Tackling Tataka: The Tataka Hill Climb

Even after having an embarrassingly disastrous day on Wuling just a few short weeks prior, I unflinchingly signed up for another of Taiwan's notorious hill climbs. This time I would be participating in the Tataka Hill Climb on the back side of Alishan. 



By 4:30am the riders had already started to fill up the sleepy streets of the small town of Shuili in Taiwan's Nantou County. There was a bit of a chill and everyone nervously clacked around on their cleats making unfunny jokes and taking in gels to break the nervousness. 

I couldn't decide if a jacket would be overkill or if I would be begging for a layer in a fog bank over Tataka. Having lowered my expectations, I was just happy to be doing a race I had never done before knowing that it might be the last Tataka Hill Climb as the county government would like to take over to funnel money to connected subcontractors. I was finally healthy enough to join T-Mosaic on another campaign.  




As we all eased out into the road, I was spinning a pretty good gear and found myself at the head of the group that was licking at the heels of the elite riders who had been given the preferential spot on the starting order. 

My legs started to burn after about 10min. but I was sure I would warm them up in a half-hour or so and I kept on moving with the pack, occasionally losing riders on every arc along the Highway 21. 

With my legs still failing to shake the burn, I eased up a little and let the group pass as I targeted another group that I thought might give me a chance to save some energy. 



My legs were still at full burn after two hours amid some magnificent climbs. I hadn't been passed by too many large groups and I hadn't seen my teammates anywhere, so I figured I was still in relatively good position for a decent time. 



The road wriggles itself all over the lower reaches of mountain before the first tunnels signal the end is nigh. 



Despite trying to claw up in a 39-27 combo, I still mashed my way past several riders on the lower sections. 



As I rounded a corner the full, deeply scarred face of the mountain was on full display, menacing riders from above. 



On the first of the horrible ramps I just bit down and stepped on the pedals until they turned. My legs were on fire. 



I pulled up next to another rider and offered some small talk to take the mind off the pain, but she wasn't amused. 

"Three more kilometers left", she said much to my relief. But as she slipped away into the shadows from the trees behind me, there was no sign that the finish was anywhere nearby. 

I found I was catching more and more riders with a steady churning of my crank. Finally after four kilometres the first sign showed up, "4km" it read. 



I forced myself to keep the legs in a white hot glow for four more kilometres. I kept climbing up a ladder of exhausted riders toward the finish. 



As the finish line came into view, I noticed two riders closing in on the finish and I made it my goal to pip them at the line for the cameras. 

I blitzed on past just before the line and gave an exaggerated fist pump as if I had actually won the whole thing.... but none of my antics or heroics were caught on camera. 



I had finished in a pedestrian 04:19:27. But to a guy who is still greatly out of shape, it was a much better day on the bike. I managed to be second on the team. 

The road was an absolute spectacle with clear views of Yushan and other vistas illuminated in the clear morning sunlight. 

Lots of fun. 

Sun Moon Lake: A Failure to Communicate

The bicycle trail at Sun Moon Lake has been the subject of much attention in the local press, and it is usually cited as an essential part of any cyclists's trip to Taiwan.

Taiwan has made no secret about trying to lure more cyclists to Taiwan as part of some cycling tourism junket or another. The Taiwan Tourism Bureau annually invites cyclists to come to Taiwan and publish about their experiences. It is as if the Tourism Bureau has an internal memo reminding its representatives to include biking Sun Moon Lake in all information regarding a tour of Taiwan. And because the bike trail is for bikes, they target the cycling community. 

I know this because I regularly field requests to fill in some of the missing information. Sun Moon Lake can not be edited out of any article. It can't. Period.

This always perplexes me as cycling Sun Moon Lake is really not appropriate for most people who would identify themselves as cyclists--people who own bicycles that they ride semi-regularly.

Last month's trip out to Sun Moon Lake provided the perfect opportunity to see what Taiwan is actually selling. It was then that I had an epiphany:

This may not be merely a effort to over sell and over deliver.... but rather, it may simply be a failure to communicate.



The trail is between 3-4 meters in width. It is covered in mixed surfaces and it bottlenecks in several locations.

On my last trip to Sun Moon Lake, the congestion was so bad, several recreational riders threw their bikes over the barrier and into motor traffic to escape the crawl.




The Sun Moon Lake bike trail is not a trail for cyclists. It is a trail for NON-cyclists. It is a trail for non-cyclists to rent and ride bikes, make sudden stops, sway the handlebars and forget how they used to stop a bicycle thirty years ago.

Sadly, there isn't a lot of space for cyclists at Sun Moon Lake. There is no discernible shoulder along the perimeter of the lake. Motor coaches and other vehicles are usually found pulling a few Gs going into each corner. It is dangerous enough for a local. I would not want to lure out-of-towners into this potential death trap.

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau should quit pushing the bike trail on the cycling community, and start pushing it on families, flirting couples and those with a death wish. 

A Rush and a Push: Taiwan's Push-Bike Bonanza

As the high holy days of Taiwanese cycling begin ramping up with the first glint of Fall, cycling events seem stacked one upon the next.

A few weeks ago it was my daughter's turn to throw herself into the fray with a balance bike race organized by Charming Arts, a manufacturer of wooden balance bikes.

For my daughter's first birthday she got an Early Rider balance bike and she has been regularly speeding around on it since she was about 17 months old. Now as a confident three-year-old she is fearless on two wheels.

I will try to keep my natural wordiness to a minimum and simply let the pictures do most of the talking. Though, as a parent and a cyclist, I would say, the balance bike is one bike where the lightness of the bike is most advantageous. You're always going to end up carrying the damned thing, and some of 'em weigh a ton.

Enjoy the pics!


The (AWARD WINNING AND INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED!!!!)Sun Moon Lake bike trail was the venue, which gave me ample opportunity to think about the trail design and its hype.


Kids rolled about and sparred with one another on the pavement.


Always a nice assortment of bikes and styles.




I love seeing the real little ones out on two wheels.


Each kid was so proud to show off the bike bling.


Personally, my favorite part was in looking at how the riders personalized their rides with stickers and other childhood artifacts of individual expression.


Some were hilarious and absurd.


Others were more socially conscious. These guys must be the Unitarians.


Sadly, the event was marred by the all too common displays of ethnic stereotyping in having the event staff running around in pseudo indigenous costume. Several of the stations along the ride route were exploitative attempts to play Aborigine.


The lamb needed to get out for a spin.


The event marched a few kilometers down the narrow bike trail, which made a pleasant spot for a slow stroll.


There were various stations along the way where the riders could perform a certain task.
In this one below the children could pretend to be "Aborigine royalty" with spears and tomahawks.


On the up-side, it was great to see so many kids outside doing something under their own power.