Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Cycle Tours => Topic started by: cycladelic on February 05, 2014, 08:00:41 AM
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I've just had a week in wonderful of glorious weather riding over taiwan's central Mountan range. Starting not too far from the country's main international airport, i did the North Cross-island Highway to reach the eastern side of the country.
After traversing the Central Mountain Range, I hooked up with my wife and we stayed on Highway 7 and veered south, towards the mountain town of Lishan, and once over the pass, dropped down Taroko Gorge. Fab.
The twisting 7 is not an easy ride: there are long - 20km - continuous inclines which will test any fully loaded tourer's leg muscles. Here are some snaps...
This first one is where the serious climbing starts, at a place named Fuxing. The second is an hour or so into the climb. It was a tough one.
My third self-timed photo shows me on day two - up on the North Cross-Island Highway. Great weather for this time of year!
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Hi Cycla' and welcome to the Thorn Cycling Forums.
My! Stunning photos and a gorgeous Tonka Yellow Nomad you have there.
A colleague from my uni days was from Taiwan and showed my photos of this very area -- tremendous, long climbs just as you've donw (his journeys were by bus and car; I was still impressed by the scenery and gradient!).
All best wishes your way.
Best,
Dan.
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My front tyre is a Maxxis Overdrive, which I've found to be pretty good.
The second photo is me about to drop down Taroko Gorge: a must-do for any cycle tourist.
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Hi Cycla' and welcome to the Thorn Cycling Forums.
My! Stunning photos and a gorgeous Tonka Yellow Nomad you have there.
Best,
Dan.
Thanks, Dan
It's rare to see overseas cyclists touring here, despite it being where many decent bikes are made. Nudge nudge wink wink.
Graham
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My! Stunning photos and a gorgeous Tonka Yellow Nomad you have there.
Best,
Dan.
And here are a few more shots of the terrain, with Highway 7 and Highway 8 crossing the mountains...
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Hi Cycladelic.
Absolutely stunning photographs and must have been an amazing ride
Regards, Alfie.
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wow class.
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Great shots cycladelic.
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Hi cycladelic, Welcome to the forum.
Your Yellow front rack, luggage & peaked cap seem familiar .... your trips have been featured in Cycling Plus magazine in the past if I'm not mistaken? ( Norway, France, Corsica ) - Good to see you on a Nomad !
Happy Cycling
Brummie
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Awesome photos!
Its a country I would love to Tour.
Dave
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Wow! Serious bizness indeed -- super fotos, Cycla, and welcome!
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Hi cycladelic, Welcome to the forum.
Your Yellow front rack, luggage & peaked cap seem familiar .... your trips have been featured in Cycling Plus magazine in the past if I'm not mistaken? ( Norway, France, Corsica ) - Good to see you on a Nomad !
Happy Cycling
Brummie
Well spotted!
... You just forgot to mention my rugged good-looks.
I was riding a steel-framed Brodie then.
Graham
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Hi Cycladelic.
Absolutely stunning photographs and must have been an amazing ride
Regards, Alfie.
Thanks, Alfie,
Yes, Highway 7 is a real gem. It's hard work, as there are some very long inclines: the last 20km of my first day was basically all up. And at the end of 110km, fully loaded, at my age, you feel it.
Graham
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I was riding a steel-framed Brodie then.
Graham
Ah! The penny just dropped; I recall your CGOAB journals! I should have known straight away from the stunning photos.
Welcome again, Graham. :)
Best,
Dan.
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Awesome photos!
Its a country I would love to Tour.
Dave
Cheers, Dave
You'd really like it, I'm sure.
I think Highway 7 and Highway 8 are two great routes. There are some quiet rural roads along the east coast, and if you have a detailed map, there are some scenic roads on the industrial west side of the island, too.
There's a fashion here for riding around the island in a week or two, and the novice riders who do this tend to cycle along main roads. It's sad. They simply don't know what they're missing.
