Determination: Fighting For Life

As the clock runs out on my Lunar New Year vacation, I thought I would take a short ride through the hills around Taichung and get back into riding.

The ride is not very long, but it consists of some pretty challenging climbs and technical descents.

I thought I would invite Chris B. and Michael Turton to take part in the fun.

Lolita Brand Shorts

We started up Dong Shan Rd. a.k.a. Route 129 to Hsin She. I was expecting Chris to take a while and maybe stop a few times to rest. The climb up to Hsin She is not the easiest climb for a novice and Chris only started doing hills a week ago.

Chris Starts The Climb

As we started toward the beginning of the climb, I gave Chris some pointers on the climb and climbing in general, and then I took off up the 129.

Michael's Busted Bike

About three quarters of the way up I received a call from Michael. He had been brushed by a passing car in a hit and run. The car had pushed him into the barrier resulting in a bent rear derailleur and the end of his ride.

Incidents of car vs. bike seem to be becoming more frequent around Hsin She, especially as the area continues to devote more and more space to tourism and recreation.

Chillin'

I waited at the top of the hill for Chris to arrive. I had no idea how long it might take. After about ten minutes, Chris came plodding up the final ramp. He hadn't stopped once.

This is an incredible feat for any novice, let alone one who was 60kg heavier just a few months ago.

Atop Route 129

What Chris has done is an inspiration to all.

He has dedicated himself to life. He made a commitment to himself that he was not going to simply throw his hands in the air and grasp for excuses. He had every reason to not even start down the road to fitness. He is a father. He works a lot. He was always the "husky" kid with all that... "husk".

Chris Before

Then Chris became a strict vegetarian. He ordered a bike and started running while he waited for a decent bike to arrive in his size. He learned to refuse the extra calories and has shown remarkable willpower.

Today, that willpower was on display as he tackled one gnarly climb after the other.

In this post I have included a number of pictures that show Chris gritting his teeth and fighting through the climbs.

For me, these shots do not just show how far he has progressed as a rider, but they also show how far he has come in taking control of his health.

As I come back from an injury, I also feel inspired to get back to a higher level of fitness.

If anything, Chris shows us all that there are no excuses to getting on a bike, having fun and getting fit.

Watching Chris ride with such a positive attitude is really an essay in determination.

Thanks Chris!

Look 695 Mondrian

We stopped for coffee and chatted with a group from Fengyuan. They all had some nice bikes. Looks are among my favorites.

KOM

Fellow Riders

Chris Hacks Up An Unassuming Challenge

We then kept a good pace toward Feng Lin Valley.

He Arrives

The 16% Grade

Putting The Hammer Down

Cruising The Highlands

Finally, it was time to head back to the city on the Route 136. What a nice little ride.

This Man Is Smiling Because He Is In Good Riding Health

200k of Central Taiwan: Our Best Cycling Routes in a Day

This past Sunday was another tour through some familiar riding territory. It is not that I have never ridden or blogged these routes before, I have. And I have even set up some of the same shots before, with the same angles and frames...but this day belonged to itself. It was different. Actually, they're all different. Each ride is a sketch of the same scenes with often widely different interpretations. Each trip feels unique.

For my Sunday ride I hoped to hit some of my favorite "local" roads, all in a single day. In one massive 200km loop I hoped to connect one vista to the next in a rolling essay devoted to some of what makes central Taiwan such an awesome spectacle for road cycling.

Although 200km may be out of reach for many riders, most of these places can be accessed in a day ride or strung together in a weekend. It makes some of the best, and most accessible cycling adventure in Taiwan.

I started my day with a climb up out of the city on Taichung Route 129 to Hsin She. The 129 can be daunting for a beginner, but after a few miles in the legs it becomes an appetizer to some great sights not far beyond.

This leg of the trip from the Route 129 to the Route 93 has become so routine I forgot to take pictures. I just took in the scenery and enjoyed the feel of the road.

I hooked on to the gorgeously underused Highway 21 over Baimao Shan to Guoxing. This is such a secluded road that seems to see most of its weekend traffic in the form of cycling clubs and large motorcycles. As I started my climb I could hear the buzz saw rumble of the big bikes in the background and I could see a pack of hard climbing cyclists were making good time just down the hill.

I put a little oomph into it to make some distance between myself and the trouble brewing below. I hoped to enjoy a little more solitude before vaulting over the peak for the swooping plunge into Guoxing.

