Time Trial This Saturday

A note from Craig:

For those cycling and triathlon enthusiasts. If you know of anyone else who maybe interested in this event. Feel free to email them.

Cycle 40km or 60km Individual Time Trial March 10th

There is a 40km and 60km Individual time trial next Saturday. Time trial events are extremely rare if non-existent in Taiwan so don’t miss out (one in September also) Its out near the international airport. Entries close Monday 5th March. If anyone is interested let me know and I will get the entries to in. I will be taking a van out to the race. Entry fee is approx NT$500.

For those who are new to the sport an individual time trial is where you are sent off at 20 or 30 sec intervals and ride against the clock. No drafting allowed.

If you are looking for other information on cycling, triathlon, running adventure racing and a few other weird and wacky sports please check the following two websites

http://www.taiwanracing.com
http://taipeiycc.blogspot.com

Regards

Craig


If you're interested in signing up, send me a note, and I can forward it on to Craig. Sounds like a blast...

Sunday Ride Time Changed

Gorgeous morning! Sixteen riders at 5 am- more later as Howard's group met up with us. The climb up from the coast was one of the best- clear, warm and dry.

I will be meeting a new rider (Davy) for a Helen's climb tomorrow morning. I am meeting at the Starbucks by the National Palace Museum at 8 am, so I will swing by school at 7:45. This is 15 minutes earlier than I had previously said...

I need to be home by 9:45- please feel free to come along and ride a bit longer with Davy if you're available.

Bill

Bryson Saturday Ride

Bill has written with more details and options for Saturday's ride:

The Saturday ride has several options, depending on how much time you have
and how many hills you want to climb (note that ride times only include
time actually spent riding - it does not include the usual stops at
BeiShinChuang, San Jih and Chin Shan):

1) 60k: Turning around after the downhill to San Jih is approximately
60k. Good for those who are not confident they are ready for long climbs
or 100k, or who have early morning commitments. Ride time: Approximately
2:30;

2) 80k: Going up to the YMS Saddle from Chin Shan provides an 80k ride
with a 16k climb and a screaming 16k descent to Tien Mou, with the
possibility of an intermediate stop at Starbuck's. Ride Time:
Approximately 3:00 - 3:15. Good way to be back to Tien Mou by 0900;

3) 85k: Going up from Chin Shan to the North Coast Race finish in Ta
Ping, and then up the back of Helen's (just like the YMS Challenge course)
and down to Tien Mou. Coffee available at either Helen's or any of the
Tien mou coffee shops. I understand that many of the riders who have
entered the NCR will likely do this route on Saturday, as NCR is three
weeks from this weekend. Ride Time: Unknown, but estimated to be 3:15 -
4:00, depending on your climbing ability;

4) 100k: The usual return to Tien Mou along the Coast Road. 20k of
flat terrain at a relatively easy pace from Chin Shan to Bai Shia Wan, and
then 30k of rolling hills to Tam Shui and Tien Mou. Coffee at Starbucks on
Tien Mou West Road. Ride Time: 3:20 - 3:45. Virtually guarantees a
return to Tien Mou by 1000, though recent rides have seen the group sitting
at Starbuck's by 0930.

Look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday.

Social with Cycle, anyone?

Anyone interested in riding that's heavier on the
social and lighter on the riding? I appreciate those
of you with families need to be back early, but for
those of us still seeking our SO (in pubs :) and/or
late evening classes, the pre 4am wake ups are a
cow!!!

Something along the lines of Sat or Sun 7-8am meets at
the palace museum for a spin up to Helen's and a nice
leisurely chat? Back for lunch or even lunch together?

Davy

Riding in the Rain and Weekend Rides

Last Saturday's Lucas epic was awesome- 6:45 riding time, 120 km of hilly roads, 3425 m vertical climbing and 4950 calories (according to Peter). At one point, we were a group of two Dutchmen, two Taiwanese, a Canadian, an Australian, a Brit, and an American. Curt (riding from Lujyo) gets the rider of the day award for adding 45 minutes to the 5 am start and 45 minutes to the end.

The Saturday Bryson ride was bumped back half an hour due to rain at 4:30, but a group still managed to fit in the 100 km ride. In general, the rain policy is that if it's raining hard, the ride is a no-go. Bill sends a text message to those on his riding group list if he cancels one of his rides. I post a comment to the blog entry if I cancel, but you're also welcome to text me if in doubt (093-014-4184).

This Saturday, I intend to start the Bryson 100 km ride departing from TAS at 5 am. Leon, Chris, Rock and I plan to climb up from Jinshan or ride the race course finish. We should be back to TAS by 9 am.

Sunday morning, I'm meeting Curt for a mellow spin up Helen's. I need to be home by 10ish.

My weekday rides seem to be settling into a routine:

Tuesday 5:15 am Saddle or Satellites with Dave, Chris, Mike and Rock. We meet at the Section 7 bus circle and pick up other riders at the Chung Shan North Road/Tien Mu Road intersection. 32 km. Back to Tien Mu by 6:40.

Wednesday 5 am Bryson Extended Wimpy Hills. Larger group of riders. Meet at TAS, ride the flats out to Guang Du, climb up to Four Corners, ride the ridge to Starbucks/7-11. 28 km. Back to Tien Mu by 6:25.

Thursday 5:15 am Horse Stable Road Intervals with Dave, Chris, Chris, Mike, and Rock. Again, we meet at the Section 7 bus circle and pick up other riders at the Chung Shan North Road/Tien Mu Road intersection. Two easier 2 minute intervals, followed by six hard 2 minute intervals- enough to make you ill. We stay on the same section of Horse Stable Road, so anyone is welcome to come out even if you just plan to ride a portion of the 2 minute interval.
Back to Tien Mu by 6:25.


I met a rider at Sean's the other day who said he'd love to come out with us, but he needs to get into shape first. I understand this sentiment, but the best way to get into shape is to ride with a group that pushes you and gets you up and out of bed! With the exception of the end climb on the Saturday and the brisk paced Tuesday morning ride, our other rides are really open to anyone with a road bike who wants to get into shape and enjoy some good riding company. There are also versions of the Saturday ride that are shorter and easier than the full 100 km.

Hope to see you out there!

Bill

Sunday Ride

Missed the Sat. rides - so will be riding Sun. Will go up the mtn. from the DaZhi/NeiHu side (either Spider or its parallel road) - over the other side and down a bit until it connects to Helen's - that's about 1/2 way up Helen's so will go up Helen's - and then back down past the Palace. If feeling ok, go back over mtn. instead of through tunnel back to DaZhi. Heading out latest at 6am - but negotiable back to 5am if anyone interested. Easy to meet just this side of tunnel - contact if coming.

dave
wittry@apcomputerscience.com

Saturday Rides

Lots of options tomorrow!

As posted below, Simon is departing TAS at the reasonable hour of 7 am. I am meeting the Bryson crew at 5 am. The Bryson ride will be the standard 100 km flat ride, returning to Tien Mu between 9 and 9:30. This is a great ride- highly recommended.

I will be heading up Helen's and across the valley to explore the New Territories on a Lucas special ride. Lucas promises beautiful scenery, little traffic, and regrouping at the top of the hills (he hasn't been riding much recently). I don't expect to be home to Tien Mu before noon. Definites: me, Peter, Curt, Lucas, Harry. Hopefuls: Dave, Ron, others?

Hope to see you out!

Bill

Saturday Feb 24 Ride

I know the epic team is heading out for 100's of KM on Saturday Feb 24 at some ridiculously early hour, but I won't make it.  I am meeting a new rider at 7:00 at TAS.  Plan to head up Helens.  Depending on weather / legs, drop to North Coast, down toward Lucas, or back home.  Thanks, Simon

Tourist who likes cycling looking for info

Hello Taipei cyclists!

