Cross Island Adventure

Taiwan's Central Cross Island Highway:

Biking East Asia's Highest Mountain Range

This weekend 3/6-3/7 I am planning to go on a trip deep into Taiwan's Central Mountain Range with a great group of guys. As I prepare for this next adventure I just wanted to look back at our last one together.

Last October a group of us decided to ride Taiwan's notorious Cross Island Highway for a weekend. We spent weeks planning and worrying about the weather and road conditions. A succession of torrential rains and typhoons had rendered southern Taiwan a disaster area and Taiwan's mountain roads are known to be unstable due to the silty clay that makes up much of the island, an artifact of Taiwan having been pushed up from the sea floor where the Continental, Pacific and Philippine plates collide. The violence of Taiwan's birth is masked by the beauty of its mountains.

The week prior to our trip the National Weather Bureau issued a Typhoon alert expecting another typhoon to hit Hualien that weekend. It looked like our trip would be called off. As the typhoon neared Taiwan it stopped and stalled. The trip was cancelled at noon. By 5:00pm the typhoon was heading back out to sea and so I quickly made the HSR to Taipei where I caught a connector with a bike car to Hualien. I arrived at the hostel after 11:00pm and hit the hay.

Riding into the mountains

Too early in the morning we left the hostel and began our journey into Taroko. I was carrying a light pack with way too much gear. I had planned for a change of dry clothes and warm biking clothes expecting to be cold and wet up on the mountain. It was all light, bike specific stuff... just took a lot of space. At breakfast I realized that I had left my money at the hostel and when I called they couldn't find it. I was pretty sure where it was so I am expecting it was taken as a tip. The same place tried to kick a group of us out of a room we reserved and paid for in June of 2000 because a bigger group had arrived. They conveniently "lost" my reservation when I asked to see it. Bastards!

Taroko Gorge

Roadwork

We quickly made it up Taroko Gorge and navigated our way through a massive land slide that had taken the entire face from a hill. It finally dawned on me that all the dust covering every rock, building, tree and flower, was from that slide.

Landslide

We worked our way up to the higher reaches of the mountains and occasionally stopped to hydrate and look at the indigenous fauna.

What?! You don't like the Beatles?

Taiwan Pride!

The winding road into the mountains

I had an unfortunate accident with a road grate and had been off the bike for 5 weeks while it was getting fixed, so the climb was pretty tiring. I was running on the 34 tooth ring and up near the 25-26 tooth cogs for most of the day. 27 was my highest so spinning my way through was not an option.

When you are looking down things are looking up

After splitting up due to the differences in speed each member could endure, we all met up at about 5:00pm to do the final leg together. Michael F. went ahead to the hostel at Yun Shan. It soon got dark up on the mountain, which was actually quite peaceful and calm. I would ride up ahead for a while and periodically proclaim a hostel around the next bend. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I looked into the bushes and caught two glowing eyes looking at me reflected by my bike light. My heart jumped for a second. Monkeys? Deer? Boar? My mind raced for animals. The presumably extinct clouded leopard? Then the eyes parted ways and I realized the entire mountain was filled with fireflies. We finally made it to the hostel and not everyone was the Good Humor Ice Cream man.

The morning ascent up the Highway 8

The next morning the five of us gathered around the table to fuel up for the coming ride. The group decided to split up with one going low through Li Shan and Michael Cannon and myself going high over Wuling. Wuling is near the peak of Ho Huan mountain and falls just sort of 11,000ft. As we were gathered around the table with our collective 75 years of experience living in Asia, we all discovered that none of us had acquired the taste for rou song, a type of dried, shredded pork that is often added to porridge and other foods.

Fruit For Thought

The climb over Ho Huan Mountain is a bedecked in one breathtaking alpine landscape after the other. Over 10,000 ft. the oxygen deficit becomes noticeable and the need to... ahem! stop and take pictures becomes ever greater.

Michael and I assailed the climb with grit and made it to a rest stop for water and calories. I think I found some instant noodles to eat dry. I was glad my internal battle over tires was won by the 25c slicks and not the fat CX tires. Anythign to take rotating weight off for that puppy.

We were making great progress at 8kph (eh!) and the adrenaline hit as the peak slipped into sight. Another factor was the intense heat. We had expected alpine chill, but the temperature rose over 80 degrees F.

Michael Cannon starts the final push

The peak!