From the guardrail at the top of Baimao Shan, the Central Mountain Range ripples like waves out in an ocean of morning fog. The treat is yours if you can get up there before 10:00am.

The big bikes had caught up to barnstorm past me as I stood by the roadside. One after the other flew by like a train of Tomahawk missiles. I really hate those guys. It is best to just pull over and let them pass.

I started to see a few riders making the ascent up the other side of the mountain. First a trickle of riders followed by larger groups. The Highway 21 is perfect for hill training or a slow weekend outing.

The Highway 21 makes an abrupt left at Guoxing and empties out into a tight river valley. Stunning!

Unfortunately, the only way out is to claw up to a high plateau over Puli. It seems as if they are always growing something new whenever I pass. On this day it was passion fruit. They had bags of passion fruit lining the roadway. I could see the high mountains rising above the red clay fields on the horizon.

It was just enough of a respite to let the legs recover for the second act of the ride.

I broke (70kph) 43mph on the ride into the Puli basin. The sugarcane and onion fields were in full glory, but the sun beat down hard.

I really don't remember much of Puli. I was in and out of the area so quickly, it seemed I was almost immediately climbing to Sun Moon Lake.

For riders contemplating a ride to Sun Moon Lake, I would recommend entering on the 131 out of Shuili and exiting on the Nantou Route 63 to the Highway 16. The Highway 21 is a hot, nasty, filthy plank of traffic and road hazards. There is no real shoulder and no place to go as cards race F-1 style to be the first to get caught in line behind a traffic jam of tour busses and gawking tourists.

Cars will seriously jockey for pole position to be first to get stuck in an lakeside tourist merry-go-round. They will skim their mirrors just past your knuckles as you play tightrope-walker on the fog line. Insane!

The pale blue water is attractive and refreshingly cool. It seems to get more attractive the further you get from it.

But first you must navigate the crap stalls and roast wieners to find some solitude.

The Nantou Route 63 is really the nicest way for a cyclist to exit Sun Moon Lake. It is hidden in a corner behind the Ita Thao village; a tourist village lorded over by a couple well connected families from one of the indigenous villages.

If the Sun Moon Lake circus is the ill... the Route 63 is the cure.

I steadily climbed beneath the shady boughs of the tall trees amid the humming white noise of insects and wind through the leaves. As far as hill climbs go, this is one of the least difficult for the maximum payoff.

No sooner than you bank through the shadowy corners do yo find you are facing a drop to the feet of some seriously high mountains. I didn't even begin to take pictures until halfway down as I enjoyed the inertia filled baking and yawing through betel forests and villages.

The descent can be pretty technical, but just as the road appears to smash headlong into one megalith looming above the grey river, it makes an abrupt right turn up onto the Highway 16, which remains flat until a rolling climb and drop to Shuili.

No sooner had I landed in Xinyi Township, that the weather took an abrupt change. Boom, the sunny skies were clouded over. Boom, the wind started slugging me in the face. I could feel grains of dust cut past my cheeks. Bad news for being so deep into a long ride with so much distance left to go. My only consolation was the gradual false flat out of the mountains.

I got into a tuck and went for broke. I was spinning at 37kph (23mph) into a frontal crosswind that wouldn't let up. I still had some energy in reserve and I had managed to hit every green traffic light between Shuili and Mingjian. Then a pilgrimage complete with bloodied dang-gi or spirit mediums brought all traffic to a halt. This was the end of my amazing end run as I entered the world of traffic lights, fits and stops.

I finally dragged myself home in seven and a half hours, but I was feeling each kilometer. My legs felt fresh, but I had burned my remaining energy and swallowed enough dust for a sandcastle.

This is one of those rides that brought a smile to my face around every corner... between each grimace of pain.

If you ever have the chance to bike central Taiwan... be sure you bike these roads. This is what makes Taiwan a cycling paradise. These are some of the special roads that leave you inspired to do it again and see more.

Score:

Distance: 200km

Climbing: 7402ft

Calories Burned: 6292cal

Time: 7:33:03

A Glorious Day on Highway 21

Descending the Taichung 93 (I am the dot on the left). Picture Courtesy of Michael Turton

With all the mandatory New Year running around over, Saturday made the perfect day to get out on the bike and enjoy life. For me this is becoming something of a rehab assignment as I try to build my legs and my body back up after several weeks of down time and minimal training.

