket.... "You speak Chinese?"

Of course I had just shouted at him in Chinese, so my answer was a resounding "no" while I asked again in Chinese if they had come from the Dahu side. 

"Where are you going?" one of the guys asked.

" I'm going to Dahu fro this side", I replied. 

"No, you're going the wrong way. You need to turn around. You need to take the Highway 3", he explained. 

" The road past Tian Gou, do you know if it is open?", I asked again. 

*look of confusion*

"You know, the road that goes past Tian Gou down the other side to Dahu... is that road open. I know it was closed this year..." I continued. 

"Dahu.... from here.... but that is climbing....", he said with a perplexed tone. 

I waved them off and found the last police station on the river. 

The cop, told me the 中像道路 was open and goes from Xiangbi Village to Dahu over the mountain. 



I was rapidly on my way and eating some serious bitterness on the opening ramps. 



It is not as majestic or scenic as the old road, but it offers some spectacular ramps and a few vistas worthy of the effort. 



The Miaoli fog came sweeping in from offstage and the temperatures plummeted. 



I finally met a few riders coming over the hill and we exchanged info on the road conditions each side could expect. 



I dropped down some incredible concrete chutes, carful not to pinch flat on the drainage grates that spit the roads every 50 meters.  


Suddenly I was spit back out onto the river of the Miaoli 61-- as awesome a road as there has ever been or ever will be. 



After a fuel stop in Dahu, I was again plugging back to Taichung at as high a speed as I could will into my legs. 

It is one of those days where the accomplishment is the reward. 

THE ROAD IS OPEN!

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Backwards Day: Sanyi Saddle Sore

On Saturday I took some time to share some cycling moments with my buddy Chris, and in doing so, I was inspired to go out Sunday morning with the odd notion that I would go out and inflict a heavy amount of pain upon myself, then return home all the better for it. That was the plan.

I took off with a rough idea of what I wanted to do. It involved mixing a couple previous routes through southern Miaoli County into one route for climbing and distance.

I was deep in the drops before ever leaving the front door. Everything felt great. I was humming along feeling great. My speed was encouraging and at times I felt motorized.

The question I had in the back of my mind, was how long I could sustain this pace.

I left the door prepared for an entirely different ride.

I left prepared for a winter ride with breakfast, a few stops and a tailwind on the return trip.

Route 49

As I cut through Fengyuan, I noticed they had changed my regular viaduct to the Highway 3 and had neglected to post any signage at the location.

I thought I'd have a go of it, and chose the middle lane for scooters.

The next thing I knew, I was on the Highway 13 in Houli.

Today was to be Backwards Day.

As the visionary landscape artist, Bob Ross, used to always say, "There are no mistakes... only happy little accidents."

I decided to work this error into my plan for the day and approach the route backwards. This meant hammering up to Sanyi on the Highway 13 and then traversing over to the Miaoli Route 130 via the Route 49.

This is a beautifully forested route, which pitches and dives through the foothills of Miaoli.

I incidentally cut through the Sheng Shing Tourist Station and dodged the meandering tourists as I tried to escape as quickly as possible.

Sheng Shing Station

There were several recreational cycling clubs out enjoying the weather.

I was also pleased to see the Route 130 included as an official part of the Miaoli Bikeway.

The morning haze had burned off by mod-morning. All of a sudden it dawned on me that I hadn't brought my sunscreen.

In Taiwan, it seems we have the first "hot ride" of the year at about this point. This is when the weather transitions from winter chills to blazing heat.

The transition is hard on the body.

After a good ride is oppressive heat, the summer riding becomes much easier... but oh the getting used to it....

Here I was, stuck at the bottom of a stiff climb, the sun beating down... wearing a jacket. I hadn't eaten enough and I wasn't carrying as much water, having gotten used to sipping my supplies in the cooler weather I was expecting.

I mounted my attack on the back of the Route 130 up Guan-dao Shan. It was nice to take my time to enjoy the views going up. I usually reserve this stretch of pavement for the screaming descent it offers, but this time I was learning all about what this mountain is made of.

While the front side of Guan-dao Shan is a hot, quick spin to the top, the back side is a slow burning grind. It is much less fun than the opposite way.

I was passed by numerous riders who already knew what I was thinking and took the descent from the front rather than heaving up the side I was on.

The Climb

There were a couple riders joining me from the Sanyi side.

I came upon one old guy in coaching pants, who had managed to eat the whole climb out of the saddle on his mountain bike.

He wasn't carrying any water, but instead he had a soaked rag stuffed into a jury rigged container made from a plastic bottle.

I was soon slicing down the opposite side of the hill, pivoting on axis as the inertia made steering as easy as a little shift in weight.

By the time I got to the Highway 3, I knew I was pretty tired. So, I turned left onto the Highway 3 and went out to Dahu to continue my ride up the Route 55 on Pinglin Road.

Pinglin Rd. is another of those roads I have only ridden from Jhuolan and it seems far more forgiving coming from the southern end.

By this time my jacket was caked with the chalky white dust from the salt that had been distilled from my body, baked out by the unrelenting sun.

The part of Pinglin Rd. near Dahu has three or for good climbs that were just killing me.

I felt a cramp in my quad and eased off the bike for a stretch.

Just at that moment a yokel in a blue truck comes by and shouts out the window that I should be riding up the hill and not resting.

It was like the guy wanted to be punched in the face.

First of all, this is the first real climbing I have done since November.

Second: I had just hauled my ass up several nasty little climbs and one major hill.

Third: After losing so much to overuse injuries, the last thing I want to do is to mess my leg up again, and therefore, I take every sensation in my leg seriously.

And therein lies the big question.... How does one come back from an injury of this nature without re-injuring oneself while increasing stress on the muscles? You only know when too much is too much after the fact.

I suffered through the remaining hills with the assurance that with a steady wind from the north, it would be gravy all the way to Jhuolan. I imagined sliding out of the hills and into downtown Jhuolan with a steady wind at my back to mask my lack of conditioning.

I was sorely mistaken.

From other corroborating reports I have heard, Taiwan experienced the most inexplicable steady wind from the south... just for a couple hours yesterday about mid-day.

It made the whole route a pugilistic fight for ground and headway. What a pisser!

Pinglin Rd.

I arrived for a rest stop in Jhuolan and then headed toward Taichung. Before long, a breeze was pushing me from behind. I was charging forward in a deep tuck at 45kph toward home.

I am sure I am a better person for all of this... but it was admittedly a pretty hard day in the saddle.

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