Tour of Changhua Preview (2012環化賽)

Each Fall for the past few years Merida has sponsored the Tour of Changhua, a Fondo-style road race where thousands of participants slog it out over the long, flat stretches of Changhua County.

The event is open to anyone and everyone, which results in a mix between some of the area's top teams... and the friendly weekend duffer with the less-than-friendly bicycle stereo system. The best thing about this race is that it is more about finishing the ride that it is about placing.

It is fun. It can be challenging. It can be a great way to meet other cyclists.

Yesterday I took the morning to conduct a little reconnaissance of the route with Dom, a formidable riding buddy who keeps me turning the pedals.

Here is my assessment :

This year's installment will be held on 10/14 with a start time at 6:00am.

Compared to last year's route, the 2012 edition will be about 20k longer. It has also been designed to run counter-clockwise. Whereas last year the climb came at the beginning, it is now at the end of 60km of flats. (Prior Races: Here and Here)

I can see this route seriously helping the larger and better organized teams. If they can work together to even out the load through the flats, they can set up their climbers for the final hill section when everyone is worn down. The climbers can probably put several minutes into the heavier riders on the climb through Songboling. Once they reach the ridge on Bagua Shan, they will be aided by a gradual decline into Changhua.


The trick will be to stick with a fast moving bunch for 60k. A larger group will surely have the advantage. If you don't have a team, offer to pull at the front for the price of admission.

Last year my strategy was to leapfrog as much of the field as possible before the climb so there would be fewer riders to contend with on the hill. In a race of this size, it can be easy for the road to get clogged with slower riders. Once I made space on the ascent and descent, I joined a faster group to the end. It worked out pretty well.

The opening section from Changhua to the Rte. 152 will plunge riders directly into a stiff headwind. This is where teamwork will really count. Yesterday we made pretty good time against the wind at 37kph against the wind. It took a lot out of me. The Rte. 152 will see riders fighting a crosswind, especially near the river. The climb is divided into two parts. The first is a pretty stiff climb out of Tianzhong. There are about four humps in the climb before it flattens out for a couple kilometers before the climb to the top of the hill. The second climb is a bit easier and I have carried some good speeds to the top. It is actually a bit of a relaxing climb to recover for the endgame along the top of the ridge.



There are also a few sections of road the Changhua government will need to repave before the race.

I capped 120km yesterday with exactly enough energy for a day's effort, but on the way home I was about 200 calories short.

The best thing about the Tour of Changhua is that there is no pressure. It is an easy race to join simply for the experience.

If you would like to join or would like more information on this year's race, you can check the website HERE.

Friends, Fun and Filth: The Songboling Tea Gardens

As I mashed my way up Bagua Shan, I kept thinking about an article I had read about how Cadel Evans, the 2011Tour de France winner, had been feeling a bit slow coming into form before mounting a defense of his title. It is a funny thing, the feeling of measuring yourself against a better year, but we do it. It is the mysterious internal force that sells countless sports cars, gold chains, boob jobs, and divorce settlements.


I am doing my best to come back to the form I was in at this time last year, but I feel I still have much further to go. It is frustrating that it can't all fall back in place after a couple weeks like it used to and that the fat seems to know exactly where to go after only a brief introduction to the waist for just a few short weeks.


I spent Saturday assessing my personal metrics as to how far I have come and how far I need to go to be satisfied with my riding and to make a good showing at the races.
The plan was to ride Bagua Shan to Songboling and then drop down into Douliu, before charging back on the flats with a healthy tailwind.


At least that was the plan.


A makeshift Gentlemen's Club under the freeway. See the lanterns hanging down. Classy.

I left my house a little late, but the cloud cover was perfect for a day of riding. I figured I would just take Huanzhong Rd. to the HSR station and then cross the river before coasting along the Highway 14 to Fenyuan. I felt much better on the bike, but not quite "there".

Boys of the Bike Industry

I felt excellent on the climb out of Fenyuan to the Route 139 along the top of Bagua Shan. Just as I was clearing my legs of the heat from the climb, I ran into a few familiar faces parked at the side of the road with a mechanical to contend with.


