Wish You All Safe Riding

I heard from a friend in Taipei that he and another rider were out when a cat ran out in front of them and the other rider went over the bars. The poor guy was taken away in an ambulance and last I heard was awaiting surgery on a broken wrist and other fractures. The guy will be off the bike for some time, which, as any cyclist knows, makes the pain hurt all the more. When we take on cycling as a part of our identities we become members of a much larger community. Although I have never met the injured cyclist, I feel for him and wish him all the best and a quick recovery. That just sucks!

Anyone who has spent more than a little transit time in the Taipei-Taoyuan International Airport will know that Taiwan's traffic pretty much sucks. Every driver on the road drives like a complete selfish asshole with no exceptions... they are guilty by default. When I drive I am probably an asshole too. It is a fact of life here.

Taiwan has one of the world's highest vehicle mortality rates in the world, possibly the highest, with double the number of traffic related deaths than in the United States. Between 50% and 80% of all accidents are motor vehicle related depending on the year (Selya, 2004).

"What is especially disturbing about accidents in Taiwan is that common sense policies and practices if but implemented could lead to a radical decrease in in both the number of accidents and the accident related mortality."-- Roger Mark Selya

I recently read through the entire driving manuel and it can be divided by category in descending order based on the question frequency as follows:

a) Easy Common Sense (Example: You should obey the traffic laws.)

b) Social Morality ( Example: If you are in a hurry you should not honk and yell at other drivers.)

c) Morality for Truck and Taxi Drivers (Example: If you hear passengers discussing a drug deal you should show love for your country and take them to a police station.)

d) Punishment and Fines (Example: Talking on the Handy Cell Phone when driving is a NT3000 fine.)

e) Safety (Example: You should stop at a stop light.)

I am often under the impression that the entire driver's education program is really not designed to promote good, safe driving, but rather to get students to pass the examination. There is an entire industry related to this and the approach is the same for any examination in Taiwan. Cram cram cram. I have run into cases where the police didn't even know the traffic laws and it cost me NT2000.

As cyclists, we are used to being low on the food chain and must adapt to survive. A few things I do to stay alive on the road:

1) Ride on the far left of the right lane. You can be seen by drivers and when they DO (and they will) blindly speed out of side streets. You also have room to move to the median between lanes.

2) If the light is green and has been green for some time... do not assume it is safe to continue through the intersection without slowing down. I have a regular descent I take at 40mph (64kph) and there is an intersection near the bottom. There are several times I would have been killed if I had gone through at full speed. Even though it takes away from the ride, I'd rather slow and crank back up to speed than die.

3) Assume everyone on the road will do the dumbest thing possible at any given time. Oh what I've seen....

4) Ride like you belong in the road. People often treat you just like a scooter (maybe a little better) and so they have no problem cutting you off or passing inches from you without realizing the danger. If you ride like you belong there you can negotiate a little more space.

5) When stopping at a red light, slow down, check your rear and stop in the scooter box at the front of the stop. In Taiwan people like to catch yellow lights... after they've turned red and often speed up to the intersection and can't always stop or assume you are going to run it too. Cars also use the opportunity to take fast right turns. before the traffic starts. I've seen a few rear-enders form this.

6) Be careful running "safe" red lights. I know lots of cyclists like to blow through lights if it seems safe because winding back up all the time can take a lot out of you. It is just that there are a lot of surprises and I know a few people who have gotten clipped doing this. Just... careful doing it.

7) Keep an eye on the betel nut stands... dangerous for the obvious reason, but also watch for drivers who just got their fix and are preoccupied with their craw full of betel.

8) Give busses the right of way. They will often quickly swing right if they see a passenger. I was forced into a parked car when a bus came from behind and swung right.

9) Be careful who you yell at. Since most cyclists don't have a horn (If you do send me pics.) The voice becomes the best tool to warn people or ... ahem!... let them know they've just done something stupidly dangerous and potentially life threatening. Still, taxi drivers are going to drive like that and nobody is going to stop them. They have radios and a dozen friends with metal pipes and bats under their seats... all at a moment's notice. Don't piss 'em off.

10) Unless you are a novice or slow cyclist, avoid bike trails and markets. Just don't go there.

And sometimes there is nothing you can do, like when a cat jumps out of the bushes.

I would just like to wish everyone safe cycling.

