Leon, Steve and I are meeting at TAS to tackle the Triple Crown (Helen's, Wanli, Sanjr, 101, Tien Mu). It will be a rather long ride, but we'd welcome any other roadies who would like to come... Meet at TAS at 1 pm.
Bill
Friday, March 24, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Google Earth Ride Landmarks
If you use Google Earth, here is the most up to date (March 19, 2006) .kmz file of the local riding landmarks. To use it, right click and save it to your desktop, and open it with Google Earth. You can then drag the file from Temporary Places to My Places in Google Earth to have it always accessible.
If you have additional landmarks that you'd like to add (or changes to any of the current landmarks), just email me the Google Earth location, and I'll update it and repost the file.
If you have photographs/descriptions that you'd like added at any locations, email these as well.
Once someone gets a GPS receiver, we'll post route maps, too...
Bill
If you have additional landmarks that you'd like to add (or changes to any of the current landmarks), just email me the Google Earth location, and I'll update it and repost the file.
If you have photographs/descriptions that you'd like added at any locations, email these as well.
Once someone gets a GPS receiver, we'll post route maps, too...
Bill
Friday, March 17, 2006
Some Race Photos
The race rolls along the coast.
Another group.
Leon, Peter & Steve break away.
Steve & Peter push it.
Wheelsucker, Steve & Bill
Another group.
Leon, Peter & Steve break away.
Steve & Peter push it.
Wheelsucker, Steve & Bill
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Race Results
Despite the wet and rainy conditions this morning, close to a thousand cyclists participated in the 2006 Taiwan Cycling Club National Championships. Riders were of all abilities, racing in road and mountain bike categories.
Steve and I raced in the 30-40 year old race with 257 preregistered riders and some additional race day registrants. We had planned to try to break at two points on the coast, and our first attempt succeeded! A third rider caught us but wouldn't do any work, as he was covering the break for one of his teammates. As we cloased in on Jinshan, Steve and I opened gaps between us and the wheelsucker. Eventually, Steve managed to break free, and I sat on the other rider's wheel. Steve ended up taking first overall! I came in third, second to Steve in the 35+ category.
Dave, Leon, Steve, and Peter raced in the 40-50 year old race with 171 preregistered riders and some extras. They also planned to break at the same spots. Although the first break was caught, Leon, Steve and Peter managed to break for good at the second spot. Leon flew up the hill to take first overall, while Steve and Peter finished third and fourth! Dave had a great race; he caught hundreds of riders over the course of the race and was never caught himself.
Results:
Overall
Age group
Perhaps Bill or Craig or some of the others there can write in with other race stories. All in all, it was a great morning!
-Bill
Bill, Leon & Steve prepare in the wet for the race.
Dave unloads from the van.
Bill and Steve on a breakaway.
Steve on the podium, Bill at home with his girls!
Leon, Steve and Peter atop the podium.
Steve and I raced in the 30-40 year old race with 257 preregistered riders and some additional race day registrants. We had planned to try to break at two points on the coast, and our first attempt succeeded! A third rider caught us but wouldn't do any work, as he was covering the break for one of his teammates. As we cloased in on Jinshan, Steve and I opened gaps between us and the wheelsucker. Eventually, Steve managed to break free, and I sat on the other rider's wheel. Steve ended up taking first overall! I came in third, second to Steve in the 35+ category.
Dave, Leon, Steve, and Peter raced in the 40-50 year old race with 171 preregistered riders and some extras. They also planned to break at the same spots. Although the first break was caught, Leon, Steve and Peter managed to break for good at the second spot. Leon flew up the hill to take first overall, while Steve and Peter finished third and fourth! Dave had a great race; he caught hundreds of riders over the course of the race and was never caught himself.
Results:
Overall
Age group
Perhaps Bill or Craig or some of the others there can write in with other race stories. All in all, it was a great morning!
-Bill
Bill, Leon & Steve prepare in the wet for the race.
Dave unloads from the van.
Bill and Steve on a breakaway.
Steve on the podium, Bill at home with his girls!
Leon, Steve and Peter atop the podium.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Weekend Races & Trade Show
Hello cyclists-
Just a reminder that the Taipei Bicycle Trade Show concludes this
Saturday. I still have free tickets if anyone would like to head down
to the World Trade Center to check it out. The Tour De Taiwan also
concludes Saturday morning with a criterium (circuit race) around
Taipei City Hall at 10 am. If you're looking for something to do
Saturday morning, it should be a fun event to watch.
"The Taiwan Cycling Club National Championships 2006," aka That Coast
Race will be held Sunday morning. Registration is at 7:30 Sunday
morning, and the racing commences at 9:00. There are a number of
local riders racing; the total number of participants is up to 675.
The race starts at Green Bay in Wanli, goes along the coast to Sanjr
and turns back to Jinshan and up to a mountain finish 5 km up the
hill. It should also be a fun race to watch if you're out that way.
Bill
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Taipei Bike Show & Riding with Bill Bryson
The Taipei Bike Show is this Wednesday-Saturday (www.TaipeiTradeShows.com.tw/cycle). It's usually fun to check out, but children under 10 are not allowed in. I have some extra tickets (thanks, Aaron!) and I know Leon does as well (thanks, Sean!). If you need tickets, let me know, and I can probably get some for you.
The North Coast race is this Sunday. It looks like 659 racers are pre-registered. Information (in Chinese) is available at www.cyclist.org.tw. We have a number of racers- Bill, Bill, Bill, Steve, Steve, Leon, Peter and David and perhaps more. Should be fun!
