Changhua Route 137 Is History

Liu Family Shrine

After two weeks off the bike, I met up with Michael Turton for a looper around the Tri Mountain Area of Bagua, Hu, and Xiang mountains in Changhua County. They're really more like various parts of one really long hill, but it makes for a nice day of pedaling.

Why Do You Ask, Two Pigs Fucking?

I have spent a lot of time over the past several weeks preparing for the Wuling Challenge, so now that that is over, it was just nice to have a lazier day in the saddle to poke around and find things. The purpose of this ride was more historical than fitness oriented.

Michael to Ershui

We headed out down the ugly part of Highway 3 into Mingjian, where we hooked right toward the town of Ershui. The roads on that end are absolutely wonderful. Lots of fruit farms and treelined lanes.

Christianity is a common sign of an indigenous comminuty

I was interested to make it back to Ershui as I am interested in its history as an indigenous "refuge" village, where the people of Davale (Beinan) would withdraw to in times of war or during headhunting season.

On this occasion I think I may have better located the former bamboo palisade. There are numerous other clues around if one just takes the time to look for them.

Savage Creek

We continued along the Route 137 at the base of the hill and stopped to check out the Liu family compound.

Michael tells it as it is

There are still several fine examples of mid and late Qing architecture and artwork.

The Liu family rides

Although the family shrine has been "restored", a few things remain from earlier days when this large Hakka family was trying its best to eke out a living and negotiate with other local power brokers.

Panels

There are still Liu family members living in the compound, but mainly from older generations.

Longyen Season

We failed to find one of the old kilns near Huatan, but it was a good ride nonetheless despite the steady headwind from all sides.

Double The Fun

We headed back to Taichung, but not before witnessing another amazing display of thinly veiled innuendo.

Kou Yao Ding (The character Yao uses a Jiao in it.. coincidence... or not?)

On my way back I ran into a rider named Paul on his classic Colnago Conic. What a beautiful looking bike. We rode a couple kilometers together to shoot the shit about bikes before I was off for home.

It was just a real nice day for riding despite the heat.

Paul

Ride Reports and Other Links

A couple recent ride reports to post.

Last weekend I did Puli to Wuling. Nathan from Bicycle Sidewalk provides a report from his attack on the other side of the mountain from Hualien to the Taichung side. Personally, I find his route more rewarding in every way.

and

Michael Turton from The View from Taiwan provides a wonderful report on his recent ride to the Liu Family House in Changhua along the Route 137. This is a wonderfully accessible and interesting ride into Taiwan's history from a time the Liu Family House sat near the very edge of the Qing imperial frontier.

Information:

For anyone planning a Round-Island ride or for those people interested in riding Taiwan's East Coast, there is a Facebook page that provides regular traffic reports for the infamous SuHua Highway. The SuHua Highway is notoriously dangerous for automobiles and cyclists alike.

You can look for details HERE (Chinese).

Other News:

• When I was in the first grade, all the kids in the neighborhood converged on the school to participate in the "Bicycle Rodeo", where children would learn about bike safety and then follow a course similar to Taiwan's scooter driving test to gain the right to bike to school. I loved biking to school. Sadly, in this era of "helicopter parents" and coddling overcompensation for children whose parents are too busy to raise them, children have increasingly lost the right to bike to school. In Taiwan we have a safety problem as well. I have actually been run off the road twice by parents rushing their children to school. Now, parents are being encouraged to send their children to school on bikes once more... in America.

• Awesome INFOGRAPHIC on cycling injuries.

• According to a new report, the prospects for increased use of cycling for recreation and transportation looks rosy. Another great INFOGRAPHIC.

• Competitive Cyclist has been purchased by Backcountry. I normally wouldn't care, but a few months back Competitive Cyclist acquired Merlin Metalworks, the storied titanium frame maker that was languishing under the American Bicycle Group, which also owns LITESPEED. Both these titanium brands seem to have been mistreated by ABG and have lost a ton of their cachet. I have been hoping Merlin could be revived... and I hope Backcountry will have the same dedication the the brand rather than holding it a simply a commodity to increase the company's value.

• Welsh Cycling President encourages cyclists to "get aggressive" on the roadways. I am sorry Mr. Owens, but there is one thing I have learned about drivers... and that is that they are unpredictably crazy. They are bigger and more powerful than a cyclist, and may also be carrying a weapon in the car. No thank you.

• Americans are assholes to cyclists. Persons unknown have attempted to sabotage the USA Pro Cycling Challenge by scattering dangerous materials along sections of the route.