Get well soon Lucas! I don't even know you, but I understand.

1) Selya, Roger Marc.2004.Development and Demographic Change in Taiwan 1945-1995., p.p. 256-257.London. World Scientific Publishing Co. Ltd.

Shimano Di2 Kills Ridgemont!

With the debut last year of Shimano's new Dura Ace Di2 electronic shifting system, it seems cyclists have stepped back to watch the latest schoolyard fight between industry giants. The technology has been around for 20 years, but only recently had the technology allowed a viable product to reach the market. In the past few years we've seen incremental changes in shifting technology: Rather than making the 10 cog cassette better, Campy jacked it up to 11 and SRAM has received raves for its double tap system for customized efficient shifting.

With the Di2, Shimano took the "solution in search of a problem" approach and they did it in spades. When it was first introduced the skeptics gathered round to wait for the first mis-shift or chain slip. When that didn't happen they then surmised that once the dust settled from the announcement, it would short out the system. That didn't happen either. As more professionals have been given the Di2 the more Shimano has proven the strength of the technology with clean, crisp, accurate and reliable shifting. The Di2 system has even made it into the cyclocross scene where it performed flawlessly while caked in mud as documented by the Velonews article below.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/10/bikes-tech/cross-electrified-shimanos-di2-group-hits-the-dirt_99000

Even the "connoisseur" cyclist has to choke on his vomit and admit that the system seems to be working and working well. I had the opportunity to try it on a Colnago C50 a couple months back and the chain immediately shifted from cog to cog. Efficient.

Now...

With the technology proving itself in the field, the issue ... ahem... shifts from purely an issue of technology into the realm of cycling philosophy. Sure, there will still be those who will live or die with Campy for its Italian pedigree or hate Shimano for its lack of rebuildability or its ubiquitousness. But I imagine both Campagnolo and SRAM have a similar system in the works and eventually the technology will trickle down to the lower gruppos and electronic shifting will be the next STI lever.

The professionals don't really have room to choose and will race whatever their sponsors tell them to race and it will trickle down to all the wannabe professionals, poseurs, wannabes, those racing out from inside a mid-life crisis... basically anyone who wants to have what the pros use regardless and have the money to buy it.

For those of us who have a choice, the philosophy of what cycling means becomes an integral part of the equation.

Is cycling simply about physical performance on a bike? Does it matter how we ride as long as the legs are pumping at the pedals or does the joy of cycling come from learning the skill to pull off smooth and effective shifts in different situations under strain and exhausted. Is there anything to the skill of tuning and knowing one's bike? Is there something about being fully involved that adds to the experience? I keep thinking of the opening sequence of the classic documentary, A Sunday In Hell and how much care the cyclist puts into his steed. He knows every inch of the bike and cared for it like a soldier cares for his rifle.

Is this like the difference between manual and automatic cars (I know you still choose when to shift on Di2)? I like manual because I feel like I am "driving" the car, but manual allows me to worry less in city situations and starting at a stoplight on a wet hill. Does the Di2 take anything away from the riding experience that will make all bikes feel like they operate the same?

I just don't know.

Weather or Not to Ride

After 5 days of Lunar New Year rain wind and cold, the weather breaks just in time for the regular work week to start. May we only get rainfall on recovery days. I can do the cold, but the rain I avoid.

Cycling Interest Rate Drops

According to this link below the recent bicycle fad in Taiwan has passed and sales are dropping back down to normal levels.

Not long after the spike in fuel prices in 2008 cycling joined egg tarts and hoola-hoops as another Taiwanese fad. Since Taiwan is the world's largest producer of bicycles it brought an added public awareness of cycling as recreation and as a sport.

In a prestige culture, such as Taiwan's , cycling embodies the image of affluence, foreign knowledge and leisure. It embodies the value of technically advanced equipment and a smart looking kit. Cycling, if done right, looks clean, sleek and graceful and has its "Top Guns". Unlike current Taiwanese values, cycling involves hard, physical work and outdoor training to become a strong rider. Many Taiwanese do not value physical exercise and it is not promoted as a worthwhile past time for children when they could be in cram school or learning an instrument. Exposure to direct sunlight is discouraged and brown skin is still regarded as "ugly".

This is not surprising as traditional Han cultures have equated strong, muscular physiques and brown skin with degradation and barbarism.