It looked like a bicycle industry convention. Attie, the Asia product representative from Dorel (Cannondale et al.) was working on another flat. Nico from Birzman seemed eager to take out his tools and maybe give Attie a hand. Josh Colp (left) was also hanging with the Peanut Gallery. Josh has just introduced his own bicycle brand with a complete line of road bikes. Keep an eye out for Culprit Bicycles at this year's trade shows. When I first met Josh a few years ago, he was working as a test rider for Trigon, one of the world's top OEM/ODMs for composite frames and components. At that time he was already deep into his research for launching his own bicycle brand. It is great to see his hard work paying off in the shape of actual equipment.


On Saturday he was enjoying his Arrow-One road bike, which is supposed to be quite stiff. Right now he is in the middle of a soft rollout before he has his big coming out to the industry at Interbike 2012 this September.


Colp's Culprit Arrow-One. We will forgive the tower of spacers this time.

I left the group in good cheer and plodded my way over the rolling hills toward the Fengshan Temple where I could refill my water bottle.


Sidra


Very Fresh Pineapple


Puppet Theater

Fengshan Temple is a regular rest stop for weekend cyclists as there are supplies and refreshments readily available to ward off a mid-ride bonk.


Andy Jiang of the formidable Nantou Cycling Club

Just as I was about to leave I noticed some riders coming in from the Nantou Cycling Club. I have a lot of respect for the Nantou guys as they seem to have a well trained and well disciplined team. That is how the races are won. I have a lot of respect for these guys. 
I was especially happy to run into 江衍迪 (Andy Jiang), a Facebook friend whom I had never met in person. He introduced me to the gang as they took a few minutes from training for the Tour of Changhua next month. 


It is always great running into friendly faces on the road to share a few laughs or exchange war stories. This is the importance of a healthy cycling community. 


The Players

After a few pictures I claimed the high ground at the end of the ridge before descending down the 139乙 to Songboling. 


It had started to sprinkle and the road was still in a state of post typhoon clutter, so I took the descent a little slower.


Messy Roads

I finally reached the Nantou Route 38 and hammered away at that with the hope of dropping onto the Route 152 toward Douliu.


Nantou Route 38


Crossroad Blues

At the 5 point crossroads I slid over to the Route 3, which is a gorgeous country road that charges straight through fields of tea, pineapple and other crops. 


Tea Gardens of Songboling

I finally landed on the Route 152 near Mingjian and headed toward Ershui. 


Nantou Route 152

At first the road seemed fine with just a few patches of dirt cluttering an otherwise pristine surface. Then more and more sections of red clay passed under my wheels. I was fine with a little dirt and kept on going.  


Slurry

One reason I had chosen this route for Saturday was the fact that a typhoon had just passed and I assumed the mountain roads might still be cluttered with debris. Little did I realize that any road that hugs the base of a hill will also hold the runoff and storm slurry that takes about a week to wash out of the loose clay.  


The End of the Road

The road got muddier, but it was ok. I can handle a little mud. Just pick a line and avoid hard turns and you can stay on the bike. Easy. 


I dismounted cyclocross style and prepared to walk across the last stretch of submerged roadway. Then as a few cars passed, I noticed the water was much deeper than I had anticipated. With nowhere else to go, I turned tail and retraced my steps back to a 7-11 to reassess my return trip. 


My bike was caked with clay about the same consistency as pancake batter. It covered everything. I was thankful that I could still get a reliable shift every time. It was crunchy and loud, but shifting.


I neared Mingjian and saw another rider heading toward the Sippi Hole on a nice looking Look 585 road bike. I noticed too late and when I tried to ward him away from a similar fate with a head shake and a wave indicative of a "whoa/no", he responded with a friendly wave and kept spinning madly for a date with a Muuuuuuud Pit. 


I couldn't help a little dirty bike photo spread. There is something appealing about dirt and titanium tubing. 


For my return I plotted a slightly different rout through the tea gardens on Songboling, Taiwan's center for low altitude oolong tea. The lower altitude teas pare often cheaper to purchase, but they are pretty robust and harder to ruin when brewing. They make a great daily tea. 