My ascent

We hit the summit at about 12:00pm and kicked back to watch the tourists in their cars mill about and scoff a little about all the assholes who drove their cars up to the summit to ride around as if they rode the whole thing. Going from 300ft above sea level to 11,000 ft. was just a fantastic feeling. Groups of riders were coming up the other side on expensive road machines. They park further down the mountain and use the last stretch to the summit as their hill climbing workout.

My favorite shot

The clouds from the west were catching on the peaks creating abstract blotches of sunlight on the ridge line. We decided to bomb the hill. It is a pretty hairy descent as the cars coming up are never paying attention and I can think of one time where I moved to the side to let some card pass... only to have a car skid in my direction because he had been traveling too fast for the conditions. Michael Cannon was gone. He hit that hill at speed and never looked back. I was more cautious and wanted a few more pictures. The temperature dropped and I was soon in full warmers and hat.

Posing at the top

About halfway down I got word from the other group that the expedition had fallen apart. I caught up with Michael Cannon and after waiting until 3:00pm for conformation, we decided to book on back to Taichung. Suddenly we had a mission again and cruised down the mountain. We hit every green light from Puli to Wufeng. Seriously. EVERY green light!!! We kept the speed above 2o mph (32 kph) for most of the trip to Caotun, which was great from our wasted legs. Michael suffered three flats on the way back and after each the ability to restart to ever longer. A final Snickers bar did the trick and we were back in Taichung by 7:00pm.

Wuling at 3275 Meters

An epic ride with some real great people. I can't wait for the next one.

Michael F., Michael T., Chris, Michael C. and me

*I would like to credit Michael Cannon for the great pictures of me riding and the construction worker in the tunnel. Michael Cannon has to be one of the best saddle-top photographers I have ever seen. He seems to find the right shots to capture.

I Want A Winner

The winning designs have been announced at NAHBS. A little something for everyone. What's really great about these bikes is that they are constructed for individuals and thus each bike is a reflection of the people who buy them. They are a mirror image in the form of tubing... not just a physical reflection of relates lengths and sizes, but also a person's style and imagination. How they view themselves as a rider (some of this can be pure fantasy, but none the less a reflection).

Check them out here: NAHBS winners

New Numbers

New Numbers for the Night:

Tonight I beat my old time on the "Night Loop" by 2 min. to 40.34min. My slowest climbing speed rose from 10mph to 12mph. Average 15mph. My descent was steady at 41mph. My sprint maxed out at 33mph.

I just felt really good on the bike. I thought I would experiment with lower tire pressure as suggested in the article below. Everything felt tight and right. I felt I was in good position all around and every minute was a tooth gritting scrap for turf. The roughest part was the lantern festival on Wen xin Rd. Talk about chaos.

Oh! This is the second time I have done this route entirely in the big ring.

Clobbering the Cobbles

The Spring Classics

It is the first of March today and that could only mean one thing... the Spring Classics are upon us. Forget the Tour de France and the Giro, these northern one-day races over bruising cobbles are my favorites to follow. So much can go so wrong so quickly.

The Schedule Goes:

• March 20: Milano-Sanremo
• March 28: Gent-Wevelgem
• April 5: Ronde van Vlaanderen/Tour of Flanders
• April 12: Paris-Roubaix
• April 19: Amstel Gold Race
• April 22: La Flèche Wallonne
• April 26: Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Jeff Jones (no relation to the actor) has a great piece in the Cycling News on the new gear Carlos Sastre and the Cervelo Test Team will be riding to tame the hours of uneven pave. From Q Rings to aero frames, modified rigs and added padding so these bikes can handle some heavy abuse. Wheels and steerers are the usual points of failure in these races. The most underrated, and obvious change Cervelo is making this season is for wider tires. I think tires and tire pressure are so misunderstood that it is worth a look. Jones quotes Cervelo team mechanic, Gerard Vroomen in his report who says:

"In general, I think everybody should be riding wider tyres all the time but especially on a race like this weekend or Flanders, a Pavé is really overkill. So I think the 25mm Evo CX is really the way to go."

What does this have to do with me?

When I first thought about riding in Taiwan my first thought was a Roubaix style bike, longer stays and relaxed geometry. I probably went overkill, but some of the back roads are pretty gnarly and some Paris-Roubaix teams use modified cyclocross frames. I run 25mm tires on the road and sometimes go up to 30-35mm. There is really not a lot of difference in speed. Only the knobbies seem to drag a little. I think Vroomen makes a great point in stating that:

"We don't run these crazy high pressures ever because it actually increases rolling resistance. But how low we can go? That's what we're trying to ascertain. In Paris-Roubaix, in some cases for some riders, we run less than 5 bar. But that's quite personal with body weight."