I'm coming to Taiwan on a holiday in april and one of the things i'd
like to do is cycling in the hills around Taipei.
Your website was already very informative, but what i haven't found yet
is a place where you can rent bikes (road-racing or MTB's that is).
Any info on that subject is welcome, as well as extra route descriptions
and maps (i have downloaded the google earth file already). What i'd
like to do are loops starting in or near Taipei of max. 70km.
If their's anybody that wants to accompany me on these rides (in the
period of 10-14 april) feel free to contact me as well. I'm not looking
to go racing though, just enjoy the scenery and climb at my own pace.

You can send a mail to: kdewinter@scarlet.be

greetings,
Kris

Friday Ride

Listening to the rain last night, I wasn't sure I'd get up and out this morning, but I ended up meeting Rock and Michael for a few intervals; as usual, I was glad I got out.

Bill is going out at 6 tomorrow for an easy recovery ride. I'm meeting Peter for a 101 loop at 7 am from school. All welcome!

Bill

Thursday Ride

It was a bit wet this morning, but Ron, Chris, Chris, Rock and I defied the Bryson text cancellation and rode the 101. We finished up with a nice Starbucks coffee in Tien Mu and plans for some intervals tomorrow morning. We're meeting up at the bus circle at 5:15. We'll swing down by Blockbuster for a warm up down by Takash and then we'll do a few repeats on Horse Stables. We should be home before 6:30.

I may take Friday off, but I'm excited for the Lucas epic on Saturday. Harry has now signed on. Lucas says if it's raining, we'll have to change the route, though- our tires will slip out on the incline... I think the Saturday Bryson ride is going at 5 am again, so I may just meet up at TAS then. Curt and Peter will be the final arbiters of time. More to be posted tomorrow.

Bill

Wednesday Ride

It was a bit too rainy for me this morning. I know that Rock made it out and said it wasn't actually that wet...

I'm planning on the 5 am Bryson ride tomorrow from TAS. I know this ride is usually weather dependent, but unless it's pouring out, I think I'll be there- perhaps not on the new bike, though...

Bill

Tuesday Ride

Great spin today- ten out for the 101 climb. My legs are toast, but Mick assembled my new bike today, so I'm going out for a very easy Reed Point spin tomorrow morning with Rock and Chris. I'll swing by TAS a little after 6 am to see if anyone else is out- I'll aim to be back by a little after 7.

Bill

Biking Routes, Google Earth, Pics with Friends at Waypoints

Hi all,

I'm attempting to map out every ride, every waypoint, altitude profiles, etc. - a sort of "Northern Taiwan Biking" guide. Thought it would be fun for you to contribute if you wish - simply, you could take your camera on rides (for non-weight-wennies, anyway) and snap a shot of your group - then send it to me with the names of the folks on the ride. This serves 2 purposes - it's fun and, if you show the waypoint in the background, you'll be helping new folks find the location. This is all easier viewed than explained - so I invite you to look at the site below - in particular, view the Google Earth file for the "All Routes" row. Each waypoint in Google has a website link attached to it - the best example so far is the "Satellites Top" waypoint - click it and see 8 or so of us at the top of Satellites...

http://www.apcomputerscience.com/biking/

Also, we're going to have to name one of the waypoints after our mentor Bill O'brien! So far, he's taken care of naming some of them after friends - let's find one for him before he leaves and immortalize him.

dave
p.s. suggestions for the site welcome

Re: Monday, Feb 26 Ride

 

 

For Monday, Feb 26 - If the weather is OK, I plan a longer ride from Tienmu through Danshui to Jinshan, then over Jinshan hill.   May adjust dependent on weather.  Just back from 2 weeks in the US, so not a fast pace.  Meet at TAS at 7:00.  Thanks, Simon Moore

Monday Ride

Marcus, Kaight, Bill, Curt, Dave and I spun up to Helen's this morning for a recovery ride. Bill and Kate said they counted 19 riders at yesterday's ride. Bill confirmed the plan for Wednesday- do it all again at 5 am from TAS. Curt and I continued over Helen's to meet up with Lucas. Lucas was out for five hours yesterday scouting out Saturday's route. He claims that the gradient in places will be very steep.

I'm meeting Bill, Kaight, Marcus, and Curt tomorrow at 6 am for the 101 spin. I will be back in Tien Mu by 8 am.

It's looking like Saturday's epic will start at 5:30 from TAS. Peter, Curt, Lucas and I are definites. We'd like other company.

See you out there?

Bill

Sunday Ride

Great ride this morning- 16 or 17 riders showed up for the spin out to Jinshan. According to Bill, that's a new record...

I'm meeting Bill tomorrow morning at 6 am at TAS for a spin up Helen's. I'm hoping to run into Lucas up there, but I'll probably be back to Tien Mu by 9:30 or so.

I'm looking to do a mellow Elspeth's Hill or Reed Point Monday, maybe a Saddle ride Tuesday and then a repeat of the 5 am Bryson Jinshan ride Wednesday morning. I'll post a ride time for Monday/Tuesday sometime tomorrow.

See you out there?

Bill

CNY Riding & March North Coast Race

There were 13 riders out on the Bryson Ride this morning- a new record!

A number of riders are here over CNY, so please feel free to post your planned rides here (see this prior post for how to post). For me, I'm joining Saturday's Bryson 100 km departing from TAS at the ungodly hour of 5 am. I may climb over Jinshan rather than return along the coast.

I will be riding regularly through the week, and I'll post my rides a little in advance. I'll probably stick to mornings for the most part.

My big CNY ride will be a week from this Saturday with Lucas and Peter. I'll post more details closer to the day, but I think it will be 6+ hours out in the New Territories (on the other side of the valley). Should be fun...

If you're interested in racing in the March North Coast Race, registration closes at the end of the month. Get your 500 NT into Sean at the Giant shop ASAP. Here are two maps that were recently posted at http://www.cyclist.org.tw/.


See you out there!

Bill

Miscellaneous Riding Notes

Sorry for the dearth of postings this past week. No excuse, really...

Unhappy with his Giant, Chris found a new mount on last weekend's ride.

Last Sunday, I got out on the coast ride with Dave, Land, Chris, Curt, and Harry for a pre-North Coast Race practice spin. The discussion turned once more to designing a jersey for the Yangmingshan riders; Harry has some new ideas- more to come...

Wednesday's Bryson Ride again gathered ten riders for the 5 am start from TAS. We now have another Chris along to join the three Bills. This is a great ride. We're back in Tien Mu before 6:30- all are welcome.

Leon and I headed joined the Columbus Team for the www.bikemen.net hill climb Team Time Trial yesterday (I know, I had never head of one, either). The ten teams of nine departed every three minutes for the 25 km ride.

Team Time Trial profile.

The team score came from the top six riders' times. The very powerful e-Ma team took out overall honors, but Columbus Team finished just behind. I would highly recommend this ride if it is held again. Photos, results and information (all in Chinese) are available here.

Leon powers the team in to the finish.

Team Columbus takes second overall.

In other news, Craig has set up a website for information on triathlon, cycling and running events in Taiwan (and around the world). Visit the site at www.taiwanracing.com.

An event passed along by Victor is the Shuang-Qi Duathlon on March 10th (the day before the Jinshan Marathon). Registration closes March 1st. Check out the event description here on www.taiwanracing.com.

Looking for a challenge? Big Joe emailed to report that the Satellites have now successfully been ridden on a single speed. From what I hear, it wasn't pretty, but there was no stopping til the summit...

And finally, I'm putting together plans for Chinese New Year riding next week. I will be sending around emails this week to organize the longer rides, and I will post the results here. If you would like to be included in the email deliberations, drop a note to the disposable email address ycc@eml.cc.

See you out in the hills!

Bill

Sunday Ride

I'm meeting Chris, Mike, Curt and Dave at TAS at 6:45 Sunday morning. We'll head out along the coast and climb up from Jinshan. We should be back in Tien Mu by 10:30ish.

All welcome.

Bill

10 Riders out on Bryson Ride

5 am, but the numbers keep growing. Curt met us at the Guang Du bridge this morning.

The Bryson Ride goes out Wednesday and Friday mornings at 5 am from TAS and returns by 6:30. Doesn't go if it's raining...

