The Taitung 23/40 and the East Coast: Scott and Nicklas ride over Taiwan

A few months ago, these fine gentlemen from Australia, Scott on the left and Nicklas on the right, got in touch with me via email. Could I suggest some routes for a bike trip? You betcha. In fact, I told them I'd come along. Thus, for the first time in months, I did an overnight bike trip. I brought along my friend Edouard Roquette, some of whose images I have shamelessly stolen for this post, since they are way better than mine. Click on READ MORE for more....

Coast sanity break

Why haven't I been posting? Had midterms to give and grade, and then took two days off to visit a friend in Chenggong. Love that ahhhh feeling when you head south out of Hualien and you know it is going to be a good day. A special bonus was the vast decline in tour buses. Saw them, but not in the insane numbers of before.

Interestingly, the wind was in my face the whole way. Usually it is at my back this time of year. El Nino?

More photos below...

Another lovely day on the Taichung 46

The entrance to the Taichung 46 (Zhongpi Road) off the 8 southeast of Dongshih

Today I went up to the Taichung 46 with Iris and Dom for some excellent riding (map link). Pics below the fold...

Riding the oil fields of Miaoli...

Tyler zips down the road parallel to the HSR.

I took some friends on an easy ride through the low hills west of Sanyi and east of the sea on Friday, and discovered the mother lode of Taiwan's oil and gas wells. This old article gives a brief introduction to oil and gas drilling in Taiwan. Come below the READ MORE line for more...

Hot one on the New Central Cross

A glorious day on the "New Central Cross", the new highway that connects the 124 in Miaoli to the Miaoli 62. Hard riding under a hot sun. Come below the READ MORE for more pics...

Doing Duona

Drew is ready to go

Great weather, so Drew and I grabbed the chance to drive down to Pingtung and do the gorgeous road from Gaoshu up to the aboriginal village of Duona, the Pingtung 132. Click on READ MORE to see more...

Climbing through the weekend

Aboriginal inhabitants? What aboriginal inhabitants? Han-centric history is just one aspect of Taiwan's Han-centric thinking.

This week did some wonderful rides out of my Taichung base, stretching my injured legs a bit. Felt good. Thursday went the length of Baguashan and down Fengbai Road into Ershui. Saturday did the awesome ride through the Nantou tea areas on the 149, 212, and 151 to the 162A with its spectacular descent. Sunday went back to an old favorite of mine, Pinglin Road. Come below the break to enjoy...

Sanity Break: Weekend in the Rift

Rift time, a two day sanity break on the beautiful side roads of Hualien and Taitung, one of the best rides I've done. Click on READ MORE below for absolute acres of imagery.

Guguan with a twist

Fisherman cluster in front of a water gate above Dongshih on the river.

There are two rides I do just for the workout, the 125 km run down to the Chiayi HSR station, and the 115 km climb and return to Guguan. Today I wanted to do it to test my healing leg (verdict: leg is good). The Guguan ride is pretty enough, but the traffic makes it painful. Today we found an alternative that saves much pain. Click READ MORE for the story...

Coasting

Leaving Taitung city for Chenggong on Sunday.

Man. It's been months since I've done back to back days of 100 kms. I was terrified I'd never be able to ride like that again. I'm still among the walking wounded, but at least I was able to ride a couple of easy 100 km days across southern Taiwan. What a joy! As always, click READ MORE...

Scootering the 投54 in Nantou

Off to Nantou on a scooter today, since I am too injured to ride (O the pain of watching other riders out on lovely lovely bikes!). Many thanks to Drew for guiding me, and to Daniel Kianka for suggesting the road. Click on READ MORE to see more...

Biking to Laochijia Slate Village

Deep into the mountain heart of Pingtung we rode on Friday, to visit the Paiwan village of Laochijia (老七佳), a slate house village which, our guide told us, Taiwan was trying to get listed as a world heritage site. Click on READ MORE....

The Miaoli 51

Today Drew and I rode up the Miaoli 51 (苗51), a lovely little road that starts just north of Houli, then climbs a set of switchbacks to the top of the ridge, and rolls gently over the ridge through a national forest until it hits the train station in Sanyi. The road network between Sanyi and Jhoulan is wonderful, I highly recommend exploring it (Drew's post on it). Map below the READ MORE....

