YCC Riding Notes: Spring Racing, Internet Resources and More

Hello cyclists-

The weather is warming and the mountains are drying- time to ride! If
racing is your thing, you should really consider the March 12th North
Coast race. It's about 45 km of flat riding along the coast, followed
by a 5 km climb. It might be tricky to stay with the fastest riders,
but there are usually a variety of ability races at Taiwan races. Pre-
registration is 500 NT to Sean Huang by tomorrow, February 25th. Race
day registration is available. Let me know if you'd like more
information.

There's also the two day Tour of East Taiwan coming up April 15th and
16th. The first day is a 130 km ride from Hualien to Taidong and the
next day is a 160 km return ride. In the past, there has also been a
non-race challenge ride over the same course at the same time. See
Sean if you're interested in doing this.

I'd also like to organize an end of school year ride from TAS to Helen's in May. I believe our record for riders is around 46; it
would be great to beat that this year. Although the ride to Helen's
is not easy, past experience shows that if you've got a bike, a bit
of courage, and you don't mind possibly walking a stretch or two, you
can make it to the top. More info on this ride to come.

I've found a few internet resources that may be of interest to Taipei riders. First of all, if you haven't checked out Google Earth (earth.google.com) for Taiwan, do it! Now that there is a Macintosh
version, I've been zooming in and circling around all of the local
peaks. I was thinking of putting together a few image maps of some of
the local rides- let me know if you think that would be helpful...

I've also found some weather sites.

The Central Weather Bureau (http://www.cwb.gov.tw/V4e/index.htm) is
always good for current conditions.

I usually complement this with the National Weather Service's 24 hour summary (http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/current/RCSS.html).

And the coolest- weather cams! Check out http://twcam.www.gov.tw:80/
webcam/english/scenery/main.jsp?who= and select Taipei City and
either Yangmingshan or National Palace Museum. The images are in real
time and the temperatures are fairly accurate. The Yangmingshan
camera is at the final corner on the way to the Saddle (just above
the Switchbacks).

Were you interested in Jesper's report of a 22% gradient and 1000's
of meters of climbing? If so, an altimeter might be the gadget for
you, and you're in luck- Claus has an extra one. He writes:

I recently ordered a VDO MC 1.0+ computer (identical to Jesper's) with altimeter online at Wisecyclebuys.com. They send me the old model MC 1.0!
When notified, they immediately shipped new model with lots of apologies. Came back next day and asked whether I could sell the old model locally at good rate instead of the hassle of shipping it back to them...

Long story short - I have a brand new in box VDO computer for sale @79 USD/2.600 NT - new model retails at 139.90 USD. The two models are showcased at http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3786

I'd take it myself but new model already shipped when they send me price - and I was ready to pay 140 USD anyway...

If you're interested, you can contact Claus via the comments on this page, and I'm sure he'd be happy to send you his email address.

And finally... Peter Langslow is back in Taipei this weekend, and so
Steve, Steve, Leon and I will ride with him at 10:45 from the TAS
Main Gate on Saturday. We'll ride out through Tamshui, along the
coast to Jinshan, and then up the March 12th race course hill, coming
out at Helen's Pagoda. It should be about 3.5 hours riding time. The
pace should be quick, but all are welcome.

See you in the hills!

Bill

Sunday 6:30am-from-TAS Ride

heading out to the March, 12^th course – few of us on road bikes going at a comfortable pace/no hurry – ride up the back of Helen’s before coming down past the Palace and home.

dave

Hazards of Roof Bike Rack in Taipei

I will keep this brief. Imagine you had just taken your bike in to Sean’s shop for a tune up, strapped it back on the roof and took off, daydreaming about the next climb. It’s a beautiful February day on Taiwan, and the furry, blustering grass of Chi Xing Shan (Chi Hsin Shan) is in full view, nothing but green and blue as you look to the skies around Taipei. Well, as I thought to myself, it looks like a great day for Bailaka (101). I turn the corner through an alley, all the sudden; BOOM I hear a sound that makes my stomach drop. I look in my rear view mirror; all I see is broken glass. I then look in my side view mirror, all I see is my bike dangling from a power line. The good news is, the weather held, my back window is repaired and me and my bike had a nice ride up Bailaka yesterday evening just in time for a splendid sunset over the Taiwan Strait. Sorry, no picture, the driver behind me was in a hurry, so he got out and pulled my bike off the power line. Any one interested in an on the roof bike rack???