See that? INCREASES ROLLING RESISTANCE!

Basically, fatter is not necessarily slower and comfort can translate into speed. A higher psi is no guarantee for increased speed and performance. Stiffness is not always the answer.

The whole article is worth a read. Just click the link blue text or the link to Cycling News.

A common cycling route in Taiping, Taichung County

The Bicycle and National Identity

Here's is a great little video of one person's Top Ten Cyclists. Some of the footage is truly amazing and inspiring. You can really get a sense of the grit it takes to even compete at this level. Only after you've hammered for a day on a bike can you fully appreciate the heroics these guys have accomplished. Look for the Lance snub.

The Bicycle and National Identity

With the Tour de Taiwan scheduled to begin on March 14, I think it is really amazing how cycling has become a significant part of Taiwan's national identity. People love to turn out and watch.

As most people know, Giant is the world's leading producer of bicycle frames and related products, but it is not the only major player in Taiwan. Several large companies work in close cooperation with smaller subcontractors that produce much of the equipment that makes its way into the professional peloton. Despite what many folks are led to believe, Taiwanese companies do not simply supply the labor to produce foreign designs, but rather conduct much of the initial R&D. The now ubiquitous compact geometry was first developed by Giant to fit more people over fewer frame sizes. This close and cooperative relationship between the OEM, subcontractor and foreign customer has allowed the bicycle industry to seep from the centralized factory compound deep into the township economy. Initially this phenomenon went against the Leninist sensibilities of the KMT during its years of political monopoly. U.S. pressure helped break the state's stranglehold on large industries and allow for small companies to grow and expand.

Taiwan's particular historical trajectory resulted in Taiwan developing the unique economic and industrial relationships between the center and the periphery. Following WWII when most Taiwanese were excluded from participating at the center of political, cultural life and state driven economic enterprise, those who owned land and could rely on extended family for labor, could deploy these resources to establish small to medium sized enterprises. It was not uncommon for young men and women of the era to have received some industrial and vocational training under the Japanese. These small to medium sized enterprises often took advantage of guanxi networks to build the foundations of an industry. For example, at one time, almost the entire township of Caotun was in some way involved in the umbrella manufacturing industry. Homei did textiles and the township of Chingshui once produced hats for the Japanese where the skilled weavers later went on to sew tennis racquets and other sporting goods... including footwear and later parts for bicycles. Piece work was a common way to enter an industry and involve the entire family in the process. From this period the Taiwanese bicycle industry really took root.

The Taiwanese consciousness of their global role as the producers of the world's finest bicycles was partially driven by politics as many political actors sought to strengthen a Taiwan centered identity which has existed for at least 100 years, but an identity which has been assailed by competing ideologies since its inception. Despite the politicization of the bicycle in Taiwan, the image has been widely accepted as a meme of both the Taiwanese identity and Taiwanese pride. It is not uncommon to see politicians ride bicycles or pictured along side bicycles to appeal to the Taiwanese national identity which is shared by approximately 80% of the population (Often those who do not support the Taiwanese identity by deed are the first to appeal to it).

This conflation of the bicycle into the Taiwanese identity often manifests itself on the road where ordinary folks take an interest in a group of passing cyclists. I get spontaneous waves and smiles from random strangers when I am on the road. Children root and cheer. I have had complete strangers hand me food and drinks. In the U.S. the only time you get a drink is when someone shouts "faggot!" and throws a Big Gulp at you from the window of a pick-up. In Taiwan, people like to admire a nice bike and they can usually tell if it is good or not.

Still, I always get the same question... "Is it a Giant?"

Sachs and Pr0n!!!

Ahh bike porn at NAHBS (North American Handmade Bike Show).

I love seeing what the craft bike makers are doing. Black Sheep, Vanilla, Richard Sachs...

Packin' Pistola

Cycling has become a part of the local landscape

For the past few months my good friend Michael C. (also friend of cyclists Michael T from The View From Taiwan., Michael F., and Michael K.) has been sorely disappointed with his current bike, a Giant hybrid, and has been plotting and negotiating with the missus to get a new bike that actually fits his riding style and suits his goals for his future as a cycling enthusiast. I have been doing my best to give him some help (or not) in finding something that he would really want and like to ride and that fits his size and power. I have to admit, I have been playing a bit of devil's advocate to help clear away the clouds of marketing to look at the fundamentals of the bikes... and at times I am sure I have been a bit of a jerk about it, but when you've watched your friend agonize over having the wrong bike, you hope he gets it right the next time. It is like watching a friend date a girl who is bad for him. So for some time I have been pouring over geometries, discussing materials and components, looking at after sale service and warrantees, and lots and lots of customer reviews. I have been looking for the potential problems. But when it comes down to it... you just need to get out and ride the friggin' bikes. Even if you don't want to buy them, the more you ride the more you can tell the difference between them.

