- Check out Todd's beautiful pictures from around the same area.
- Txurruka shows some class and donates to help Taiwan.
- I would also like to congratulate all those who finished the Ironman 70.3 event in Kenting. That took a huge commitment. Kudos!
Pages
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Nantou County Ride: Back On The Bike
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wreckreational Cycling Paths: Oz On The Houli Bike Trail
Ozsoapbox has a great little review of the Houli Bike Trail near Taichung, which I have ridden on a few occasions.
On the weekends however, providing the weather is half decent, tons of Taiwanese people flock to the country’s bicycle paths to get a taste of the outdoors via two wheels.
The surface of the track is this red grippy stuff (think like an athlete’s track) and was in excellent condition throughout the track.
There’s also lots of babies to be found being carted around and none of them were wearing any helmets – I was quite paranoid about hitting or being hit by one of these bicycles and being held responsible for baby’s resulting brain damage.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Taiwan Cup Organizers Learn Their Lesson
King Liu, the founder and chairman of Giant bicycles has promised to make the Taiwan Cup race bigger and better in 2011, with November 5 already earmarked on the calendar.
The first edition was due to take place last Sunday but was cancelled because of Typhoon Megi and replaced with a hill climb won by Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi). Oscar Freire, Robert Hunter, Tadej Valjavec, Darren Lill and David Tanner also competed in the event that is part of the Taiwan Cycling Festival.
We’ll run the event on a bigger scale on November 5, 2011. The government of Taiwan and the cycling industry here are very supportive. We want to make Taiwan a cycling paradise.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Professional Cyclist's Frame For Viewing Taiwan
I found this little interview with Daniel Carruthers, a professional cyclist who has been living in Asia.
Life in China is actually very different to Taiwan. It was easier living in Taipei. We lived in Shida, where there are plenty of nice food choices at good prices. It’s more expensive to eat good food here in China. Regular Chinese food is good, but I get sick of it – it’s the same everywhere and it’s very oily.
Getting things done in China always seems to take longer. Things seemed more efficient and stream-lined in Taiwan. More people speak English in Taiwan and you can get around there without having to know too much Chinese. But here in China, it is almost essential to master basic Mandarin if you want to get around. Not many people speak English unless you are living near a university campus where most students know some English.
- Mark Blacknell is Blown Away by Taiwan's Cycling.
- Cycleicious Talks Cycling Festival.
- India looks to Taiwan for cooperation on bikes. This is a very big move as Taiwanese firms diversify their targets for sales and production, which had been focused on Chinese production and marketing for many years.
Monday, October 25, 2010
2010 SSCXWC and Cyclocross in Seattle
Chinese Bikes... Made In Taiwan? Misleading Labels and Substandard Equipment
"Consumers often think they are buying a Taiwan-made product and only after they bring the product home and find that it is substandard do they realize that the main components are made in China..."
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Giant's Plans for World Domination
Asked to comment on what makes Giant so unique, Sheu mentioned the company’s complete dedication, since the very beginning, to bicycles. Its goal has been to become a “total cycling solution provider,” Sheu noted.
Giant also adopted sports marketing techniques to make its quality products better known. “We started to sponsor cyclists in all kinds of international competitions,” said Sheu.
If these cyclists performed well, their cycling equipment and devices would receive widespread media coverage. “That was how foreign customers became familiar with Giant,” he said.
Giant also invited many professional cyclists to test its vehicles and offer tips for improvement. For instance, opinions from these experts helped Giant build its world-renowned carbon fiber bicycles.
Moreover, the company was among the first bicycle brands to produce a line of models especially for females. “Women make up half of the population and their needs should not be ignored,” said Bonnie Tu, Giant’s chief financial officer.
In April 2008, the world’s first female bicycle retail store, which sells Giant bicycles made under its subsidiary brand name Liv, opened in Taipei.
But Giant is not only about selling bikes. More importantly, the leading bicycle brand is devoted to promoting cycling culture.