Bill Bryson writes with some information about the Tour of East Taiwan which will be held April 19th & 20th from Hualien to Taidong and back:
On the Tour of East Taiwan, the challenge ride is actually longer than the race course, and is 175k on both days. It runs from the Astra Hotel in Hualien to the Naruwan Hotel in Taidung, and then back again on Sunday. While it follows basically the same roads as the race course, it ends in a different place on both days (the race ends on Sunday at Carp Lake rather than the hotel). So, if anyone thinks that 300k is not long enough to merit the drive or flight to Hwalien, they can enter the 350k challenge ride, which also has some pretty fast riders in it.
Bill also writes about his regular weekday morning rides:
BTW, a group regularly meet for rides on any non-rainy Tuesday or Thursday at 0500 in front of the school. Pace varies but the route is generally either Incinerator (Smokestack - 42k of mostly level riding)) or Wimpy Hills (ride to Starbucks through Peitou - 25-30k of climbing and descents). Would be happy to have you post this on the site. We usually have 2-8 riders show up, depending on where everyone is in their training schedule.
Bill has sent along a note and a photo essay of a typical early February ride in the mountains:
On Saturday, we had planned to ride up Helen's, down to Wan Li and then let Kaight lead us up 101 from Bai Shia Wan. We were also supposed to meet a group of Chinese riders from Howard's Bike Shop on the way up to Helen's. We got up to the Helen's saddle and the weather was about as bad as it ever gets there - rain, wind, fog, and very cold temperatures). We were heading down when we ran into Howard and his group. Marcus, Kaight and Ron (being the sensible ones), headed down the hill to a well-deserved latte at Starbucks in Tien Mou, while Bill F. and I continued with Howard and his riders to Wan Li. Resting (and warming) at the 7-11 in Wan Li, we decided to return to Tien Mou through Tam Shui instead of going to 101. Last rally stop was the 7-11 on the hill above Tam Shui, where we once again, after some very fast-paced (but dry) paceline riding, enjoyed some nice hot Mr. Brown's.
Photo essay provided by Victor Shar:
At the first 7-11, we only thought about eat…eat…eat…
And of course drink…drink…drink…
More drinking and eating.
Yes, eating and drinking is much more fun than biking.
Bill was well protected from the cold and rain from head to toe. I bought two heat packs to put under my clothes because I was so cold after coming down from Yang-Ming Shan.
Here's the route map in English:
And in Chinese:
Keep spinning,
Bill
The North Coast race is this Sunday. It looks like 659 racers are pre-registered. Information (in Chinese) is available at www.cyclist.org.tw. We have a number of racers- Bill, Bill, Bill, Steve, Steve, Leon, Peter and David and perhaps more. Should be fun!
Bill Bryson writes with some information about the Tour of East Taiwan which will be held April 19th & 20th from Hualien to Taidong and back:
On the Tour of East Taiwan, the challenge ride is actually longer than the race course, and is 175k on both days. It runs from the Astra Hotel in Hualien to the Naruwan Hotel in Taidung, and then back again on Sunday. While it follows basically the same roads as the race course, it ends in a different place on both days (the race ends on Sunday at Carp Lake rather than the hotel). So, if anyone thinks that 300k is not long enough to merit the drive or flight to Hwalien, they can enter the 350k challenge ride, which also has some pretty fast riders in it.
Bill also writes about his regular weekday morning rides:
BTW, a group regularly meet for rides on any non-rainy Tuesday or Thursday at 0500 in front of the school. Pace varies but the route is generally either Incinerator (Smokestack - 42k of mostly level riding)) or Wimpy Hills (ride to Starbucks through Peitou - 25-30k of climbing and descents). Would be happy to have you post this on the site. We usually have 2-8 riders show up, depending on where everyone is in their training schedule.
Bill has sent along a note and a photo essay of a typical early February ride in the mountains:
On Saturday, we had planned to ride up Helen's, down to Wan Li and then let Kaight lead us up 101 from Bai Shia Wan. We were also supposed to meet a group of Chinese riders from Howard's Bike Shop on the way up to Helen's. We got up to the Helen's saddle and the weather was about as bad as it ever gets there - rain, wind, fog, and very cold temperatures). We were heading down when we ran into Howard and his group. Marcus, Kaight and Ron (being the sensible ones), headed down the hill to a well-deserved latte at Starbucks in Tien Mou, while Bill F. and I continued with Howard and his riders to Wan Li. Resting (and warming) at the 7-11 in Wan Li, we decided to return to Tien Mou through Tam Shui instead of going to 101. Last rally stop was the 7-11 on the hill above Tam Shui, where we once again, after some very fast-paced (but dry) paceline riding, enjoyed some nice hot Mr. Brown's.
Photo essay provided by Victor Shar:
At the first 7-11, we only thought about eat…eat…eat…
And of course drink…drink…drink…
More drinking and eating.
Yes, eating and drinking is much more fun than biking.
Bill was well protected from the cold and rain from head to toe. I bought two heat packs to put under my clothes because I was so cold after coming down from Yang-Ming Shan.
Here's the route map in English:
And in Chinese:
Keep spinning,
Bill
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Saturday ride
Steve, Leon, Dave, Steve and I will be meeting at TAS at 11:00 on
Saturday. We'll be ascending Helen's, descending down to Wanli,
ascending the race course hill and the climbing back to Helen's. The
pace will probably be rather quick. Please feel free to join us if
you'd like a push.
Bill O'B
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