 

Jack Whiteford

Bike Stolen: Front of Yangmingshan Starbucks

Hello riders-

A woman had her bike stolen from the front of the Yangmingshan
Starbucks this morning. A group of three stopped for a coffee after
their ride and left their bikes parked outside. When they came out,
one was stolen.

Be very careful if you leave your bike parked anywhere- bikes have
also been stolen from the front of Sean's shop in recent years.

Bill O'Brien

Race Date Change Yet Again & Saturday Rides

Argh! The race dates have changed yet again! According to
www.cyclist.org.tw, the March race has moved from March 4th back to
Sunday, March 12th. This race is a great one for racers of all
speeds- it's only 60 km, and it's in our back yard! Let me know if
you'd like more info...

The Hualien-Taidong race has moved from April 1-2 to April 29-30.
This is a big race, but there is also a challenge category which is
more of a ride than a race.

Leon, Steve and I are riding at noon from TAS on Saturday. I expect
the pace to be "tempo" and the time to be 3.5-4 hours.

Steve R. and Dave are riding at 6 am. If you are interested in that
ride, it would be a good idea to contact Steve directly (I can email
his contact info).

See you out there!

Bill O'B

North Coast Race Date Change: March 4th

Just back from Sean's shop with new information on the North Coast
race. It will be held Saturday, March 4th, not Sunday, March 12th. It
will be about 60 km, with all but the final four km rolling. The
finish is half way to Helen's from the back side.

A Couple Photos

Bill Bryson's photography: Tuesday's riders at the top of Helen's and
101 sticking out of the mist the other morning...

Regular Saturday Morning Ride

Susan Wu has written with information on a regular Saturday morning
ride:

We meet Saturday morning at 7:00am in front of Tien-Mou McDonalds.
We mountain bike for 4 hours most of the time.
We ride 27 gear bikes.

All are welcome- check out photos from past rides at http://
www.cmlab.csie.ntu.edu.tw/~yujie/.

The two photos are from the top of Da Tuen Shan- an impressive climb!

Saturday Triple Crown Ride

Steve, Leon and I are meeting at TAS at 6 am for a Triple Crown Ride.
Pace should be brisk- back to Tien Mu by around 9:30 or 10.
Hopefully, Jesper, Eric, Dave, Steve and perhaps others will join- come!

Bill O'Brien

Thursday Ride

We've decided to wait a little longer before attempting another epic
like Tuesday's ride. At this point, we may try again on Saturday to
head out near Joufen in the "New Territories."

I'm meeting Steve and Dave at TAS at 6:30 for a spin out somewhere.
At this point, I'm leaning towards Spider's Hill out past Nei Hu
which would get us back to TAS by 8:30ish. Dave says he's recovering
from an illness, and I know Steve's recovering from a whupping up
that last hill Tuesday, so I expect the pace to be quite mellow.
Please join us.

Bill

Ride Report: Rolling Into "The New Territories"...

A nice size group met this morning at 6 am in front of TAS. Julie and Charlene headed out for a flat spin past Pali. The three Bills, Marcus, Kaight, Jesper, Leon and Steve spun out towards Helen's, meeting Joe at Psycho Squirrel Bridge, descending out of the fog from what must have been a very early ride.

The group climbed through the fog, arriving to clear skies and dry roads up at the Pagoda. After numerous photo taking attempts, the pair of Bills and Marcus descended back to Tien Mu, while the others continued on to meet Lucas at his mountain estate below Helen's. A ride along unmarked mountain roads and past numerous questionable dogs dropped the group down at the highway separating what Lucas calls the Dutch Territories (in the hills around Helen's) from the New Territories (out through Shrfen and Pingxi). 