“But we are not doing all this to ask people to buy Giant products,” said Sheu. “We just want them to be aware of the benefits of cycling, experience the fun of it all and make it part of their life.”
The foundation may have had a little bit of luck on its side. Many more people in Taiwan have become aware in recent years of the importance of reducing carbon emissions, and bicycles provide a natural solution. Indeed, starting in 2007, more and more people have taken to using bicycles as a daily means of transportation.
In spite of its many accomplishments, Giant has no intention of resting on its laurels. The quest to become the best bicycle company in the world drives it ever forward.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Taiwan Cup Cancelled!!! Dreams Of Taiwan Cycling Festival Blown Away By Typhoon
Tough Old Bird Tackles Taiwan For Cancer
The married mother-of-three said: “I’ve got a friend who is terminally ill. I have also lost a couple of friends to cancer and this opportunity came up to raise money for Clatterbridge.
“I started cycling first in Easter with Middleton’s cycling group in Ormskirk. Shortly after I thought I’d give this a go. I’ve done marathons and I thought, I’m going to have a go at doing this.”
But it was uncertain if the challenge would go ahead after she crashed into a road barrier at the start of the month. Despite falling off her bicycle, breaking her rib and collarbone, she is determined to complete the challenge.
Sue said: “My collarbone has knitted wrongly but it has knitted in a way that works. My rib just sorted itself out. I was livid that I had to have a few weeks off. It hasn’t put me off at all. I still really enjoy cycling.”
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Road Bikes With Disc Brakes Coming To A Future Near You?
The rear disc mount puts more stress on the frame, requiring an strut between the stays to bolster the area.
The UCI's recent lifting of the ban on disc brakes in cyclo-cross has been widely heralded as a positive step forward for the sport, finally allowing a critical piece of equipment to advance past what is essentially decades-old technology. The move from rim to disc brakes has already changed the landscape for mountain biking and 'cross riders – especially racers – stand to make similar gains:
• Braking performance – both in terms of power and modulation – will improve dramatically, especially in adverse conditions where even the best rim brakes can become virtually inoperable
• Mud clearance: by moving the brake hardware away from the rim, bikes are less apt to clog up with debris
• Overall weights could potentially decrease: even when factoring in a disc rotor, 'cross bikes' lower braking demands should make for smaller and lighter hardware than on mountain bikes plus even lighter rims than what is currently available
• Fewer pits during muddy races
• The ability to continue on if a rim becomes slightly out of true
Taiwan Bike Festival Is A Wash
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Autistic Riders Circle Taiwan: Links
"She might get hurt. However, seeing that she was so looking forward to the journey, I decided to fulfill this dream with her, "
- China Post on Taiwan Cycling Festival. Less critical than I am.
- Todd at the Daily Bubble Tea eases back into cycling.
- 2011 Tour de France route unveiled. Should we care?
- Armstrong Testes Positive. Welcomes fifth child. He may be going for a record seven in a row.
- The Dangers of Cycling.
- If You Build Them, They Will Come! London cycling superhighways attract riders. Taiwan has a lesson to learn here somewhere.
Taiwan Cycling Festival and the Trouble With Taiwan's Ethnic Tourism
The reports on Taiwan's First International Bike Festival are streaming in from bloggers, riders and from the Government Information Office (GIO). Despite the wet weather, riders have followed their prescribed routes to enjoy the beauty of Taiwan's cycling. One recent report from Taiwan Today quotes the Minister of Transportation and Communications as saying:
“Not only are the participants in for a wonderful riding experience along Taiwan’s beautiful coastline, they will also get a chance to enjoy aboriginal culture, hot springs and local delicacies,”
The formulation of cultural tradition is based on the manipulation and interpretation by particular people themselves…especially when the tradition is utilized as a powerful element to maintain ethnic boundaries… Tradition is imagined, shaped and defined by holders or sharers of the tradition in a meaningfully current situation… Even when an ethnic group’s original cultural traits have disappeared, it can still mold an exotic expressive culture to attract tourists.” (Hsieh 1994:201)