Ripe Betel Nut

I lurched along through the tea and betel nut groves sounding like an old WWII tank as the gears on my bike crunched and chewed the fine particles of sand. Not a great thing for the smaller components of expensive equipment. 



A Taiwan Icon

I finally stopped at a gas station in Songboling to use the water at the restroom sink to do a basic rinse of the more delicate parts of the bike so I could cut some of the noise. With a hill climb dead ahead, I figured cleaner derailleurs couldn't hurt. 

Tea Picking


The Return

I put the legs back to work after getting a little lazy in the saddle and made much quicker work of the climb than I had imagined. I was turning a good 24kph up to the top before returning along the same route I had taken earlier. 


120km on the day. I could have been faster, but I need to learn to be more patient with my training. 


The area around Songboling is excellent for any type of biking. The roads and scenery are always interesting and the traffic is always light. Aside from the blocked road, I highly recommend these roads as part of a longer ride. 


Pineapple Jackets

Taichung Bike Store Notes: Star Bike and Author

Taichung Bike Store Notes:

Manager: Chang Yun-cheng

No. 23, Alley 118, Yong-fu Rd. Xitun Dist. 

Taichung City

Tel: 04-24638792

Cell: 0963160998

Email: good101tw@yahoo.com.tw

 
While passing Fuke Rd. I have seen signs for a "Bike Stop". I finally followed the signs to Star Bike. 

Star bike is a modest little shop that sells a few secondhand bikes and offers riders the use of their facilities for DIY wrenching or wrenching help. You can simply pull in for some air or chain lube if you need it. 


Aside from patching, fixing and selling a few necessities, Star Bike offers their own brand of CroMo road bikes. The S980 is an attractive steel frame with slender chain stays and a carbon fork.

I didn't have time to do a test ride, but it might make a handsome alternative to some bigger brands. I was quoted NT10,000 for just the frame and the complete bike shown above was quoted at over NT100,000 with full SRAM Rival.



They had a second model as well with beefier stays. Drop in and Check 'em out.

They do not speak English.


_________________________________

Author Bikes/Sports Club
No. 163, Liming Rd. Sec-3 Xitun Dist
Taichung City, Taiwan




I dropped in to the Author concept store on Liming Rd. The store is spacious, with plenty of stock on hand. The store is in the same model as Warehouse 185, where they showcase the OEM bikes and hold other high end bikes in the back. A buyer can pick up Pinarello and the German brand, Storck.

The most appealing bikes in stock are the Tern folding bikes. The Author store is the official Tern retailer in Taichung. If anyone is considering a folding bike, Tern is top of the list. 

Most of the Author bikes were mid to upper range mountain and road bikes. There were some lower-end bikes retailing for under NT10,000, as well as children's bikes.
There are also bags, racks, bibs, jerseys and other equipment. he have a full service mechanic station in the basement behind the stairs. 

Author is a very slick attempt at the bicycle concept store and they execute it pretty well. 

___________________________________

A couple notes on some shops that are already on the list. 

I dropped by Modus Velo and spoke with Tim. His shop is very well stocked with all kinds of great equipment. I was happy to see the sheer volume of "stuff". While his amazing supply of Cinelli frames is a really big draw to the shop, he has a couple good deals right now on some smaller titanium Lynskey frames. 

Also:

Bike Dome is still right where they have always been. 

If my readers have forgotten, Bike Dome is the place to go in Taichung to get a great deal on a great bike. They specialize in NOS or New Old Stock frames that other retailers couldn't move. Many of the frames are top of the line composite wonder bikes at fire sale prices. A complete Kuota Kharma with full SRAM Apex... NT50,000. BMC, Orbea, Specialized, Bianchi, Garneau... lots of bikes. So if you want a modern super bike, but you don't want to pay full price... go to the Bike Dome. 

Bike Dome
No. 90-6, Xitun Rd. Sec-3
Taichung City, Taiwan
Tel: 04-2706-9862
Email:bike_dome@hotmail.com