Many of the Qing era records of frontier peoples fixate on the athletic and muscular physiologies of their object. Frontier gazette paintings would often exaggerate the body types of indigenous peoples in contrast to the more "refined" Han. This imaging is still in use today, valid or not in the process of "othering" the Aborigines in Taiwan. Despite the high value Taiwanese put on science and mathematics there is still a tendency to project folk beliefs into understanding human physiology. One traditional belief is that skin color was a direct corollary to the purity of food and thus influenced the character of the person. The enlightened or degraded properties of a person could be determined by their diet and location. Location, of course, meant proximity to the Emperor. This helped to explain the "savagery" of the frontier. These folk beliefs were later incorporated into Sun Yat-sen ideology and largely contributed to the racialism at the core of contemporary Chinese nationalism.

To bring this back into the frame of cycling:

It is not uncommon to ride past indigenous villages where the people are represented by statues depicting "braves" in traditional dress, rippling with muscles like action figures, hunting or holding their traditional knives. These images only serve to reinforce the otherness of the Aborigine and create distance from non-Aborigines and affirm their need to be tamed by the Sunism of the R.O.C.

I guess I am probably straining to relate these ideas together, but I do think cycling as a popular activity in Taiwan highlights several conflicting values in contemporary Taiwanese cultural life and some of the anxieties of cultural change in Taiwan.

Still, an expensive carbon frame becomes a Rolex, BMW or Apple computer; a demonstration of ...er... mobility.

http://life.chinatimes.com/2007Cti/2007Cti-Rtn/2007Cti-Rtn-Content/0,4526,110107+112010022200430,00.html

To Gu Guan and Beyond... (just barely) :

On Saturday Michael and I took the opportunity between the days of drizzle to explore the mythical Central Passage, a rumored short cut to the base of Li Shan along the dirt track formerly known as the Central Cross Island Highway. According to some sources, the route is passable with dirt tires despite the continued construction and frequent avalanches. It sounded a bit dangerous and perfect for some high adventure.

I had taken the Central Cross in about 2000 on a motorcycle after they had cleared it following the great 921 earthquake in 1999. At that time the road was terrible. There were long tunnels filled with deep potholes and debris. I arrived in Hua Lien in 8 hours unable to sleep with visions of "road" in my head.

The road was later buried again in subsequent earthquakes and storms, but it seemed passable by light vehicle. I guess not. The danger of avalanche is currently too great to allow bicycles to pass through.

On this particular trip we left Tanzi and followed the Highway 3 to Dong Shih. Several of the buildings in Dong Shih were built following the 921 quake. I still have vivid memories of the town just days after the quake when over 500 residents lost their lives. Every time I pass through the memories come back. In Dong Shih we connected the to Highway 8 and headed East.

The Highway 8 is a four lane road with very little in the way of a shoulder, so at times the traffic can be a little annoying. Some assholes really don't know how close to pass a cyclist, some don't care, and some delight in seeing how close they can get.

The scenery of the Da Jia river valley is gorgeous. Most of the road is quite smooth. We saw a half dozen pace lines go by at high speeds. Cycling clubs seem to enjoy fast group rides down the river valley due to the slight grade which allows even the novice to reach impressive speeds. I never did see any groups going up river.

There are a few places to eat and hydrate along the way. Lots of sweet sausage stands.

I strapped on a new set of knobbies for the trip and didn't get to use them. It was such a shame too, considering how baddass they make a bike look.

We eventually arrived at Gu Guan after about 2.5 hours or so. Gu Guan is a little like a Kenting in the mountains. Taiwanese like to come here for romantic trysts at the hotels with natural hot spring water piped into the rooms. Going out for a hot spring just sounds better than going to a motel. Funny how nobody has trouble telling friends and coworkers about going to the hot spring, but they would never announce going to a motel for some "wham bam".

After dodging tourists in Gu Guan we wound up the virtually abandoned road to a check point. The betelnut eater at the checkpoint told us there was no possibility of entering the area so we turned tail in retreat. All in all it was a great ride. From my house in Taichung City to Gu Guan and back, it was about 75-80 miles total. Our maximum elevation was slightly under 3000ft. A lot of fun.

