Double DIgit Growth in Taiwanese Cycling

Despite the recent drop in interest, Taiwan expects double digit growth in cycling.

It is only a matter of time before the current administration will find a way to erode Taiwanese dominance in high-end cycles. Just a hunch.

Link

Quote of the Day: Frame Materials

Quote of the Day:

On Frame Materials:

"I have at least one of each, except Ti. My carbon bike is awesome. So is my 1970s steel bike. So is my aluminum road bike. I'm not any faster on one than I am the other.

Cyclists are lemmings. If the pros started riding wooden bikes, there'd be 5000 morons on RBR (and Bicycling Magazine would join in) talking about how remarkable wood bikes are....laterally stiff, yet vertically compliant!...and how all you need to go faster longer is a $10,000 wooden bike. And the morons would run out and buy them." --PlatyPius

"Taste? I have no taste..."

When I am out on my long rides I commit the sin of listening to music with headphones. I guess in Taiwan you get to a certain risk saturation point and you just can't add any more. Drivers are going to be nuts no matter what you do. I can still hear with headphones on... it just takes some common sense and awareness of your surroundings.

I have a biking folder of about 500 songs in iTunes and Autofill to make a random playlist. Music lets the mind wander to far off places and still focus on riding. It can be a welcome distraction at the right moment too. A little Journey can make the difference on a sustained 7% grade. I can do the music, but I can't do podcasts. Podcasts are just as bad as talking on a phone. They take my attention off the road. I sometimes just ride and laugh at some song or another that suits my taste. The thing is... I have no taste.

Anyone else do the same?

Here's the last 25 songs from Sunday's century. Just thought I'd share. :)

1. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker--The Ramones
2. No More Heroes--The Stranglers
3. Nirvana--The Cult
4. Nobody Is Innocent--The Sex Pistols (with Ronnie Biggs)
5. Walk On By--The Stranglers
6. Spinal Tap--Big Bottom
7. Pour Some Sugar On Me--Def Lepard
8. Arthur Theme--Christopher Cross
9. Pictures of You--The Cure
10. Particle Man--TMBG
11. Knock Three Times--Tony Orlando
12. Pistol Packin' Mama--Bing Crosby
13. The Captain Of Her Heart--Double
14. Mad Donna--T-Rex
15. Sri Lanka Sex Hotel--Dead Milkmen
16. Love Plus One--Haircut 100
17. Seventeen--Winger
18. Magic--The Cars
19. My Hooptie--Sir Mix A-Lot
20. Thunderstruck--AC/DC
21. Dear God--XTC
22. A Dozen Girls--The Damned
23. Lady Luck--The Proclaimers
24. Dance Hall Days--Wang Chung
25. Bridge Over Troubled Water--Elvis Presley

Miaoli #22 Century

Sometimes you eat the bike.... Sometimes the bike eats you.

Gone Fishin'

On Sunday as one plan after another fell by the wayside, I realized I would be going it alone and made plans accordingly. I am planning a Paris-Roubaix Tribute ride on April 24, which will be 260km of flats (just like the race) along Taiwan's western coast and figured a long hilly ride would start getting my legs ready for a long ride. One important thing to remember when doing these all day rides it the pacing. Sometimes it takes a little effort to know when to hold back. Complicating things was a massive sand storm from our selectively hostile neighbors to the west (Friendly Neighbors to the North sounds so much better).

Staged Shot

I headed out early and left Taichung on the Highway 3, which is one of the great biking corridors along Taiwan's hilly interior. The road is wide, smooth and pretty; especially compared to the scab known as the Highway 1.

Climbing the 22

I was riding solo, but wanted to record some of this ride for posting, and so I posed some of these photos like a Marty Stouffer documentary. I promise no lemmings were harmed in the completion of this ride. You'll notice in all these self shots by awkward body position.... The camera was set for the ten second timer and I could't figure out how to change it. I just had to push the button and run.

Taste The Baddassness!!!

There was a bike event going on and hundreds of cyclists were passing in the oncoming lane. I would nod at a few, but wasn't going to do that for 30km. A lot of the guys out were unfriendly jerks. I stopped to get some more water at a favorite convenience store and tried to ask a couple of other cyclists what their event was about. I got lots of grunts and posturing. Showing off, but not a lot of info. Too cool for school. I guess it was a loop from Guan Gong around the reservoir and back.

Fanliao Mountain

The Highway 3 covers rolling hills with a few early annoying climbs, the kind that don't look too intimidating, but you just don't have the right gear. Just annoying. I then took a turn on the Miaoli Local Road #22.

Looking Down at the 22

The Number 22 heads up a narrow valley over Fanliao Shan (Barbarian House Mountain) and leads to Towu. With all the haze from the dust storm I missed out on some spectacular views.

Half-way up the mountain the grades get a little steeper and I just wasn't feeling it. I have done longer centuries with harder hills, but on this day I didn't feel like I was at my best. I mashed my way up the mountain and then down into Towu.
The descent was a lot of fun... until I got behind an old man who was totally oblivious to my presence and was going just fast enough to keep me from passing him. He only noticed me when he almost lost control of the scooter while reaching for something in the front basket from over the handlebars. He finally heard me shout and got out of my way.