Nothing makes me feel more alive than climbing and descending through the foothills of Taiwan's central mountain range.

I met with Michael Turton and a very talented athlete from the UK, Simon McKenna. Simon is a solid rider with climbing chops and a lot of fun to ride with. He made for great company on this trip.

Fun

After some debate over which route to take, we decided on the Highway 21, over the mountain to Guoxing and back. This is a route that seems to roll so many feelings into one ride-- elation, amazement, awe, joy, giddiness, determination, freedom... and even a little fear.

It is never the type of fear I experience when a dog bursts out of the bushes to take a bite out of my thigh, but rather a life confirming fear in my own ability to handle the situation at hand. Will I take this corner too fast? Will that car sweep into my lane as I hit the corner? Will I apply a fraction too much pressure on my brakes? Will I get greedy with the speed and take a little too much? Will my leg cramp up before I get over this peak? Will I have the energy I need to feel ok to the end?

Michael Negotiates Traffic

The route seems like it was designed directly from the imagination of a regular cyclist.

We started with a climb out of the Taichung basin up the Taichung #129 to Hsin She. The climb is one of Taichung's classic weekend climbs with several switchbacks and panoramic views. This was my first time climbing it in standard 39-24 or 25 tooth gearing. I have also been riding at a more aggressive angle, so I can feel the muscles in my legs working in different places. I made the climb in good time to my relief.

The weather soon made its intentions apparent and we all had to strip off our layers of warmth and apply sunscreen. It was such a relief to be warm again. I left my windbreaker on for protection against the sun.

After our adjustments for the weather we were soon zipping down the Taichung 93, a smooth and drunkenly curving road that descends out to the Highway 21.

Simon Looks Out At Dongshi

The greatest thing about approaching the Highway 21 from the Hsin She side is that it is deceivingly easy. The roads are wide and the grade is relatively shallow for such a climb. The road evens out for a while in a series of cuts and corners above the river valley below before a crucial corner where the final push to the top begins.

Simon Poses Over Hoping Township

The final push to the summit follows a road that shimmies and curves up a 7 or 8 percent grade that is as smooth as glass and peaks at a small cafe. There is a urinal at the top too (although as a male and a cyclist... everything is a urinal). We stopped for a while to hydrate and take in the views.

Cruising Past Ascending Cycling Club

Finally it was time for the descent. With a climb as easy as the western route, a payoff like this should be illegal. The long descent down the mountain is a series of high speed corners and switchbacks that more resembles a downhill ski course rather than a road. With a tighter bike and lower center of gravity I was more able to bite into every arc and use the inertia to sling myself around every bend. Whenever the road let up, I was out of the saddle to pump up the speed for the next corner.

Simon (bottom left) Makes His Descent

I stopped to watch Simon make his descent and was it was just as thrilling to watch as he took each contour at speed. I was reminded of going out to the water park and watching kids go down the Big Dipper. Whoosh!

Rolling Out

Like the end of any roller coaster ride, we began easing into a straight-away in the village of Guoxing where we stopped for lunch and an awkward free English lesson or two for the benefit of some over eager parents and their embarrassingly mortified children.

Tunneling Out Of Puli

The thrill ride was over as we casually rolled along the Nantou #133 to the Highway 14. The Highway 14 was thick with hundreds of bored families trying to force love back in their relationships by taking a car trip to tourist spots where the children can read comic books or bury their noses in a PSP. The Highway 14 is a necessary evil to return to Taichung and actually made the idea of another climb over the 136 more entertaining by the minute.

Rolling Along

We stuck it out on the Highway 14 until the rural alternate route, which appears to be a politician's gift to the little communities that were left behind by the Highway 14.

99 peaks

The alternate route follows narrow farm roads through the rice fields past several depressed villages that would probably never see a tourist if the alternate had not been designated through their town. It is not a direct or even a well marked road, but it is not part of the Highway 14, which is a bonus.

Michael Makes Hay For Home

We finally turned onto the Highway 3 back to Taichung and fought our way through the madness of Wufeng on the weekend.

This is one of my favorite routes and I plan to use it as my test route when my new bike arrives. It offers a variety of disciplines for any cyclist to test a bike or a body against and moreover... it is a hell of a lot of fun.

Michael and Simon Enter Wufeng (at their own risk)

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