The Saturday Bryson Ride also departs at 5 am and returns after 100 km of riding along the coast.

All riders welcome!

Bill

Sign up for March 25th North Coast Race Now

The Taiwan Cyclist Federation has posted the application for the March 25th North Coast Race. The application and race information (in Chinese) is available here.

I will be signing up with Sean at his shop. The deadline is March 1st, but I believe Sean will be sending in entries before that. Cost is 500NT. You will need your ARC number to sign up. Categories are by age, and there is a separate mountain bike category. Here is a description of last year's race.

It should be a great race- a forgiving course and lots of enthusiastic riders. Hope to see you out there.

Bill

Weekend

Harry's rides (see previous post) sound great. Unfortunately, due to family commitments (as well as quite sore legs), my Saturday riding will be a bit less intense. I'm meeting Chris at 7 am for a leisurely hour or so ride out to Reed Point. We should be back to Tien Mu by 8:15. I will swing by TAS to see if anyone else is interested.

I'm not available until 1 pm Sunday, but I think I've convinced Rock, Chris and Leon to make Sunday our harder ride. We will be meeting at TAS then and deciding on the route from there.

Hope to see you out!

Bill

Weekend Rides

OK, it is time to explore a little away from the usual YMS haunts.

If there is anybody interested in a moderate ride about 80km or so, max altitude about
600m, in the hills near PingXi, I will be riding that way from 7 or 7:30 on Saturday.
Ample opportunity to paceline on rolling ground with not many cars. If you like, we can
meet at LiuZhangLi station, corner of Keelung and HePing streets at 7:00, or at Taipei
Zoo at 7:30, where there is lots of car parking. Anybody still keen can try the Tea
Ride, a short steep loop around MuZha hills, when we get back! (see Google Earth rides
list: PingXi-Mystery Road-Provincial 9 and Tea Ride)

Another option is the climb over GuanYinShan, meet at TAS or GuanDu Temple on Sunday at
noon or so. Any takers?

Harry

Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com

9 Riders out on Bryson Ride

It may have been 5 am and cold, but Tracee, Joshua, Dave, Mike, Rock, Chris, Kate, Bill, and I enjoyed the spin out to Guangdu and up to the Starbucks/7-11. Dave drove in from Neihu to make it in time!

I believe Bill will be out again Friday at 5 am.

Come join us next week!

Bill

2007 Schedule: Revised!

Great rides this weekend: on Saturday Simon, Mike, Rock, Curt and I did the Sanjr-101 loop followed by coffee, and on Sunday Mike, Curt, Harry and I did the Temple Switchbacks followed by coffee. I'll be out Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday mornings, Saturday morning, and Sunday afternoon this week. Details on the weekend rides to come.

I saw on the Taiwan Cyclist Federation website this morning that the calendar of races has been updated. The schedule is here.

Roughly translated:

March 25th North Coast 60km (this year's race description here)
April 21st Tour of East Taiwan Day 1 120km (this year's race description here)
April 22nd Tour of East Taiwan Day 2 160km
May 26th Northeast Coast Gongliao Shuangsi 58km (this year's race description here)
June 23rd Ilan Time Trial Day 1
June 24th Taiping Shan Climb Day 2 23km (this year's race description here)
July 29th Giant Tour Race (seems to be a new race- can anyone give me a better translation?)
August 25th Ali Shan Climb 62km (this year's race description here)

So... the big news for now is that we have an extra three weeks of training before the first race.

Bill

Saturday and Sunday Rides

Great rides this week, although a little wet Wednesday and Thursday mornings. I don't know if I would have made it out if I wasn't meeting riding partners...

My weekend plans:

Saturday 7 am from TAS. I think I'll do the same ride as last Saturday: out to the coast to Sanjr and up the 101. We were back in three hours last week with a 7-11 stop. I'd love to do coffee at Starbucks in Yangmingshan if I can be home in time to get to my daughter's tumbling class at 11! Signed on so far: Rock, Simon and Mike.

Sunday 8 am from TAS. I'll do anything as long as I'm back by 10:30 or so.

Other rides that I know of:

Saturday 5 am from TAS on the Bryson Ride. 100 km out along the coast. This ride only goes if it's not raining, though.

Hope to see you out!

Bill

Ride Report

Great ride Saturday- Harry, Curt, Rock, Chris, Leon and I braved the wet and wind for a three hour jaunt around the coast road to Sanjr and up the 101. I used up all the hot water in my shower when I got home and I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the ride much on my own, but suffering, like misery, enjoys company. Glad I did it.

From what I hear, the Saturday Bryson ride was well attended, and I know Simon and Claus had a good spin in the morning. I heard that Karen and Brenda explored the bike paths lower down.

Sunday's ride was a bit more mellow. Leon and I showed Simon, Curt and Mike the Spider Hill loop. We were back for coffee at Starbucks in under two hours, but Mike and Simon continued back up the Satellites afterwards, as they had not yet used up their leave passes.

I'm out in the morning tomorrow with Chris, Rock and Mike. We're thinking of doing the Saddle. Dave says he'll join up for the Bryson ride Wednesday (5 am from TAS), and I'll think I can convince the guys to get out again Thursday morning.

My tentative plan for Saturday is 7 am from TAS. Simon said he could make it out, and I'm counting on Rock and Mike since Leon and Chris are traveling. I'm happy to go a bit later on Sunday. 8 or 9? I'll post a more definitive time closer to the weekend.

Let me know if you'd like to meet up for a morning or weekend road ride or post your own ride to the blog. It's a great time to be out in the hills!

Bill

Riding the Rollers- No Hands and One Leg

Brenda sent this video in:

http://teamchainreaction.com/video/hungerford/no_hands_1_leg.wmv

Off season balance practice!

Sat Jan 13 Ride

Claus and Simon will meet at 7:15 at TAS on Jan 13 - plan to ride along the coast and either go up 101 or Jinshan or back along coast depending on weather.

Weekend, Training, & Posting to the Blog

Weekend

It's great to be back. With long sleaves and leg warmers, the dry roads and chilly January mornings have made for some wonderful rides this week.

I'll be at TAS at 1 pm for a coast blast on Saturday. I think Chris, Rock, Curt and Leon will be there. We'll be back to Tien Mu by 4 pm. If it's nice, we may climb up to Yangmingshan, but if not, we'll stay low.

Bill Bryson is going on his coast ride departing TAS at 5 am on Saturday. I know some others are departing a bit later.

The plan for Sunday is a more mellow ride departing at 9 am from TAS. Perhaps Helen's?

Training

I've been out each morning this week. For the next while, I think I'll be doing the Wednesday Bryson Ride (5 am TAS) and Tuesday and Thursday 5:15 am from my house (with Chris, Rock, and/or Mike). Let me know if you'd like to join along. I'm aiming for the March 3rd North Coast Race.

I've run into other cyclists out in the morning- some on road bikes and others taking it a bit more mellow on mountain bikes.

Posting to the Blog

If you're looking for a training partner or just want to make a cycling related post, feel free to use this blog. To post, put the blog title in an email subject line, your post in the email body, and send to:

yangmingshan.taipei @ blogger.com

Most of my posts relate to road riding and local races, but the blog can be used for anything related to riding around Taipei.


Hope to see you out in the hills!

Large Jersey for Sale

When I was back in Maine this summer, I was impressed with the new kit being worn by the local Belfast Cycling Club. I ordered a jersey and a pair of socks, but unfortunately, I forgot that U.S. cycling gear tends to run a bit on the large size.




If anyone is interested in purchasing this size L jersey (never worn), you can have it for cost (1800 NT). I'll be ordering a M jersey for myself. If anyone else would like to add a jersey or a pair of socks (150 NT) to my order, just let me know.

Email me at obrien @ alumni . williams . edu.

Bill

2006 Club Championship Overall Results

The Taiwan Cyclist Federation recently announced their overall results from their Club Championship competition.

Leon with his 5th place overall trophy.

