"Keep breathing. Don't stop. Don't quit. I just want this to be over. Please let me see the finish around the next turn! Once I complete this, I don't ever have to do it again. Stop for a minute to catch my breath. At this altitude, I'm not getting enough oxygen. Could I have a heart attack? I think I'm healthy and conditioned enough not to. Start again. Man this is hard. It's getting late in the day...colder...wetter...and I still have to ride back down. I've come too far to quit now. No surrender this time!"
Those were some of the thoughts that ran through my mind as I bicycled up Taiwan's highest paved road. 3275. That's the famed number at the top of the road, in meters. Wuling area. Hehuanshan. When I crossed over the top on a scooter six years ago, I knew it would be too difficult to do it by bicycle. Yet some people have. In fact, there are annual races to the top from both the Puli and Hualien side. As the years passed, I went on numerous bike rides with friends, groups, or by myself. Eventually, with tons of rides under my belt, I successfully rode over the top on a 3-day weekend. The ride going (mostly) down through Taroko Gorge is fantastic! Although the road can be treacherous, if you plan carefully, and condition your body, you can do it. I highly recommend it. Word of advice: try to reach the top by midday, as the weather turns quite nasty in the afternoon.
Taiwan is a fantastic place to cycle. Because of the weather, you can bike year-round. Most of the roads are well-paved. Convenience stores are ubiquitous. Bikes on trains are an option as well. It’s great to get into cycling. Taiwan makes it easy. You can start at any level, on any bike. With so many bike shops, bike trails, bike enthusiasts, this is a great place to start a healthy hobby.
You can bike practically anywhere in Taiwan. Being based in Taichung, we are spoiled for choices. It’s easy to head into the hills on a day trip or even for a couple hours to stretch the legs and open the lungs. Taichung is also a good launch pad for trips further afield. Once you start riding, and condition your body, and you’ve got a decent bike, you can go on some pretty wonderful rides within a day from here. You can head North to Sanyi, the wood carving town in Miaoli. Or go East to see the giant windmills on the coast. Between Fengyuan and Dongshi there are the rails-to-trails bike paths of Houfong & Dongfeng – one goes through an old railway tunnel to Houli, the other can take you to a family-friendly park with a petting zoo. Past Dongshi, you can take the 8 on a country ride to Guguan hotsprings. Or take the 14 to go to Puli and find a waterfall. I’ve even gone to Sun Moon Lake and back in a day – that was my first “century” ride (100 miles). I could go on and on, the options seem to be endless.
I have a love/hate relationship with the train system here in Taiwan. I mean, it’s great to be able to put your bicycle on a train, but the process is often a pain in the neck. I believe the government tries to promote tourism and bike culture, but the railway administration grudgingly cooperates with inconvenient rules & procedures. Conveniently, it seems you can bring your bike on most trains, but the rules say you must completely “bag” your bike. This means you need to take off one or both wheels and laboriously lug your bike and belongings through the station, gates, stairs (if no elevators), and platform. There are very few trains that have dedicated bicycle cars that allow unbagged bikes, and for those you pay separately – a nice service that usually is fully booked by other cyclists. In spite of all the inconveniences, being able to take your bike on a train allows you to extend your bicycle adventures in Taiwan, giving you more options for outstanding trips.
After living and biking here for over six years, I’ve been all over Taiwan and conquered the highest roads. There is one challenge that I’ve yet to attempt: climbing up to Wuling from the Hualien side. The distance is about 100km and the elevation gain is from nearly sea level to 3275m! There are actually a couple races for that course each year. Some of the world’s top cyclists participate. That ride would truly test the mettle of any rider.
Right now, as I try to finish this article, I’m sitting in the lobby of a hotel in Malaysia, on a 2-week bike trip. This is the first time I’ve taken a bike with me on a flight somewhere. Using Air Asia, everything has gone smoothly so far. My travel mate and I put our bikes in simple bike bags (no padding) and they came through undamaged. The weather is hot and rainy at times, and we have to ride on the left side of the road in this country. But so far, so good, and I’m happy to be bike touring again. Oh, and the food is great here – I love sampling all the interesting dishes & flavors.
However you like to do it, I encourage you to just hop on a bike and go for it!
Here are some helpful links:
On Facebook, for the Taichung area:
Taichung Bike Ride (to hook up with other cyclists for rides)
Taichung Wheel Spinners (cycling) (monthly casual group rides)
Taichung Cycle (any and all things related to cycling in Taichung)
Published in Guan Xi Magazine- Spring 2017 issue
