When I first heard that Taiwan was an emerging international cycling destination, I was somewhat curious. First of all, I knew little about this tiny island (36,000 km²) situated of the coast of southeastern mainland China. It’s still officially known and governed by the Republic of China, however the majority of the 23 million inhabitants that call this place home tend to disregard this fact and see themselves as an independent colony,, as should be expected when carrying Taiwanese passports. Besides its bustling cities, Taiwan is also known for beautiful mountain ranges, lush forests, and pristine lakes, making it a perfect getaway for two-wheeled explorations.
The Taiwanese government has realized the potential of cycling as a tourism product, and recently launched an incentive to attract tourists from nearby countries. As recently reported in The China Post, “The government will sell bicycles at a very low price to those riders who cycle a set amount of miles, as well as offer free air shipping for the bikes when the participants return home.” Liu Hsi-lin, Deputy Director General of the Tourism Bureau, said “Taiwan has combined the bicycle industry with tourism, and has already organized numerous events to promote the activity, such as Come Bike Day in 2012.” This promotion will launch in July, targeting tourists from Japan, Korea and mainland China, and will continue throughout the year leading up to Come Bike Day 2013 in November.
I took the opportunity to travel to Taiwan to attend the annual Taiwan Cycling Festival last year, which is a combination of events taking place over a period of about a week. The highest caliber is the King of the Mountain (KOM) Challenge, which is a registered competition attended by top riders from around the world. It’s unlike any other ride I’ve ever heard off, as riders attempt to climb 100km from sea level to the summit of Hehuan Mountain at 3275m. All riders must complete the ride in the maximum allotted time of seven hours, and as one can imagine not all of the nearly 400 participants will complete this ride to the end. The final 10km are the steepest, and also the temperature drop is quite noticeable at this altitude.
To test my own abilities on this route, the day prior I rode about 6km upward on a lower section of this winding road, then turned around and was happy to glide back down. Danish rider John Ebsen was the first to cross the finish line in just over three and half hours (3:37:25). Invitation riders included Matteo Rabottini (Giro d’Italia), as well as Tour de France riders Anthony Charteau, and Jeremy Roy, who all finished within the allotted time period. From a patriotic perspective I took the opportunity to chat with the lone Canadian rider on this challenge, Fraser Young, originally from British Columbia and now living in Taiwan. He confirmed the obvious. “The KOM race, as a one-day race, was one of the toughest I have done”, he affirmed. Read the full interview here.
Come Bike Day takes place the following day, and is a leisurely paced recreational ride around the stunning Sun Moon Lake that anyone can participate in. The roads are closed in one direction, and designated bike paths line most of the 30km route as well, making it a wonderful vehicle-free riding experience around the circumference of this largest body of water in Taiwan. Plans are to connect the entire circle via designated bike paths in the next few years. I completed the ride in just under two-hours, cycling along with a couple thousand others, mostly locals out with families and friends. Many chose to make a weekend out of it, camping lakeside, and frolicking in the water with canoes, kayaking, and other floatation devices. In the spring, many of these cyclists ride off again for the Sun Moon Lake Merida Cycling Activity.
Taiwan Today suggests the following itinerary for those wanting to make it a longer sightseeing excursion. Starting from the Shuishe Visitor Centre and moving in a clockwise direction, cyclists can visit Wenwu Temple, Peacock Park and the Sun Moon Lake Cable Car before making a halfway stop at Ita Thao, an indigenous tribal village. The second half of the biking route begins with an uphill ride to Xuanzang Temple and Cihen Pagoda before going down a slope to Xuanguang Temple, where visitors have a clear view of Sun Moon Lake’s Lalu Island. The last part of the journey brings cyclists to Toushe Dam, Xiangshang Visitor Center, Shuishe Dam and Yuexialaoren Temple before returning back to Shuishe Visitor Centre.