The Towu Side

I finally made it off the mountain and was feeling a half-step off from how I had done a similar ride earlier. I passed through Miaoli city and climbed another hill to the top of the Highway 13. Once you crest the Highway 13 there is a great hill to cruise down until you get to Sanyi.

On my way out to Sanyi I steadily kept my pace and made ground, then passed, a group of road-mountain bikers. I casually waved and moved on. Not twenty seconds later the lead guy took off and was sucking my rear wheel. I took my headphones off and positioned to chat with him about their ride, but instead he blew past at speed. Although passing within an arms length, he coldly looked off into the distance as if I wasn't there. A ha! His manhood had been questioned by getting passed. What would all the others in his gang think of him? He remained just up ahead and the rest of his group was left in the dust. I didn't give chase or anything stupid like that as I still had quite a long way to go and had to stick with my plan.

Sanyi

I stopped in Sanyi for a water and a final snack to push me on home. Sanyi is murder on weekends. Every other shop is a kitsch wood carving shop and everyone wants to go look at "Hakka Culture" (more on that in another post). A few minutes after the hill climb out of Sanyi I saw the mountain biker and another one of his group on the side of the road. The hot-head was puking in the grass and his friend was giving him water. (I wasn't going that fast either). Tortoise and the Hare. Lesson: On long rides don't get over emotional and piss yourself out 30km from home.

From that point there is a great wide hill grade that begs to be taken at full speed. Unfortunately a headwind kept me at 65kph. All day the wind was blowing around. I just continued into Feng Yuan and then took a Daya side route to make sure I could get a full century. I felt I could have ridden better, but not too bad. I felt terrible afterwards and I am pretty sore today. Actually, I didn't perform as well on my return; not as well as I have in the past. Eh!

It took me 7 hours. to complete. The worst part was a puncture that I changed on the way to Shi-tan. I used a CO2 inflation device, which is really convenient for carrying around in in my tool bag, but it inflates to the maximum tire pressure. For me my ideal pressure is about 100psi. That thing was way above that. I let a little air out, but I didn't want to risk going under. At first it felt great.. but I was pretty uncomfortable for the last 60km.

This route is ok, but I prefer the Miaoli Local #126 to the Mingde Reservoir better. A great option instead of the Highway 13 is the Miaoli Local # 119 to the Highway 1. That is a beautiful road out of the area.

Cyclists As Equals?

A Change Is Gonna Come...

According to an article by Jason Kambitsis in Wired Magazine, The U.S. Department of Transportation is finally catching up with some other parts of the world in shifting from an automobile-centric approach to city planning, to a policy which puts cars, cyclists and pedestrians on equal footing... or at least if governments would like to receive a federal funding for transportation related projects. This is good news for those who are sick of seeing federal funding largely wasted the unsustainable dream of communities centered around the personal automobile. This dream was the dream of my grandfather who was known as one of the fathers of the Interstate 5 and former head of the Washington State Highway Dept. before the creation of the DOT. His generation believed the answer to congestion was to simply build more roads. This type of thinking has formed the core of DOT policy since its inception in 1966. During the campaign Barack Obama promised to seek significant changes in transportation policy and we are just beginning to see the results.

The policy statement reads, in part:

"Walking and bicycling foster safer, more livable, family-friendly communities; promote physical activity and health; and reduce vehicle emissions and fuel use,”

The Republican response can be read here:

"To laughter, Republican House members suggested LaHood was taking drugs, dismissed the very idea of bike lanes and derided any change to a car-dependent society."

Some American cities have already gotten on board. Portland Oregon is often rated the most bike friendly city in the United States, while other municipalities have crafted long term development plans focusing on bicycle transportation. The Seattle Bicycle Master Plan serves as an excellent blue print for other cities aiming to integrate cycling into their transportation infrastructure.

This is a fantastic development, but most parts of the United States have a long way to go to becoming more environmentally and cycling friendly. Whenever I go to the United States to visit, I am always amazed at how far everything is from home. When Americans want pet food or ice cream, they get in the car for five minutes to get to the strip mall. From an environmental standpoint, this is far from ideal.

If humans are going to make the most of their natural environment and leave a livable world for many more generations of people and creatures we need to learn to accept alternative models for living. Period!

This is where Taiwan comes in. As shocking and ridiculous as it may sound, Taiwan has the potential to become a leader in creating and promoting a more environmentally sound model of living. Crazy, I know.

Unlike the United States, Taiwanese life is concentrated in the urban centers. Everything a family needs can be found within walking distance from home. Rather than one mega-supermarket supplying huge blocks of the population, the corner 7-11 supplies many of our daily needs. There are really no suburbs. You are either in town or in the country. This is a huge advantage to building an infrastructure that is not centered around the automobile. If people can live and work within a walk or bike ride from home it greatly reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and becomes a highly efficient model for living. Ahhhh... the idealized future.