Local expats earned a few top ten age group placings. Despite missing one of the races due to summer holidays, Leon placed 2nd in M40 and a very impressive 5th overall (out of 1425 racers). Steve S. placed 3rd in M35 and 21st overall, although he only competed in three of the seven races. Bill also competed in three races and finished 10th in M35. Steve (Maximus) Reed raced in four races and finished 6th in M40.

Overall Results
Age Group Results

Races in Taiwan are well organized and the large fields contain riders of all ability levels. The 2007 racing season should be an exciting one with new riders Simon, Chris, Rock, Mike, and others expected to join the competitions.

See you out there!

Challenge Ride Recap

A group of twelve expat riders met Sunday morning for the Yangmingshan Neverstop Challenge Ride. The timing chip in our numbers were triggered as we rolled out under the start banner. The field of 300+ riders started any time between 6:50 and 7:30.

Rock and I rode the first hill together. We picked up a couple bananas at the food stop near the Saddle before the chilly descent down to the coast. Fortunately, it was much warmer when I met up with Mike in Jinshan, and the refueling stop at the North Coast race finish was a more pleasant affair. We picked up more fruit and energy gels at Psycho Squirrel Bridge. The final climb to Buffalo Meadows was steep but doable.

As we crossed the line, we were given a finishing medal and funneled to a tent where a computer, printer and laminator were set up. Our finishing certificates were printed with our times and laminated within thirty seconds of finishing- very impressive!

Overall Times
Photographs

I would highly recommend this well organized ride if it is held again in the future. The course can either be ridden as a long time trial or an enjoyable group ride. The route was clearly marked and marshalled and the food stops were well stocked.

Bill motors up the hill.

Claus, Rock, and Bill smile for the camera.

Harry, Michael, and Chris ascend Yangmingshan.

December 10th Challenge Ride Details

Bill B. has said he will send me more details on Sunday's challenge ride this morning. When he does, I'll post them here. What I know so far:

If you registered, you will receive a timing chip in your helmet number (although this is not a race). You may begin any time between 7 and 7:30. There will be food and drink stops along the way.

I will meet at TAS at 6:15 to ride to Pink BMW Corner (park at bottom of Yangde Road) for registration. I know that some people who haven't registered are still riding some or all of the route. Come along!

Hope to see you out there.

Bill

Further details:

After registering, riders can start their time by crossing through the timing gate anytime after 7 am. There will not be traffic control. Food/water stops:

High point of Yang Jin Road (closes at 9:30)
Dapin Elementary School (closes at 12:00)
Fonlin Bridge (closes at 14:00)

The finish line closes at 15:00.

There will be more than 30 "mobile service stations," emergency stations, and traffic direction stations.

Phone numbers:

Command Center: 0932379804
Rescue Center: 0955878863
Radio Frequency: VHF 145.640, 145.620, 145.600

Epic Day in the Saddle: Dec. 2nd Challenge Ride

Leon, Ron and I met Henry at Sean's shop at 5:30 Saturday morning. It took us about forty minutes to ride into the city to Banchiao. Although the skies were gray, the roads were dry.

At the challenge ride start, hundreds of cyclists, many on mountain bikes, city bikes and folding bikes milled around, registering and enjoying the early morning singers and dancers up on stage. Leon declined to dance the warm up. Curt met us at the start, as he had been staying at his in-laws in Banchiao with his two week old daughter.

The group rolled out promptly at 7 behind scores of uniformed bicycle policemen on new full suspension Giants. Traffic was stopped at every intersection as hundreds of cyclists moved through to the outskirts of the city. At one point, our path was blocked by a political rally complete with firecrackers and bottle rockets, so the massive group just backtracked to the next road down and continued on. It was at this point that we met up with Harry and Victor.

Unfortunately, about an hour into the ride, the skies opened up and it began to pour. Because the organizers were blocking roads for us, we had periodic rest stops to regroup which proved to be quite chilly as the temperatures dropped and the rain continued to fall. Many of the riders turned back when the organizers promised to mail them their completion certificates even if they didn't finish.

After what seemed like several hours of bucketing rain, the skies let up, and we pulled into a local elementary school for our first food break. Spirits rose like the pork buns set out for us when the rain stopped completely.

When we hit the coast at Fulong, a group of road cyclists formed a small peloton at the front, led by Harry and Curt. When a massive headwind sprang up, Leon launched off the front, chased by several Giant Asia riders. This continued for two more rest stops, until we pulled into our lunch stop in another elementary school just outside Keelung.

We were all impressed with the spread of food laid out, considering that there was no entry fee for this challenge ride. The doors to the classrooms were open for those who needed a little more warmth, but you could imagine that on a nicer day, the quad would have been filled with lunching cyclists.

Victor provided us with a map and helped us figure out how to navigate through Keelung, so Ron, Harry, Curt, Leon and I left early and rode as a small group to Wanli where we decided to head into the mountains rather than continue along the rainy coast.

After refueling at the Wanli 7-11, we began our first real ascent of the day up the back of Helen's. Of course, the rain came heavier and heavier as we ascended, but the waterfalls and misty vistas balanced the cold that was beginning to seep into our bones.

The descent back into Tien Mu was quite chilly, but the hot showers waiting for us at the end of the line made it all manageable.

The final stats (for me):

10 hours door to door
7:02 riding time
162 km

Even with the weather, I'd recommend the challenge ride to anyone looking for a manageable long ride with good support.

I'm looking forward to this weekend's Yangmingshan Challenge!

Bill

2007 Race Schedule

Here is the 2007 Taiwan Cycling Club Championship schedule:

March 3rd North Coast 60km (this year's race description here)
March 31st Tour of East Taiwan Day 1 120km (this year's race description here)
April 1st Tour of East Taiwan Day 2 160km
May 26th Northeast Coast Gongliao Shuangsi 58km (this year's race description here)
June 23rd Ilan Time Trial Day 1
June 24th Taiping Shan Climb Day 2 23km (this year's race description here)
August 25th Ali Shan Climb 62km (this year's race description here)

If you look at the results from any of this year's races, you'll see that you don't need to be a serious bike racer to compete. Taiwan is a great place to try your first bike race. Start your training now!

Bill

Weekend Rides & Challenge Sign-ups

Since it's Thanksgiving break for TAS teachers, I've got some rides planned for the next few days:

Wednesday 5 am @ TAS Bryson Ride
Thursday 6 am @ TAS Triple Crown Challenge (4ish hours of fun- see profile below)
Friday 1:30 pm @ TAS Flat Coast Smash (either return on the coast or up Jinshan)
Saturday Rest
Sunday 7:30 am @ Sean's Shop to ride with the boys...

Triple Crown Profile

Let me know if you'd like to join up...

I'm bringing the December 2nd Challenge Ride sign up into Sean's tomorrow evening. So far, it's me, Ron, Bills, Leon, Simon, and Chris. We've decided to ride it as a group. More are welcome- registration is free and food is provided. It'll be about 180 km, assuming we turn off at Tamshui. Just sign up by November 25th...

The December 10th Yangmingshan Challenge sign up sheet is at Sean's. Cost is 500 NT.

Hope to see you out in the hills!

Bill

Alishan Race Results

Leon, Bill, Bill, Ron, and I traveled down to Chyayi this weekend for the final competition in the Taiwan Club Championship series- the race up Alishan.

Leon, Ron and I were racing with Sean's Columbus Team, while Bill and Bill were racing for Howard's Spinning Team. For some reason, Howard signed the Bills up in the Elite category, so they ended up wearing #1 and #2 (out of 1165 preregistered racers). Undaunted, they led the group of under-35's and professional riders in the first wave to up the mountain. Five minutes later, Ron, Leon and I and the rest of the 35-and-overs and women joined them on the climb.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect race day, weatherwise. It was warm at the start line, sunny on the climb, and cooler as we ascended. The views (when you could enjoy them) were spectacular.