Here are a few more photos. The top two are from my most recent trip - during Chinese New Year - on Highway 8, which goes through Taroko Gorge. There's a descent of 50+ kilometres! The first was taken at a tunnel near the top section (around 2,500 metres) the second one much lower down. The third photo was taken back in November - again riding in Taroko Gorge.
Graham
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Ah! The penny just dropped...
Best,
Dan.
Cycling Plus will feature Taiwan again soon. One of its writers was over here late last year as part of a group sponsored by the local tourism office. I just took photos. We went down the east coast and there was a race up Taroko Gorge. It's called KOM - King of Mountains. Crazy stuff.
There were writers from various European cycling mags - from France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Finland etc - so Taiwan should become better known as a cycling destination.
Graham
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Hi Graham
As usual your photos are show stoppers.
Wait till your other journals get discovered
Fred
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Cheers Graham!
Will be setting off to Australia in a couple of months via China and Hong Kong
so a little detour could be on the cards! :)
I think I would have to fly in from Hong Kong as China is not really friends with Taiwan.
I have read a book about Taiwan but its good to hear from someone who has been
there and done it!
Dave
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I think I would have to fly in from Hong Kong as China is not really friends with Taiwan.
Dave
There are tons of daily direct flights now between China and Taiwan, so it's not a problem. They started a few years ago. but you are right, the two countries have their differences.
How long would you tour this island for?
Graham
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Hi Graham
I didnt know that there were flights from China to Taiwan, the book I read must of been very old! lol
I would be looking at visiting Taiwan for a minimum of a month, I like to take things easy and I will
be in no rush, I expect my trip to Aus to take a couple of years so a month or two added on the length
of my trip is not going to be a problem.....the money might be! lol
I shall have to add Taiwan onto my research list and check out the cost of flights etc.
Many Thanks
Dave
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I would be looking at visiting Taiwan for a minimum of a month, I like to take things easy and I will
be in no rush...
Many Thanks
Dave
You should see a lot in a month.
I suggest you start by riding over Highway 7, stopping off at a couple of places along its route.
Little Wulai has a nice waterfall, near Fuxing (see photo below), and further up is Lala Mountain, where there are some trees that are over 2,000 years old. It's about 8km up off the 7.
Then there's a wonderful small road to Smangus. It's is a dead end, but you can sleep in the village and again visit some old trees.
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Hi Graham
Thanks for reigniting my interest in visiting Taiwan!
I checked out flights from Hong Kong which are around the £200 return mark,
so thats not too bad in the scheme of things.
Now to find my book about Taiwan which I have packed ready to put into
storage!
Dave
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Now to find my book about Taiwan which I have packed ready to put into
storage!
Dave
My Lonely Planet is around 15 years old, but I'm not sure the latest one will tell you much, certainly not a lot as far as cycling goes.
I recall reading somewhere that Taoyuan County, where I live and where the 7 starts, is more or less written off as a cultural wasteland. No, there are no decent museums etc, but you can find some great places to ride.
Feel free to pick my brains.
Here's a photo of the coffee shop I sometimes ride to on my days off. It's at Shirmen dam/reservoir, which is close to the small town of Daxi - the start of Highway 7. The cheesecake is good!
Graham
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Hey Graham.
You really should become a tourist rep for Taiwan. Your photos sell themselves. Ha, Ha, Ha
Good work
Fred
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unbeliveable no other word for it.
i reckon this is how the other half lives 8)
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Cycladelic,you have poor jags drooling. Don't know if it's the beautiful scenery you're photographing or the mention of cheesecake.
Jags,
I,m sure the world will be your oyster when you're astride your beautiful new audax. Fingers are still crossed.
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Cheers Alfie but its the club tour now i know i know changed my mind again but the tour will be better me thinks,mind you as much as i would like it will never see that part of the world ireland and the uk i reckon but you never know. ;)
cheers
anto who loves cheese cake.
;D ;D
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...as much as i would like it will never see that part of the world.... but you never know. ;)
You'd like it here if you like climbing long hills... and cheescake.
Here are two more shots. The first of the 7 climbing up near the top and the Central Mountains at around 4pm:
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Hi Graham
I'am still looking for my Taiwan book, its there somewhere!