At this point, Kaight decided to climb back to Helen's and head home, while the rest of the group took on the 10 km ascent- the second of six climbs on Lucas's route. The fog hid the view, but all agreed that it was still a great climb.

On the other side of the mountain, the group ran into Shane and Dave at a local snack shop. They joined up for the third climb, a wicked little lane leading up into the tea plantations. Jesper's altimeter hit 18% on one stretch.

From there, the group headed down into the tea hills. Leon's rear wheel spun out on one of the corners, sending him sliding into the gutter. He added a little skin to the moss and wet leaves on the corner, but he was back on his bike as quick as a Tour rider. The next climb was up through the tea plantations. The fog lifted, and the view was spectacular. The group paused at a beautiful temple two thirds of the way up the climb, where Leon rinsed off his wounds as the locals watched.

Lucas brought the group to an historic railway station for lunch. Claiming that he wasn't interested in the usual lunch spots chosen by the group on long rides ("beside a sewer hole eating 7-11 noodles"), Lucas ordered scrumptious beef noodle soup for all, while Leon and Jesper and Bill found the cheapest lattes in Northern Taiwan.

The penultimate climb was the steepest- Jesper measured a grade of 20% along the way. Towards the top, Lucas advised that the group spread out to allow for traversing the narrow road...

The descent was by far the steepest of the day. In fact, Bill's rims got so hot that his rim tape buckled and his rear wheel flatted. Fortunately, the flat occurred just near a picnic area. Unfortunately, the Taiwanese karaoke music from the nearby group was not the most relaxing. Despite the noise, Lucas's verbal heckling, and a broken tube valve, Bill managed to fashion a Macguyver-esque repair job out of some tape from the back of Jesper's seat and a second spare tube (which lasted until the Tien Mu Warner Village- he finished his climb home on his rim...).

The final climb to Helen's was uneventful but rather quick. The final totals from the ride were 140 km of ups and downs, 3047 metres of climbing (thanks, Jesper!), 6 hours 40 minutes ride time, and a 2:40 pm return to Tien Mu. All of Lucas's climbs were beautiful, and hardly a car was seen on any of the six.

Tomorrow is a rest day for me. There may be another ride out into the New Territories on Thursday, depending on the weather. Look for a posting tomorrow afternoon/evening.

Bill O'Brien

YCC Riding Notes: Posting & CNY Riding

Happy New Year, cyclists!

I've seen many different groups of riders out in the Yangmingshan hills this past year- early morning weekday groups, long coast ride groups, female only groups, mountain bike groups, fast groups, not-so-fast groups. If you're looking for other cyclists to ride with, don't forget to check out the cycling blog (http://taipeiycc.blogspot.com). Anyone can post to this blog by sending an email to yangmingshan.taipeiycc@blogger.com. If you'd like help finding a group that rides at your pace, feel free to drop me a note, as I may be able to put you in touch with a group directly.

If you're feeling fit and you're up for a long ride this week, Lucas has offered to take a group out to explore "The New Territories" beyond Helen's. We're meeting at TAS at 6 am Tuesday. Lucas says the ride will be around 6 hours round trip from the coffee trucks- that would get us back around 2 pm. It should be beautiful riding- lots of hills and untraveled roads. While the ride will be long, the pace should be reasonable. The CNY holiday is the perfect time for a nice long ride like this. If all goes well, we will head out there again Thursday morning.

I'm riding fairly regularly Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings and Saturdays and Sundays at different times. My usual compatriots are Steve, Steve, Leon, Dave and Eric. Nic has been getting out with a women's group some in the afternoons and on the weekends. Let me know if you'd like to join either of us. I'll try to be more regular about posting my rides to the blog.