The Salsa Pistola tester

Today Michael C. took the day to test out the steel Pistola from Salsa Cycles. Just because I own a Salsa does not mean I wasn't critical of it. The Pistola is kind of a neat bike in that it is a modern road bike with compact geometry, but it is made with True Temper OX Platinum alloyed steel, which is a composite of chromium, molybdenum and vanadium for a lightweight steel tubing that retains its rigidity. It is really an excellent frame material, but steel has lost out in recent years to cheap aluminum frames and carbon fiber. Still, steel makes an excellent frame that can take some real punishment. The tester was supplied by Tom at Famous Cycles in Taichung and it was speced out with SRAM Rival, another great groupset. SRAM has been a real innovator in the past few years and I gotta say, as a Shimano man, I am a bit jealous.

With a bike to put through its paces Michael C., Michael T. and I decided to hit the pavement and punish the bike in real world conditions. A lot of shops don't let customers ride before they buy. Giant shops often don't let customers take a bike out of the store unless it is paid for. A terrible way to buy a bike. We are really grateful to Tom for allowing a full road test.

Michael tests the bike on a standing climb

We took off from Feng yuan in Taichung County and followed the Highway 3 past the reservoir. The first part of the trip took us over the rolling hills between Taichung and Miao li counties.

A group of Taiwanese cyclists brave the risk of falling out of fashion

by participating in last season's fad: cycling

A few clicks past the reservoir we turned onto the Miao li County Rd. 130. The 130 is a pretty rough hill climb that scales a (770m) 2500ft. mountain and descends into San yi. It is a beautiful road that really let Michael C. put the climbing abilities of the Pistola to the test. He tested for excessive flex, comfort and climbing chops.

A peloton of Michaels

We stopped at an expensive Hakka restaurant called the Mile High. They served fat. Really! We ate a bowl of fat with some traces of meat in it. As an athlete it is really hard to deliberately eat fat. I have been conditioned against it.

The view from the 130

We continued to the top where the views are spectacular and, like most roadside scenic views in Taiwan, the hill top was canvassed in carts selling coffee and sweet sausages. I have been told by an area local that the rice sausage they sell at the top has been bleached to make it look fresh.

Michael T. and Michael C. crest the last hill

The back side of the hill is a great, high speed descent with tight turns and switchbacks. Michael flew down the hill and cut into the turns. The Pistola was extremely stable in this regard.

Stressing the frame on a steady climb

We took the left at the bottom of the hill that leads to the "Broken Bridge". As I was flying down the road at 27mph. my derailleur cable snapped and I was stuck on the 12 tooth cog. This made the entire ride to Feng Yuan feel like another hill climb.

Michael on the Pistola

We finally made it to a Giant shop and chatted with some old men, exchanging routes and biking info while they fixed my cable.

Michael finished his tester of the Pistola with a generally positive review of the frame. It was stiff enough for climbing, yet forgiving in that it could easily be used for century rides without getting beaten up. It descended with confidence and felt solid, like a steel bike should.

The fit wasn't quite right and so he felt he was reaching for the levers and the biggest problem he had was with the Salsa Short and Shallow ergo bars. Some people like them others hate them... he was a hater. He could have used a different seat. The Mavic Askium Race wheels, which we all expected to be a bigger problem, were not that bad, but a serious rider would probably want to upgrade. The SRAM gruppo was tight and responsive. The hoods were comfy and the brakes worked very well. So the review was mixed. I am not sure if he will go with this bike or not, but it would be a great bike for a person looking for a durable, distance bike or a person who likes the feel of steel. I would say if you are considering a Specialized Roubaix and want or prefer a tough steel frame, the Pistola is worth a look. With the right fit this is a real stand out. Oh! It is manufactured, I believe, but don't quote me, by Maxway in Da jia, which is known for its high quality steel welds. I have to admit to a twinge of jealousy.

Orientalism:

If you really dig this picture I have a set of replica samurai swords to sell you.

The view on the way home.