Lost in the Hills of Miaoli

Still recovering, but this weekend I did a lovely long ride in the hills of Miaoli. Got thoroughly lost and ended up being out for a couple of hours longer than I had planned. But it was a beautiful day, and I was in the company of my friend Iris, a strong rider who somehow found it in herself to forgive me for getting her lost. Click READ more to read more...

At Last: Back on the Bike + links

I haven't done a mountain ride in over two months, but today my friend Merican Teachr and I cut through the haze to climb up to Guguan. Pics below the Daily Links, click on READ MORE...
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Daily Links:

• FP annexes Taiwan to China. *sigh*
• Chinese fossil fakery. Amazing.
• Sunflower Power stalls trade pact. It's nice to see the mention, but when you look at the bottom, you realize why it is largely pro-government propaganda platitudes: her trip was with MOFA. It was good of the paper to put a public notice of that. Note that the Ma government is conveniently blaming the Sunflowers. In reality, his party couldn't force its own people to vote for that failure of a treaty. The Sunflowers make convenient whipping boys, but they aren't the whole issue. 
• China's hacker army assaults Taiwan
• Josh Ellis: Neidong Forest Park
• US Commission backs arms sales to Taiwan
• Did gangbangers beat up protesters?
• The invisible candidate in Taiwan's elections
• The Economist on the Nov 29 elections
• Ketalagan Media on Start Ups in Taiwan
• Lien Chan apologizes after ethnic chauvinist screed. O no, wait, not for that.
• KMT head of Taiwan Medical Association under fire after accusing Ko Wen-je of killing patients to harvest their organs. The accusation is absurd and the abuse deserved, but one thing the episode makes clear is how the KMT continues to keep a grip on society by installing its lackeys in key positions in social organizations like the Taiwan Medical Association. Cleaning Taiwan of this Leninist, authoritarian party will require more than just a change of parties, but a rooting out of this kind of influence at every level of society.
• Taiwan faces another periodic drought. These will only worsen over time.

Biking Lanyu

This week I went to Lanyu for the first time, to enjoy one of the best experiences Taiwan has to offer with one of my closest friends, Drew Kerslake, and his lovely family. I have long wanted to go. Traveling with Drew was special because he's been on the island many times and first started coming in the 1990s, meaning that people there know him, and he knows many things about Lanyu that few outsiders know. What a wonderful introduction! Already planning my next trip.... (Andrew's beautiful and informative post) Click on READ MORE (image intensive, may be a few minutes loading up).

Northern Cross Sanity Break

Resting in Lower Baling with my good friends Kenji and Jeff.

Saturday and Sunday I ignored my currently enormous workload and rode one of favorite routes, the Northern Cross Island Highway from Yongning Metro to Yilan Train Station with my redoubtable friends Kenji and Jeff. Click on Read More to see more....

Brutally hot day on the Miaoli 124

Today Drew of Taiwan in Cycles and I rode up the 3 through Miaoli and climbed the 124, then rolled down to Nanzhuang and followed the river to Zhunan where we hopped a train for home. With temps soaring near 100, and probably well over that in the heated areas on the road, the moderately difficult climb up the 124 became a brutal battle against the heat. Still, it was a gorgeous ride. Click on read more to read more!

East Coast Adventures

I went off to the east coast this weekend, which is why I haven't been blogging. Did a loop: Saturday from Hualien to Chenggong (~120 kms), Sunday Chenggong back to Hualien (~140 kms) via the 30 over to the Rift Valley and the 193 back to Hualien city. Monday we tried to do Mugumuyu but the rain defeated us. For more pics click on READ MORE:

Riding the Tawu/Longxi Industry Road

The evening we stayed in Tawu we ran into this amazing man, TX Wong, from Hong Kong. Tex was walking around Taiwan, a 30 day tour, 30-40 kms a day. He was two weeks in and expected to take another two weeks. This was his second trip. I am hoping to interview him in early May about his experiences.

Busy as heck this week, and then took three days off to go cycling. So that explains the lack of posts...

A lovely weekend on the east coast as my friend Michael Cannon and I headed out to explore the Tawu-Longxi industry road. Two days of fun in the sun, with plenty of beer, great scenery, and even a trio of pole dancing babes. Click on READ MORE to read more...