If you're interested in giving a local race a try, the next one is Sunday, March 12th. It should start out near Jinshan, travel 40 to 50 km along the coast flats and then head up into the hills for 10 or 15 km. Details to follow...

If you're traveling to Europe this summer, be sure to check out this link from Jesper and Craig:

http://ciclismo.sitiasp.it/motore.aspx?sid=cd66c884bff949c0afe7dcdc8888ccbd&lingua=eng&da=az

It lists details on climbs around Europe. Jesper's favorite:

http://www.salite.ch/scanuppia.htm

Hope to see you out in the hills!

Bill O'Brien

Weekend Riding...

The blasters will be pushing it up to the Saddle, down to Jinshan, over and up the 101. Meet Saturday morning at TAS at 6:30, back to Tienmu around 10ish...

Sunday's ride will be more mellow- probably out towards Wanli and up the March 12th race course hill. Not sure of the exact time- email me if you're interested. Probably 6:30 or 7.

Bill O'B

P.S. Craig John sent the following tentative triathlon/road racing calendar for the spring:

Cycle 6-11/3 Tour de Taiwan (changed from October)

 

Cycle 3/12 The North Coast Race.

 

Triathlon 3/18 The Hwalien triathlon.

 

Cycle 4/1~4/2 The Tour of East Taiwan.

 

Triathlon 4/8 Half ironman kenting.

 

Triathlon 4/23 Stronman  triathlon Japan.

 

Triathlon 5/6 Uni-President cup Tainan triathlon. (this is a date that the national triathlon body has mentioned as being at sun moon lake?? Will check it out)

 

Cycle 7/29~7/30 Giant cup

Baseline 101 Timetrial on Saturday

Interested in setting a base time for your cycling goals this year?
If so, we'll be meeting at TAS at 6:30 Saturday to ride out to the
101 hill. The climb lasts 30-40 minutes; you can set a time now to
work on improving over the course of the year. I know this first time
will be my slowest... Should be back to Tien Mu by 9ish.

I'm also planning on a longer ride Sunday morning, leaving around 7
am, back by 10:30ish. If you're interested, send me an email.

Bill O'Brien

P.S. Triple Crown point champion was the illustrious "Skinny Boy"
Seymour. Congrats! Rematch soon...

P.P.S. Next local race is March 13th (North Coast- 70 km or so). Mark
your calendars. Complete cycling and triathlon calendar to be posted
shortly.

Christmas Triple Crown Challenge

Up for a push? Let's meet Saturday 11:30 am at TAS. First finish line
is Helen's Pagoda, second is Sanjr on the coast, third is top of
Highway 101. We'll regroup after each push.

See you there!

Bill O'B

Saturday ride time change

Sunday's ride departs at 11:30 from TAS- in the rain. Out to Wanli
and back on the flats...

Saturday ride time change

Saturday's ride departs at 2:10 from TAS instead of 2 pm. Over to
Jinshan and up the mountain...

Riding on the Weekend

Steve, Dave, Leon and I are riding out to Jinshan and up the mountain
Saturday. Meet at TAS at 2 pm. I believe Steve Reed is doing the same
ride at 7 am, but you may want to contact him directly.

Steve Seymour is doing the flat Wanli ride leaving at 1 pm on Sunday.
I may join him then or ride in the morning instead. Email if you're
interested in joining.

Bill O'B

More Weekend Riding - 12/3

I will be riding to Wan Li and back, starting from TAS at 0530 on Saturday morning.  Pace will be moderate - anticipate about 4:30 ride time and 5:00 overall, with one watering stop in Wan Li.  Headwinds likely on some parts of the ride, but hills are minimal.

 

Bill Bryson

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Weekend Riding 12/3 & 4

Late start for Steve, Leon and I on Saturday- 2 pm at TAS Main Gate
for a ride to Jinshan and up the hill (2:45).

Early start Sunday- 6:30 am at TAS Main Gate for a ride out along the
coast to Wanli and back (all flat- 3:30).

Bill