Also part of the Taiwan Cycling Festival, the Formosa 900 is a nine day, 900km cycling tour around the entire island that includes 10 different groups of cyclists, including disabled riders, women only, and the 55 years or older group. I was fortunate enough to run into one of the groups lead by Giant Bicycle founder King Lui’s daughter, Vicky Yang, head of the Cycling Lifestyle Foundation. I had stopped by to visit Giant Bicycles headquarters and manufacturing plant located in Taichung County, just as her group of rider’s were pulling in for a replenishment stop. Situated smack in the middle of an industrial park, I was in awe as I learned some of the insider tips of production and distribution within the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer. I also had the privilege of taking one of the bikes for a ride along the local back roads. The short 20km stretch brought me through mostly farmland, and included yet another 6km incline that once again tested my stamina.
Giant has also recognized the potential of cycling tourism, and have developed their own tour operations division, Giant Adventure, offering day and overnight tours, including the Round-the-Island package that includes bike, accommodations, guide, luggage transport, and nearly 1,000km of pedaling distance ahead. The idea for this epic journey partially arose after founder King Lui decided to get out from behind his desk and on his bike to accomplish this feat for himself, at the age of 73! Having thought about doing this journey for nearly 10 years, it was after watching the Taiwanese movie “Island Etude” that finally gave him that last push needed. He confessed the one line, “With a lot of things, if you don’t do them now, you will never have the opportunity again”, really spoke true to him. “During the 15 days cycling around Taiwan, I pedaled 927 kilometres and completed my personal new record. On the way, I really saw that Taiwan is a beautiful island with green mountains, blue seashore, and a diversified culture. I also received a big welcome everywhere, and the local food specialties were unforgettable”, he remarks. Read the full interview here.
The thriving capital of Taipei is like any other metropolitan city when it comes to cycling. Leave your fear behind, take caution, and obey the rules of the road. Taipei has steadily increased its infrastructure of bike paths, mostly along the many rivers and tributaries that surround this city. As well, the You Bike sharing program has been very successful both with locals and tourists, and the MRT public transportation system accommodates bikes.
Within 10-15 minutes you’ll be off the busy streets and riding along the several kilometres of designated bike paths that have been created along the interconnecting river system that wraps itself around the inner core. The Keelong River bicycle path links in to Taipei’s other riverside bike path networks, and is a great way to explore protected habitats, outlying communities, and get great vistas of the skyline, including the towering Taipei 101. Bike rental shops are located alongside the river, making it easy and economical to spend a couple hours exploring this flat surface trail system.
Taiwan is home to two of the world’s leading bicycle manufacturers, Merida Bikes International and Giant Bicycles International, maintaining their claim to being the Bicycle Kingdom. After spending a week touring many parts of the island, riding whenever time permitted, I can attest that it certainly lives up to that title. The Taipei International Cycle Show held annually in spring is one of the largest bike industry trade shows in the world, the international staged race Tour de Taiwan is also held this time of year, and in December Taichung hosts Taichung Bike Week, another bike industry event.
Getting there from North America is quite easy, and as with any of my international travels, I highly recommend taking the national carrier of the destination you are travelling to as it will be your first introduction to the culture. In the case of Taiwan, that is Eva Air, which offers three distinct cabins to meet the needs of any traveller. I found them to be very clean and efficient with friendly staff, great service, and a comparable pricing structure to other carriers. I didn’t get to fly on their Hello Kitty aircraft, but I can only imagine I would have had a completely different cultural experience onboard that aircraft.
Remember that quote as King Lui did. Now is the time to make plans to visit Taiwan for a cycling vacation, before others make the discovery. You might not want to ride around the entire island just yet, but there are plenty of options to get around to the different destinations by rental car, bus, and high speed train. It’s always nice to treat oneself at the end of an adventurous journey, and one way of doing this is staying at a nice hotel. I’d highly recommend the Taipei Regent Hotel, centrally located in heart of the city. This luxury property is the perfect place to pamper a wearied body relaxing in the oversized rooms, at the lower level spa and hot spring baths, or perhaps picking up some last minute gifts at the underground Regent Galleria shopping arcade. Finally, be sure to keep yourself hydrated, sample the variety of foods available, and take in some of the many historical museums to help get familiarized with this little unknown gem of a country.