The Bills and Ron and I were content to race up the 65 km hill at our own pace. We enjoyed overtaking riders from our respective age categories, but we weren't out for a victory. Leon, on the other hand lined up behind Morris, the e-Ma Team rider whom he had beaten once at the start of the season but who had got the better of him since. At 56 kg of sinewy muscle, Morris was a fearsome opponent. He surged ahead of Leon numerous times on the first half of the climb, but Leon always managed to ride his way back onto his wheel. During the second half of the climb, Leon took over the pace making and led Morris and a small group of under-35's up to the finish. In the final sprint, Leon held off Morris to take the victory in the M40 category.

Leon and Morris sprint to the line

Leon's time up the hill put him in 22nd overall, 10th fastest non-Elite rider. A very impressive performance!

I managed a podium placing with 5th in M35, some consolation to finishing almost eight minutes back of Leon. Results are available here:

Age Group
Overall

Leon takes the M40 podium

Bill, happy to finish on the M35 podium

The Alishan race will be held at the end of August next year- I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a challenging ride in some beautiful mountains.

Bill

Another Challenge Ride!

The information for the December 10th Yangmingshan Challenge ride is in a previous post (see below). I gave Sean my 500NT last week and signed up. If you haven't done so yet, get down to Sean's and register!

In the meantime, I've found out about another challenge ride through Taipei County on Saturday, December 2nd. Information and registration form (in Chinese) is available here.

It starts in Banchiao and can be done as either a 160 km circuit ending in Tamshui or a 200 km circuit ending back in Banchiao. This sounds like a long way, but much of the ride is flat.

Ali was kind enough to find an English map of the starting area and a translation of each of the districts on the ride:


The start line is near the Xinpu MRT station. The ride then heads east along Highway 106. Here are the route names translated:

臺北縣縣民廣場-tai2 bei3 xian4 min2 guang3 chang3

板橋-ban3 qiao2

中和-zhong1 he2

新店-xin1 dian4

木柵-mu4 zha4

深坑-shen1 keng1

平溪-ping2 qi1

雙溪-shuang1 qi1

貢寮-gong4 liao2

福隆-fu2 long1

澳底-ao4 di3

龍洞-long2 dong4

瑞芳-rui4 fang1

八堵-ba1 du3

大武崙-da4 wu3 lun2

萬里-wan4 li3

金山-jin1 shan1

石門-shi2 men2

三芝-san1 zhi1

白沙灣-bai2 sha1 wan1

沙崙-sha1 lun2

淡水-dan4 shui3

關渡-quan1 du4

八里-ba1 li3

五股-wu3 gu3

泰山-tai4 shan1

樹林-shu4 lin2

新莊-xin1 zhuang1

板橋-ban3 qiao2

臺北縣縣民廣場-tai2 bei3 xian4 min2 guang3 chang3


The entire route is 200 km, but riders can opt to finish in Tamshui after 160 km. I believe I will do that...

Registration is free but must be completed by November 25th. Please let me know if you need help registering.

I'm off to the Alishan race tomorrow afternoon with Leon, so I think I better go get some sleep...

Jyaio!

Bill

Hill Climb Results

The foreigners made a good showing at this morning's 4 km Elspeth's Hill Climb. Harry, Curt, Chris, Duffy and Michael were all out for their very first bike race.


The M30, M40 and M50 categories all started out together promptly at 9:00. Despite crashing in the first 50 meters, Michael managed to power his way back to a 3rd place finish overall, 2nd in M40 with a time of 12' 44". Harry was just behind in 5th place overall, 4th in M40 with a time of 13' 01". Chris took home the Candadian Cup by powering ahead of Curt in the second half of the race. His time of 13' 53" placed him 4th in M30, while Curt's 14' 36" placed him 5th. Duffy finished just out of the placings in the very competitive M40 division with a time of 15' 13".

Henry stands in for 1st, Michel takes 2nd, Yamada 3rd and Aussie Harry 4th.

The Battle for the Canadian Cup: Chris in 4th and Curt in 5th.

Leon and Bill followed the boys in the Elite category race at 9:20. Looking around the peloton, it was clear that most Elite riders were in their twenties; Leon was certainly the elder statesman in the group. After the jackrabbits blew themselves up, Leon took over the pacemaking at the front. His surges devastated the group (Henry later commented that there was just no way to keep on Leon's wheel). Before long, it was just Bill and two Hsinchu boys hanging onto the Leon-train. In the final sprint, the wheelsuckers prevailed, with the two youngsters beating out Leon and Bill. Still, both were more than happy with their sub-eleven minute times: Bill with 10' 48" and Leon with 10' 54".

The winning time was 10' 36". Bill and Leon took 3rd and 4th fastest times on the day.

A beautiful morning, a quick race and a post-ride Starbucks- what more could you ask for?

Hope to see more riders out there next year!

Bill

Riding, Racing & Challenges

It's been a very nice and dry week for riding. Chris, Rock, Mike and I have been out scouting out Sunday's race course a couple of times, and Chris and I met up with Ron and Bill for a ride up into the hills on Wednesday morning.

My ride Saturday will be brief. I'm not sure where and when I'll head out. I think Bill is going on his normal 5 am from TAS 100 km.

Sunday is race day. Duffy, Chris, Michael, Leon, Dave, myself and hopefully others will be meeting at Elspeth's bridge (see Google Earth link at right) for the 4 km hill climb. It's a great informal local race, complete with mountain bike categories. The times to beat from last year are here. Registration starts at 8:15, and the first race heads out at 9:00. Should be a blast!



Next Saturday, Bill, Ron, Leon and I are heading down to Alishan for the last club race of the season. I believe it will be about 75 km, mostly uphill. Should be fun!

Registration for the December 10th Yangmingshan Challenge is available now at Sean's shop. I signed up this evening. Entry fee is 500 NT.

Hope to see you out in the hills!

Bill

Weekend Rides

What a wet week of riding! As the weather worsens, it becomes more and more important to have riding partners to stay motivated. I know that if I wasn't meeting Bill and Ron this morning and Wednesday, I probably would have rolled over and gone back to sleep. This morning's ride up to the Saddle was a bit wet, but with Rock, Chris, Bill and Ron grinding up the hill with me, I hardly noticed the weather.

Don't forget- the 4 km hill climb is this coming Sunday, November 12th. You can sign up on the morning or you can pre-register at Sean's shop.

The big December Yangmingshan Challenge ride is coming up, too. The date is December 10th...

My rides this weekend:

Saturday @ 6:30 am (wrong time previously posted) from TAS. Rock and I will practice on the hill climb course and then maybe do the Satellites. Chris will be there if he's not soft. We'll finish on the Satellites or somewhere similar, aiming to be back by 8:45ish.

Sunday @ 7 am from TAS. Weekly Helen's ride. Coffee if weather is suitable.

Hope to see you out there!

Bill

December 10th Challenge, Club Jersey, Hill Climb & Weekend Rides

December 10th Challenge Ride

More information has come out about the Yangmingshan Challenge. It will be held on December 10th, not November 25th.


The rumor of 120 km is also false. As you can see from the map and elevation above, the total distance will actually be 74.7km with four climbs (800m (Yangmingshan Saddle), 400m (North Coast Race finish line), 600m (Helen's Saddle), and 750m (Buffalo Meadows)). The ride begins at the bottom of Yangmingshan in Shih Lin, and ends up near Buffalo Meadows. There will be three rest stops, each at the top of a climb. The time limit is 7 hours.

More information (in Chinese) and the application form is available at this website.

Club Jerseys

The ball is getting rolling again for Yangmingshan Cycling Club jerseys. The Challenge organizers have asked that riders where club kit if possible. I'm not sure if we can get an order together in time, but below is a design we were playing with a few years ago. We were thinking of using characters for Yangmingshan Cycling Club and maybe slipping the characters for Jyaiyo on there somewhere. There has also been talk of putting on the sillouette of the Yangmingshan mountain range..

Other color schemes are available here. If you have any design talent or contacts, let me know if you'd like to help out with this project.

November 12th Hill Climb

Yes, it is the Terry Fox Run day, but the race up Elspeth's Hill is a great one. Registration is only 100 NT at Sean's shop, and the 4 km will be over in a flash (well, under 20 minutes, anyway). Rumor has it that Big Dave and Brent may show in the mountain bike category, and Leon, Duffy, and I are pre-registered for the road bike category.