Unfortunately, Taiwanese localities remain aloof to the needs of cyclists. The infrastructure just does not exist in any reliable, interconnected form, to integrate cycling into the urban transportation system. There have been some efforts to make space on some trains and the High Speed Rail for mostly folding bikes and there are a few designated bike trails, but most of these are for weekend recreational riders and do not reliably connect to areas where people work. They often don't reliably connect to anything. The city streets are a scrum against scooters and dangerous drivers without bike lanes or reliable law enforcement and busses are not equipped to carry bicycles. These drawbacks keep many potential riders from choosing the bicycle for commuting. Simply, the plan is... there is no plan.

Taiwan's government really needs to take a coordinated and centralized approach to making cycling a positive alternative to motorized vehicles. I don't think this can be achieved on just the local level as political rivalries and special interests often influence the outcome of urban planning projects. Projects like bike paths and lanes are, more often than not, the victims of election year promises and not very well thought through but look nice on the campaign trail and in a stump speech. A long term, integrated transportation plan that realistically incorporates cycling into the project would be a major improvement for a more sustainable future and I hope the new U.S. policy can spark Taiwan's politicians to make the same paradigm shift.

Taiwan has the potential, but is there a will?

We're on an island after all.

Giant SCR Review

Giant SCR First Look:

Michael Cannon gives his excellent and balanced review of the Giant SCR road bike as his current Taiwan Bike.

"Overall, the Giant SCR is a great value for a road bike. It’s somewhat lightweight at 9.4 kg, has a stiff rear triangle, has very smooth working Sora shifters and deraillers and rides comfortably on Taiwan county roads.

Gearing wise, I’m very surprised at how well I’m adapting to the compact double 50/34 in front with an 8-gear 12-26 in back. I’ve been used to spinning a 48/38/26 front and 10-31 back for the past year.

For now, I’d prefer a rear 11-27 and later, a 10-26 when back in shape. That rear cassette change would make going even faster and climbing easier.

In the flats, between the gearing changes and bike stiffness, my casual riding pace and in spite of not being in riding shape, is 4 kph faster. I’m finally realizing how much pedaling energy my Giant LTD shocks have soaked up. On hill climbs, the SCR is grinding up than spinning, but I’m at the same pace and more energetic at the top."

Read the full review here.

Taichung County #129 to #136

The Wilds of Taiping:

Crack Kills!

This route is one of my favorite short routes around Taichung. It includes a whole variety of road types. There are sustained climbs, soaring flats, tight descents into deep valleys, ridge-top cruises and urban work. Best of all it is just outside the city. Within a short period of time you can suddenly be among hilly farms and flowing streams. Best of all, the whole ride can be done in a couple/three hours depending upon your fitness.

Tight Farm Roads

From Taichung City's Bei tun area take Dong Shan Rd. all the way out to Da Keng and follow the Local Highway 129 all the way up the "death spiral" to Hsin She. The climb up to Hsin She can be rough. Not only is it a 250 meter (820ft.) climb for a warm up, but sometimes traffic can be unforgiving. Holiday makers and large trucks both love this road up to Hsin She. The best thing is to just stay close to the shoulder and ride predictably. The most annoying part is when you are in a good gear hammering up the hill and some jerk waits, waits, waits at a side street... and then pulls out in front of you.

In The Valley

From the top of Hsin She you can go right and it takes you directly to the road down to Taiping (see map). I prefer going through Hsin She, which was once part of the satellite villages of the Anli Pazih (Pazeh) group of plains indigenes. From Hsin She proper you can take a right and gain speed on the flat, straight road that passes Hakka style farms and a helicopter base. When you get to a little crossroads in a mushroom growing town... stay right.

I just don't like this climb

The road snakes through some pretty farms and up a sustained grade that, while not steep, can be a real pain in the ass. I can't explain it. As you crest the hill you will see a steep valley below.

The descent plummets down a set of switchbacks. Manage your speed through the descent as there is one particular stretch of concrete that feels like it was laid by monkeys. It will rattle your eyeballs out. Once this patch is over the road narrows and I always get the feeling like a "Battle Star Galactica Colonial Viper launching". It's just great!

Michael T. Tames the Hill on The Red Bomber

You finally empty out into a wide, empty road. You can get some speed through here to get past the eco-tourism disaster of a sprawling "hostel".

Japanese Era Agriculture Station

Eventually, you will get to a fork in the road. Take the high road. It is is a good climb with some steep section, but it leads to a ridge top that is just a rewarding ride to take a little fast.

Choose Up!

The Wrong Road

If you choose to go straight there is another hill climb out to Taiyuan Rd. The main road leads to a dead end, as I discovered.

In Deep Doo Doo

I thought maybe I could shoulder the bike to the other side. I ended up knee deep in mud with visions of making the evening news as another "stupid foreigner" story.

End Of The Road

You finally keep taking rights until you plop down onto the Local Highway 136 that goes to either the Taichung or Puli sides of the mountain.

Route map

This route is great if you are stretched for time or if you are a beginning cyclist looking for a way to improve your skills outside the city. The road had been cleaned up a bit since I took these pictures, so it is a bit smoother for road tires.