Cycling Paths

All:

Here is the description of bike path routes I sent to Bill earlier in the
week:

I have done a fair amount of riding on the new bike paths. There are some
good family rides along the paths, but opportunities to travel fast along
the paths are non-existent (with one exception). The path to avoid
entirely is the path that runs across the river from the American Club,
through Ho Ping Park. Because of traffic, pedestrians, unleashed dogs,
motorcycles (which the police do little to discourage), soccer balls, and
even kids with remote control cars, that particular bike path is less safe
than riding on the roads and streets of Taipei. Unless, of course, you
want to do that ride at 0500, in which case the only problem is the large
patches of river silt left behind by the flooding during the last typhoon.

One other note: bike paths are for your second bike, not your main road
bike. I ride a 25-year old touring bike when I go out on the paths, mainly
because it does not have clipless pedals. With one exception, you will
never go fast enough on a path to justify bringing your Ferrari; your VW
is a much better option. In addition, paving conditions vary and some
paths are wood, not concrete. Leave your 700x20's home for those rides.

The best sections of bike path are:

1) Kwantu: If you are riding out to Tam Shui, the Kwantu Temple
turn-off is a left turn at the top of the hill at the end of the really
long, flat section of Ta Tu Road. If you go to the parking lot at the
Kwantu temple, you have two viable options. One is to ride the old bike
path along the east side of the river to Tam Shui. There is a Starbucks
there, plus pony rides, and other fun and games opportunities. The other
is to take the bike path over the big red bridge and then take the new path
to the right to the Ferry Terminal or the Anthropological Museum. If you
stop at the Ferry terminal, there is a donut shop there, and you can take
the Ferry to Tam Shui and then ride back to Kwantu for a nice loop ride.
The ride out to the Museum is longer, but more scenic and at a reasonable
hour of the morning you can get coffee at the museum. Traffic on either
path is bearable (probably because of the absence of a convenient rental
kiosk), and people are much more astute about the effects that their bike
handling has on other path users. Kwantu to the Ferry Terminal or Tam Shui
is about 8k, and add another 3-4k each way if you go out to the Museum. If
there has been torrential rain within the last week DO NOT take the Tam
Shui side of the path, as it will be flooded.

If you turn left onto the path after the bridge, you can ride along
the river in San Chong. I have not done this, though it looks like a nice
ride.

2) American Club: Just over the wall from the American Club is a
bike path that runs on the north shore of the Keelung River. It is far
less well-travelled than its brother on the south bank (in Ho Ping Park),
but goes all the way out to Nankang (the land beyond Neihu). There are
parts that are a little crowded at times, but in general traffic is about a
tenth of what it is on most paths. The city is also in the process of
connecting this bike path with a bike path that runs through Shih Lin and
will ultimately go all the way to Tam Shui through Kwantu. From the
American Club, take the sidewalk on the south side of Pei An Road until you
get to the steps that lead to the path. Construction of the new path is to
the right, so you need to take the path to the left. Distance from the
access point to Nankang is about 11k, making the round trip around 22k.
Watch out for river silt deposits if a typhoon has passed through recently.

3) Min Sheng West Road: The only place where you can get up a
reasonable head of steam along the bike paths (or at least along the ones
on the Taipei side of the Tam Shui River) is where Min Sheng West Road
meets the river. There is a car-accessible gate and parking lot there. If
you take the path to the right, you will follow the levee (ride on the
levee, actually) along the Tam Shui river to where it meets the Keelung
River across from Kwantu, and then follow the path up the Keelung River to
the Pai Lin Bridge. Round trip is about 30k and the scenery is very nice.
The map also shows that the path has been completed almost all the way to
Youth Park, but that the final section connecting Youth Park to Ho Ping
Park has yet to be completed. It has been a while since I took this
particular path, so I have never gone all the way to Youth Park. If it is
actually connected, you can add another 4-5k each way.

If you follow the path to the left, you will be able to ride all the
way to the Taipei Zoo in Mucha, at least when the final section is
completed. For now, you could ride down to Shin Dian. I have not gone
that far, but it looks like another 20k on the map. There are also bike
paths in San Chong and Yong He, but I have not explored them, either.

Enjoy,

Bill B.