It's a terrific first competition if you've never done a bike race- low key and fun...

Weekend Rides

I'm hoping the weather will cooperate for some good morning rides this weekend. Leon and I are meeting tomorrow morning at TAS at 6 am. We're picking up Peter on the way to the Satellites, and then we're doing the first two thirds of the December Challenge ride. I aim to be home by 9:30- it's the International Food Fair at TAS!

I'm meeting at 7 am on Sunday for the weekly Helen's Coffee ride. I'll pick up Peter and the Flying Dutchman on the way. Anyone is welcome to join. Back to Tien Mu by 9:30ish.


See you out in the hills!

Bill

Duathalon Results

This past Saturday, Craig drove Rock and I out to Shuangxi for a 5 km run - 40 km cycle - 5 km run duathalon. The run went out into the rolling farmland behind the local school, while the cycle was fairly flat, following the river. Over 300 competitors were pre-registered.

Rock starts in the middle of the pack but quickly powers to the front.

Craig leads Shane into the corner.

The local elite runners pushed the pace early on, but Craig powered back on the ride. He and Shane eventually teamed up to put time on the rest of the field. Unfortunately for Craig, he and Shane finished the bike leg together which meant that he would have to settle for 2nd overall. Not a bad result for a training race!

Rock had been pretending that he was out of shape, but his very strong 25th place finish, 5th in the M35 category proved that he is well on his way back into form.

Tom also finished well in the M20 competition, taking 3rd for Team Columbus. I was very happy to finish without walking and to pick up a few points in the M30 category.

Results:

Overall
Age Category

Craig tops the M20 podium.

Rock competes against race winner Shane in M35.

The prize giveaways at the end of the race (we picked up a coffee mug, a headband and a 10-speed chain!) and the great feed (noodles, chicken curry on rice, fried sweet potato and more!) made for a terrific event. Even as a non-runner, I would highly recommend participating next year.

Bill

Rides for the Week

What a beautiful weekend! Perfect riding. I'll post a report of the duathalon as soon as I have a photo or two.

I'm planning on joining Bill's 5 am TAS ride Wednesday and Friday morning. I'm hoping for a mellow ride Tuesday morning (maybe 5:15ish) and maybe a bit more of a push Thursday morning. Let me know if you're interested in joining me.

I'll be heading out with Peter and Lucas and Leon on Saturday morning or afternoon. This morning's Helen's ride with Wally, Mick, Kaight, Curt and Chris was so enjoyable that I think I'll do it again next Sunday- TAS at 7 am with a coffee on the mountain.

Hope to see you out there!

Bill

Gorgeous Riding and A Few Targets...

October riding in the Taipei mountains- it doesn't get much better than this... I've been enjoying the early morning Bryson rides (5 am at TAS on Wednesdays and Fridays). It's hard not to ride every day- I have to force myself to take a rest day!

Rock and I are joining Craig and Melissa out in Shuangxi tomorrow morning for a 5-40-5 km duathalon. I registered under the mistaken impression that Rock could do the running legs and I could ride. As I haven't run since 1999, this should be an interesting event...

If my legs aren't toast, I'd like to do Helen's Sunday morning. 7 am at TAS followed by a coffee at the top? Curt, Chris, Dave and I had a very nice time up there last weekend.

I can't imagine that anyone is having trouble finding the motivation to ride with the weather as perfect as this, but there are some events coming up in November that you may want to consider:

Saturday, November 11th:

There is a 50 km road race somewhere in Taipei County. I don't know much about it, but I will post more information when I find out.

Sunday, November 12th:

Elspeth's Hill Climb. This 4 km gradual climb is a perfect first race. I believe Leon, Dave, and Reedus all cut their racing teeth here. The course is on the Google Earth file linked at right- it's just past the National Palace Museum. There are road bike and mountain bike races and age categories. It is a very relaxed event. Registration is 100 NT- money goes to Sean at the bike shop. Race day registration is usually allowed but costs a bit more.

Saturday, November 18th:

Ali Shan Race.


This is the final event in the club championship series. Registration is 500 NT and closes October 25th. An application is available at http://www.cyclist.org.tw.

Leon and I will be heading down Friday evening. We're in the process of looking for a hotel- if you know a good one, let us know!

Saturday, November 25th:

120 km Yangmingshan Challenge. Start at base of Satellites. Climb to Buffalo Meadows. Descend to Jinshan. Ride over to last March's North Coast Race finish and climb to Helen's. Descend to Satellites. Climb to Buffalo Meadows. Collapse.

I'm not quite sure how this event will run. It's not a race, but I've been told that all riders get a card that they punch along the way to keep track of their times.

I turn 35 on Friday- should be a great ride.

I'll post more information as I get it.


Have a great weekend out there in the hills!

Bill

Lenses for APEX glasses

In the off chance that someone has APEX glasses and would like a case with 3 extra new lenses(3 standard colors), they're yours.
dave
wittry@hotmail.com

Weekend Riding & Last Weekend's Rides...

I'm meeting Leon, Rock and Chris tomorrow at 1:30 pm at TAS. Leon and I are planning on riding to Jinshan and then climbing up from there. Rock and Chris are planning on turning off at the 101.

I'd like to do Helen's Sunday morning. I'll meet at TAS at 7 am unless something changes between now and then (in which case I'll post a comment here).

Last weekend was a blast:

Saturday's spin up the 101 with Ron and Curt was great. Leon, Craig and Simon pushed the pace for the first bit before they continued on to Jinshan. The ride was a good warm-up for the Sunday epic into the New Territories with Craig, Curt and Lucas.

Craig was kind enough to meet at 6:15 on Sunday to drive us out to pick up Lucas. We drove over the mountain and parked on the other side of the city. Our first climb was the same one Leon and Steve and I took with Lucas last spring. At our food stop, a woman asked if we were missionaries. Lucas swears that's never happened to him in his life. Never.


We took a new climb up a beautiful and traffic-less road where Lucas took advantage of local knowledge to smoke us to the top. We dipped down into the valley and made our way over to last spring's epic climb up through the tea terraces. We finished with the climb back up the first mountain. Although the mileage wasn't that high, four big climbs made for a tired Sunday evening.

Leon and I blasted out along the coast Tuesday afternoon in Reedus fashion. We arrived in Wanli in 1:54, meeting Lucas and Tony at precisely 3 pm. The climb up to Helen's was beautiful and peaceful although tiring.

Looking forward to even more riding in those hills!

Bill

10-10 Riding Plans

Ok... My weekend has officially begun!

I believe Bill B. headed out for his 100k ride this morning. I'm not sure of his plans for the weekend- maybe he could add a comment to this note?

As far as I know, Brenda's regular ride is going off tomorrow at 7 am. Here are a couple of photos from recent rides:


I've also seen that Simon and Craig are departing TAS at 7 am Saturday for a coastal push. I think I may join them for the start and then do the 101 climb.

I'm meeting Craig and Curt at TAS at 6:15 am Sunday morning to drive over to meet Lucas for some riding in the New Territories. It should be an epic day- let me know if you'd like to come along with us.

I will ride for a couple hours on Monday and Tuesday- I am open to morning or afternoon rides- let me know if you'd like to plan something. I will add a comment to this post when I decide on something definite.

And, finally, if you'd like to join Alex as he finishes his 5 day, 1000 km charity ride, you can give him a call on his cell (see his comment on the last post for the number). He will be heading into Taipei from Taichung to be at Carnegie's by 5 pm.

Hope to see you out!

Bill

Riding on 10-10 Weekend?

TAS teachers have Monday and Tuesday off (but not Friday). I've been discussing weekend rides with Leon and Lucas. We're thinking of a longer ride in the New Territories on Sunday. I don't have plans for Monday and Tuesday yet. I know Craig is planning long rides each day.

Got ideas for some rides? Post them in a comment to this message and I'll post some finalized riding routes by Friday.

Bill

Gorgeous Riding Weather!

