Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
CYCLING IN THE NORTH OF TAIWAN
Daniel Carruthers initially came to Taiwan to represent New Zealand at the
Deaflympics in 2009. In the months that followed he discovered that Taipei and the
rest of Taiwan really are a cyclist's paradise.
Best Advice
There is literally world-class riding within minutes of Taipei - if you can manage rid-
ing in the Taipei traffic for 15 to 20 minutes, you can find yourself out on beautiful
smooth roads that criss-cross the surrounding mountains. The beauty of this area
is that you can always find new roads to explore, and many with very little traffic.
Best Rides for Views
Coastal Hwy 2
Brilliant sea views and mountains. Ride from Tamsui to Yangming-
shan with a stop for tuna sandwiches and coffee in Jinshan.
Taipei to Yilan via Hwy 9
Stunning scenery: panoramic mountain vistas and rivers,
and lush green jungle.
Wulai to Fushan
Ride into a stunning gorge, with a sheer drop down to the cascad-
ing river.
Most Challenging Ride
Most decent rides in the north are very challenging. If you spend any length of time
here, your climbing skills will rapidly improve. If I had to choose the most challen-
ging ride, I would say the
Balaka Rd
from Tamsui up County Rd 101 to the top (over
1000m elevation gain). It finishes with a painful 3km to 4km, 18% grade climb to
the peak. Speed demons can enjoy a screaming fast descent back to Taipei -
reaching speeds in excess of 80km/h!
For more on Dan's ride both in Taiwan and around the world check out his blog
Information
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
If you go river tracing
(suòxī),
plan to be out of the water by 3pm or 4pm. Afternoon
showers are a daily occurrence in late spring and summer, and rivers can become swollen
very quickly. Also keep an eye open for snakes and leeches on the more overgrown trails.