Conti Buy Me Love

I just need to take a moment to express my love for the Continental 4000 Grand prix. I have been using these 25c Contis as my primary road tire for two years and they still haven't worn through. They are sticky in corners. They hold in the wet. They roll like the beejeebus. They rock like the Magi-Kist. In theory, an aluminum frame is supposed to be "harsh" and pick up "road noise" or whatever the big bike companies would like to sell you with a $4000 carbon frame. The proper wheels with properly inflated tires can tune the feel of most bikes for maximum comfort.

Although I could max out my Contis at 120psi, I usually opt for 90-100psi front and 100-110 rear in dry conditions. There have been days when I haven't followed my own rule and pumped up to the max... resulting in a jarring ride and back ache. Many riders worry about "road resistance" and the feeling is that maxed out tires will ride faster because there will be less contact with the road. Actually this doesn't matter as much as the ability to maintain a constant speed over the full spectrum of normal road riding.

These Contis rock!!!

SiMa XianShan (100 Miles of Pain)

SiMa XianShan

The hardest single hill climb I have ever done was this route up the Da An River. I had been thinking about this trip for a while as it is one of my favorite places in Taiwan. Just outside of Juolan in central Taiwan there is a road that parallels the Da An River. It is a gorgeous ride up into some Atayal villages.

The first time I went up there I was looking for the route a group of Pazih (Pazeh) speaking people used to cross into the Puli basin in the 19th Century. One of my 96 year-old Pazih contacts recalled the story of how her great grandfather packed up the family from near the Nei She area below the Long Teng Broken Bridge to join other Pazih speakers in Ailan. Some of the family remained in the area and have since forgotten their Pazih ancestry and have become "Ex-Aborigines". My Pazih friend knew her family had hiked into Puli, but didn't know from where. I figured the Da An river was a good candidate for the route out of Juolan.

Up the Da An river there are a handful of villages primarily inhabited by Atayal speakers. The mountains rise up right out of the river and the sense of "wow!" can quickly overtake you. You can pass Elephant Nose village and go on to the bridge under Sky Dog village. What might not be apparent is that you are sitting right in the line of fire of Japanese light artillery.

During the first 40 years of the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan (1895-1935), the Japanese administration set out to "pacify and subdue" the highland indigenes who inhabited the mountains of

central Taiwan. Much of the impetus for this was colonial in nature, in the repetitive cycle of the government continually seeking to exploit the resources the indigenous people seek to retain. We are seeing this phenomenon again in the aftermath of Typhoon Morikot as the Ma administration seeks to remove indigenous peoples from their current homes and move them into new homes outside their traditional and commercially viable locations.

After several years of combat the Japanese succeeded in installing several artillery pieces on several strategic mountainsides to better control the indigenous peoples. From the installation on the mountain above, the Japanese had control over the three valleys below. The remains of the base are not entirely visible at first, but if you inspect the site a little more the trench works, barracks, and gun emplacements come into view. It wasn't quite The Guns of Navarone, but it is easy to imagine the area as a military outpost on a colonial frontier.

When I did this ride I arrived at the base of SiMa XianShan and started my climb. The road keeps rising up with some serious sections of steep ascents. There are a few mellow areas where you can catch your legs, but then the road takes off again. Sky Dog (Tian Gou) village makes a good place to hydrate. They seem to be trying to turn it into a tourist village, but there is still a lot to do. It was a rough, rough climb. I finally got to the top to find a bunch of mountain bike riders playing on the trails. They had all driven up the back side in cars. Bastards! I chatted them up for a while until the idea to continue up hill another 300 meters to the Japanese base. It would have made for great pictures, but I wanted to start my descent.

For this ride I put on my 32c fast dirty tires because the roads had been washed out on prior trips. The descent goes alog a cliffside road through tall cedars before going back to the jungle. The road is a little slick with light debris over the pavement and some steep descents where the braking gets technical. The rule of thumb is to stay right at every intersection if it is unmarked. It will spit you out into Dahu. The climb takes you 1640ft. from the river to the peak.

I hit the Highway 3 home, but I forgot about all the long, rolling hills on the way back. I rode embarrassingly slow as I lost time and hours of daylight. At the top of the hill over Juolan I took the LiYu Tan Rd. over the south side of the reservoir. I love this road, but I was too beat to enjoy it. I finally limped back to Feng Yuan on the 13, which has one last annoying hill at the end. It took me way too long, but not a bad ride at all.

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