Maybe I'm just over-excited now that the pins in my hand have been pulled and I'm riding again, but my last two rides in the hills have been wonderful!

Leon and I met up with Lucas yesterday afternoon for a push up to Helen's. The hills were clear, cool, and car-free. I woke up early this morning to meet up with the Bryson crew. Five of us looped the loop at a nice and refreshing pace.

I'm planning on meeting Bill B. for his Friday morning ride- TAS at 5 am. I'm also planning on going out Sunday afternoon for a Helen's climb. My tentative departure time is 3 pm- if you're interested in coming along, leave a comment to this post.

Hope to see you out there!

Bill O'B

Weekly Riding

There are riders who leave from TAS every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
at 0500, weather permitting (we don't like to start a ride in the rain).
The Wednesday/Friday rides take a long route to Kwantu, and then back to
Peitou and up to Starbucks, then back to Tien Mou from Four Corners.
Total distance is around 30k and takes less than an hour and a half (how
much less depends on you, of course!).

Saturday ride heads up 101, but turns towards the Coast Road instead of
climbing through Yangmingshan Park. We generally go out to Chin Shan
(sometimes as far as Wan Li, time permitting), and then return along the
Coast Road through Tam Shui to Tien Mou, with the obligatory stop at
Starbucks. Total distance is a little bit more than 100k, and total ride
time (not including rally stops, water stops and coffee stop at Starbucks)
can take anywhere from 3.75 hours to 4.5 hours, depending on how the group
is feeling that day.

Ride safe.

Bill Bryson

Sat Sept 15 ride

Sat Sept 15 - planning 101 ride.  Leave from TAS at 6:45.  Unless the weather is really bad.

Thanks,

Simon Moore

Mobile Phone (886) 921-939-974
mooresr@airproducts.com

Saturday 9/9 - Heading out for a ride up Helens down to Wanli around to Jinshan up to Saddle then down to Teinmu.
Will leave TAS at 6:45, and will meet a friend at 7:00 at the Starbucks just before the National Palace Museum.
Long, Slow Ride!
Let me know if you are interested.
Thanks,
Simon Moore
Mobile Phone (886) 921-939-974
mooresr@airproducts.com

Cork Trick

Hi Folks!

Came across this highly useful hint to keep your bicycle from falling
over if you lean it up against a post: Take a plastic wine cork and
cut it into a wedge shape. Grip your brake lever and insert the
wedge into the gap above the lever. It will lock your wheel and keep
your bike in place. The trick is to drink as many bottles of wine as
possible until you come across a plastic cork.

have fun!

Duffy

9/2 Sat. 6:15 TAS ride

Flat ride out to 101 along the coast - turn around and come back. Hope you can join us.
dave
wittry@hotmail.com

Congratulations, Leon!

Dave, Leon, Zoe, Kaylin and I travelled down to Ilan early (4 am) Sunday morning for the 23 km Taipingshan Mountain race. While not a long race, the fact that the road is one continuous climb made for a challenging ride. There were 432 starters in the road bike category and almost the same in the mountain bike category.

Dave rode on my number on account of the pins still in my hand and used it for a training ride. He still finished about half way through the group.

Leon started the ride at a comfortable pace, expecting the hill to be quite steep. It turned out to be a reasonable and steady grade, so he gradually increased his pace, reeling in rider after rider. In the last 100 meters, he sprinted past a rider in his division and ended up taking 2nd in the M40 category and 30th overall. Nice job!

Zoe and Kaylin and I rode in the pace car with Sean and yelled quite a few jyaios. It was a great day. Big thanks to Dave for driving, refreshments, and enthusiasm.

Results are posted here:

Category
Overall

-Bill

Don't Forget- Saturday Morning Rides!

From Brenda:

The 7:00 am bike path/adventure rides will continue each Saturday morning until further notice. Come join us if you can.

Saturday Ride With Brenda Report

Brenda emailed me a report of last Saturday's ride:

Saturday saw six riders (Karen P., Karen J., Ralph, Jean, Craig, and Brenda) set off on the bike path to Tanshui. Riding nonchalantly along, enjoying each other's company (with Ralph playing tour guide supreme) our olfactory senses were assaulted by the aroma of hundreds of freshly bagged dead fish near Guandu. Karen J. told us the reason for the stench was because of a deliberate dumping of chemicals in the already semi-polluted waters of the river. Holding our breath and pinching our noses we continued on to Tanshui, where we boarded the ferry and enjoyed a slightly choppy ride across the river. Once across the river we rode to the end of one pier and ogled Tanshui Lover's Bridge in the distance. Then we rode around the archaeological museum before heading back to get fresh lemon juice and a hot donut. After enjoying our goodies we headed back toward the Guandu Bridge (aka the red bridge) and back into Tienmu. A good time was had by all, and it was nice to have two new teachers with us.

Sounds like a great ride- and new cyclists are welcome every Saturday!

-Broken Hand Bill

Amazing Bike Video

Duffy just sent me this video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8867862777896510907

Bill

Caution: Slippery Roads!

I suppose I should have learned from Simon's slide out on the way down Helen's last week or Steve's tumble descending from the Saddle in June, but I didn't expect to fall going UP the hill!

I was heading from Four Corners to Starbucks/7-11 on the ridge road yesterday when my rear wheel slid out going around the first sharp right hand bend. The fall wouldn't have been bad, but my left hand got caught under my body. Twelve hours at Veteran's Hospital later, I'm now sporting a nice cast and a broken hand that supposedly will keep me off the bike for the next three months.

So, be careful out there, the roads seem to be particularly slick!

Needless to say, I won't make it on my planned weekend rides. I'll be out as soon as I can...

Bill

Weekend Riding & Rides For the Week

What a great first week of riding back in Taiwan! Before a quick recap, here's an email that I received on Friday from Brenda Huff:

If you have a hankering to discover the many Taipei bike paths, please consider joining us for Saturday morning bike rides. We meet at TAS each Saturday (weather permitting) at 7:00 and decide where to go. The pace is fairly gentle, but we do sometimes split into different groups for more energetic rides.

There are several of us who have extra bikes if you have not visited Sean’s Giant bike shop yet.

If you have any questions, feel free to fire off an email.

Looking forward to seeing new faces on Saturday.

Brenda Huff


I haven't heard any report yet from Brenda's ride, but I bet they had a great spin as usual...

I was pleased to see two new faces- Tracy and Curt- at Saturday's 1 pm ride. They joined Leon, Rock, Dave and myself on a spin along the coast and up 101 from the back. The heat made for one of the toughest rides I've done in a long while, but we all made it to the summit.

I met up with Bill Bryson Friday evening and he told me that he, Kaight, Bill and some others were planning a 5 hour ride Saturday departing at 5 am. I haven't heard any ride reports yet...

Wally, Mick, Ron, Simon, Rock, Leon, Curt and I headed up to Helen's this morning. The heat wasn't quite as bad at 6:30. Helen's seems to be upgrading- new espresso machine, cemented bike racks and a website! It was nice to have a 50-50 split between TASers and non-TASers. There were also literally hundreds of other riders out in the hills- we easily outnumber the cars. We've decided to try to make the ride a regular occurence for the next few weeks. Any rider is welcome- I know Wally would like some company on the mountain bike (although I hear he may be leaning towards getting a new road bike!) and Mick would like some support in his anti-lycra campaign...

My Rides This Week

Tuesday: Depart TAS at 5:15 am for the Satellites ride. I know Ron and Chris will be there and I plan to twist Duffy's arm to get him and his whistle along.

Wednesday: Some morning ride (leaving 5-5:30ish). I think Bill Bryson may be heading out. Anyone got anything planned?

Thursday: Departing Tien Mu around 4 pm for an assault on Da Tuen Shan with Leon.

Saturday: Same ride as this Saturday but departing TAS at 6 am. We should be back between 9 and 10, depending on the number of stops.

Sunday: Same ride as this Sunday, departing TAS at the same time (6:30 am). Helen's has great hot and cold coffees as well as a tasty iced peach drink for those avoiding caffeine. It would be great to get some more cyclists out next Sunday...