Its also a Lonely Planet and I agree theres nothing about cycling in it,
but it gave me an insight to the country overall.
Your photo's are stoking up my interest again for the country, I just
love the mountains and trees!.......and cheesecake!
Dave
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;D ;D yeah to many hills for this kid,
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Very nice, am considering Taiwan perhaps in 2015 for my first tour in Asia.
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Very nice, am considering Taiwan perhaps in 2015 for my first tour in Asia.
I suggest you look at flying with Emirates. I've just booked a flight back to Manchester for June for about 720 quid return, which was much less than KLM. Also, Emirates has a better weight allowance - 30kg. When I flew with KLM in 2013, I had to pay an extra US$100 each way for the bike (as a second bag) but didn't get any extra weight (to 20kg) for that money.
If you need any pointers about where and when, just ask.
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Very nice, I'm considering Taiwan for 2015. I only have about a week so may have to settle for a straight North to South ride instead of a circumnavigation.
Someone who went to Taiwan said that cycletourists are not allowed on the east coast due to rock slides. Not sure if that is absolutely correct since I think he did a straight North to South shot. He mentioned something about getting a certificate.
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There's a section of coast road south of a fishing village called Suao that is basically a no-no for cyclists. There are quite a few tunnels which are narrow and unlit. I cycled it when I first arrived over 14 years ago and never again... There're lots of cement trucks whizzing through them. You can get a train down to near Hualian - Taroko Gorge - from Suao.
having said that, if you have just a week, I suggest going over Highway 7 from Taoyuan County - not far from the airport - and follow the 7 south to Lishan, then drop down Highway 8 through Taroko Gorge. You could get a train back north from the coast.
I did a similar route during Chinese New Year - some pics etc are here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=6o&doc_id=13620&v=PQ
Ignore the setion that goes to Loudong, as tha leg was because I had to meet my wife off the train as she didn't have as much time to spare as I me.
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How embarrassing! I just realized that I had already responded to this thread earlier but then later talked to that other cyclist who had done Taiwan.
Thanks cycladelic for the suggested route! It looks very scenic. Truth to tell, I hate valleys and gorges...they all look great when you're whizzing into them but the climb will kill you. hahaha (laugh now)
It looked like the train did not require you to disassemble your bikes...is that only for certain trains? And what would you consider a reasonable budget per day in USD?
Thanks again!
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Only certain trains take bikes and most of the time you have to send it ahead and collect it at the station, usually the day after. I recall there were a few trains accepting bikes leaving from the station near Taroko. The west side of Taiwan is much busier and you'll have less luck.
basically you have a choice of flat-ish coastal roads, or big climbs in the Central Mountains. Taroko Gorge isn't an average gorge - it's one of the best cycle routes in the world and a place that should be included in a tour, although you could sample just the lower 30km if you really don't like climbing.
You could get by on 30 quid a day, but I would allow more if you want somewhere fancy to sleep. BTW - Cycling Plus will run an article on Taiwan soon - I think tht issue will be out in mid May.
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Thanks cycladelic for that reply!
Hrmmm...ponder ponder ponder now. Must do Taroko Gorge but I'm not a fan of climbing. If I had more time it would be great but hrmmm...
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Hrmmm...ponder ponder ponder now. Must do Taroko Gorge but I'm not a fan of climbing. If I had more time it would be great but hrmmm...
I had a few days away last weekend and went to Orchid island. Smashing. A small road goes around the entire coast and it's pretty much flat. You can see some snaps and details here...
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=US&doc_id=14887&v=GM
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just checked out your 94 photos .class looks like a great tour.
did you do any camping what is in that bag under top tube.
jags.
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did you do any camping what is in that bag under top tube.
jags.
Yes, I camped the first night, before getting the ferry, and the next night on the island. Both evenings were very hot and I was sweating in my mesh tent without wearing a top (just a pair of shorts). I was unlucky that there was no breeze.
The blue bag is a purpose-made neoprene one that carries my tent poles.
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ah hah very clever mystery solved ;)excellent photos thanks for shareing.
anto.