Any changes to the above planned rides will be via a comment added to this posting.


Please feel free to post your own rides/ride reports/cycling musings to this blog. Just send an email to yangmingshan.taipeiycc@blogger.com with the message title in the subject line and your message in the body of the email.

See you out in the hills!

Bill

Weekend Riding

Leon, Dave, Rock and I are meeting at TAS at 1 pm on Saturday to spin out to Tamshui, ride along the coast to Sanjr and then Leon and I plan to give it a push up the 101 from there. The ride should be about 3 hours or so. We will all be on road bikes

I'm heading out at 6:30 am on Sunday from TAS for a mellow spin up Helen's. The ride should be about two hours.

As always, anyone who would like to come is welcome. If I make any changes to these plans, I'll post a comment to this message.

Hope to see you out there!

Bill

Tuesday Morning's Ride

Tuesday morning's ride saw a smaller crowd than last year, but the eight of us who came out for the spin up to the Satellites had a great time.

Hope to see others out on the next group ride!

Bill

Interesting Ride Saturday Aug 5!

We (Bill, Leon and Simon) pushed off from TAS at 6:00 (turns out Bill and Leon were still on US time, thus the early start); met Dave at National Palace Museum, then headed up Helens to meet Lucas. Beautiful day, quite clear, but already getting hot. Lucas took us down his hill, then a tiny right turn on a steep one lane road down - remind me to be nice to Lucas so he doesn't abandon us in his Dutch Territories! Then we climbed back up - great views of valleys and mountains. We stopped to regroup where this met the road from Helens to Neihu, and couldn't resist a picture of the dog sign! Dave headed home, we went down to the bottom of Lucas Hill, then up. Very hot and tough climb - I always forget this has about six turns that look like the end!





I headed down Helen's before the rest of the team to get home. So I was just making a relaxed descent, thinking what a great day of biking, and as I came around a bend near the bottom, the back wheel started sliding out. I tried to save it, but no go - fell on my right side and slid for a while. There were a number of mountain bikers around who thought it was interesting! Good News #1 - the bike is fine. Good News #2 - I have nothing broken, but some road rash along my right side. After I realized I was OK, I checked the road - there was the leftovers of what looked like apples that had been crushed by cars, left fermenting in the heat/humidity and had created a great location for a slip and slide! The kids would love it, but not as good for road bike tires.

So I rode home, cleaned up and explained to the family that "no, biking is really not dangerous"! Hope no one else found this particular patch of fun.

See you on the roads soon, I'll be out this week.

Thanks,

Simon Moore

August 7th Email

If you'd like to be added to the YCC mailing list, please send an email to obrien at williams dot alumni dot edu. Following is the latest email:



Hello cyclists-

Looking for a kick-start to the 2006-07 school year? I know that the early morning Satellites ride did it for me last year (see photo below), and so I'd be up for it again. If you're interested in coming along, I'll be meeting at the Taipei American School main gate Tuesday morning, departing at 5:15 am. The ride takes about an hour and fifteen minutes on a road bike, slightly longer on a mountain bike or if you haven't been riding in the hills for a while... I promise I'll wait for anyone who wants to come along!

A reminder that the cycling blog is available at http://taipeiycc.blogspot.com. If you'd like to make a post (offering a ride, seeking a ride, got some news, something to sell, etc.), just send the post in the body of an email and the title in the subject to yangmingshan.taipeiycc@blogger.com.

If you're looking for a new route, you may want to check out some of the rides in the attached Google Earth file (also available from the blog). If you have placemarks or routes to add, send them to me in an email and I'll update the file...

I'm getting out for an easy spin 5:30 Wednesday and a climb up Da Tuen Shan 5:15 Thursday. I'm planning on a longer climbing ride Saturday at 6 and then something a bit mellower Sunday (Helen's?). I'll be going out on my road bike. If you're interested in joining me on any rides, just send me an email. I'll try to post more details on the weekend rides later in the week.

Hope to see you out in the hills!

Bill

P.S. I know that some of you have left Taiwan and may not be interested in receiving any YCC riding notes. If so, just drop me a note and I'll remove you from the email list.

Tai Ping Mountain Climb

For all of you who are planning to race up Tai Ping Mountain on August 27, the following information may be helpful. The most recent time I climbed this road was on August 1.

It took 2.5 hours of driving from my house to the beginning of the climb. The new tunnel (highway 5) saves a lot of time but after leaving the highway in Ilan County, you will still have a fairly long way to go.

Tai Ping Mountain seems to be in the wettest part of Taiwan. On all previous rides it was pouring rain except on August 1. When I started the climb (at 09:30) it was steaming hot and sunny but even so, around 1500 meter MSL it was foggy and near the top (around 2000 meter MSL) there was drizzle and a very strong wind. In a matter of fact, I have never seen the top of the mountain in the clear except sometimes very early in morning. Descending from that altitude when wet from either rain or sweat will be very chilly and you should bring appropriate clothing.

The road conditions have greatly improved. The race was originally planned for June but was cancelled and delayed until August 27 due to the poor road conditions. You will see new asphalt on many sections. There are right now only 2 sections left that are unpaved (each about 150 meters) but work crews are hard at work to fix them.

The distance is clearly marked with kilometer signs every 500 meters. The first 5 KM are relatively mild. There is no need to stand up and you can use your 39/23~21. The first couple hairpin turns start around the 5 KM mark and the 2 sections of unpaved road are also in this area. From 5 KM to 10 KM it seems that the gradient becomes a little steeper but it is still no problem. Around the 9 KM mark you can look up and, on a clear day, see the road winding up the mountain giving you a good idea about what is ahead. Starting from 11-12 KM, it is becoming harder and you will probably find yourself standing up on a few sections, specially when coming through the hairpin turns. The hardest part is from 15 to 22 KM. You reach the summit at 22 KM. This is the highest point of the climb but probably not the finish line. The official "Tai Ping Mountain" signs are at 24.2 KM where there is also a parking lot, toilets and a guard station. The last 2 KM of road are mostly flat and even slightly down. For all practical purposes, the race is probably decided at the 22 KM mark. Don't expect to be able to pass a lot of riders in the last 2 KM.

In general it is a beatiful climb without any extreme gradients. The only difference with the northern roads around Taipei is the length. It is probably twice as long as the longest climb we do in this area. Also, eventhough the gradient varies, it is never flat and it never goes down. There is no opportunity to rest your legs and recover. Settling into a sustainable pace is key!

Enjoy.
Lucas

Greetings from Denmark

A quick hello from Denmark and a please excuse me if I didn't get to
reply all my mails before leaving Taipei. Our last weeks in Taipei
were hectic.

Unfortunately, I did not get to go to watch "Le Tour" in France this
year, but I am benefitting from the great all stage TV coverage we get
here. What a race it has turned out to be!!!! Michael Rasmussen was
fantastic yesterday and today Floyd Landis was absolutely outstanding.
The absence of Lance Armstrong / a clear "patron" of he peleton is
obvious and leaves everything very unpredictable and open. Can't wait
to see how it all turns out but my money is on Floyd.

Today, the race took the riders across the famous Category 1 climb
"Col de la Colombiere" which I rode twice last summer (once with Craig
Johns) and it might interest you all to learn that the climb is quite
comparable to the 101 ride both in lenght and gradient.

On a last note I have become a member of a local cycling club. We go
out 3 times a week in groups of 15-30 riders at the time. 60-100K
rides depending on he group with average speeds of around 28 kph for
the slow group and 34-38 kph for the fastest group. Great group of
people but no mountains :-(

Take care!

Jesper (Vibe-Hansen)

August Riding

I will be flying back into Taipei Friday, August 4th. If you're interested in meeting up for a ride Saturday or Sunday, leave a comment and let me know...

Bill O'Brien

Howdy all;

 

If you are back in Taipei, The Green Bar shows the Tour de France each night - they have a satellite system.  Big mountain stages on Tues, Wed and Thur!

 

Thanks,

 

Simon Moore