May 19th: Part 2: All the way back to Shalu, entering Wuling from the east!
Garmin Activity: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/778820022
Tbh
honest, I did not get a good night rest at the hostel. I have nothing
against room sharing etc but it is not what you need when you do this
kind of cycling. Anyway, I woke up at 01:40 and decided not to go back
to sleep, out of fear for sleeping too late. I got dressed and yet, hit
the road before it was even 3 am. Now that is bad ass! I cycled all the
way to the entrance of Taroko Gorge on the dark and even the first hour
inside I did in complete darkness. This is a setting that will terrify
many cyclist, but for me, it was already the second time to do this
crazy ass cycling. The sooner I start, the sooner I get back to Western
Taiwan, so I did not wanna waste time. Luckily I have good equipment so I
can take this kind of challenge
First checkpoint of the day: Xincheng, the start of Hwy 8
Only darkness and silence around here
Straight ahead into the Taroko gorge
I once cycled this Hwy 9 when I cycled around Taiwan in 2013. At the time I would not have been able to do what I did today
Hwy 8, 189km. The ending (or starting) point of Hwy 8. From here it is one large climb until 112km and then another 11km to Wuling.
The entrance to Taroko, in the middle of the night
It was March when I last came here and today I was even earlier than I was then.
Let's go!
I had already done this once, so I did not really feel scared. My backpack was heavy as usual with several bottles of water
The gorge in the middle of the night
Slowly day was falling upon me
This
ride was actually quite lovely, it got light after one hour of cycling
and I had already passed Tianxiang. I had my first brake at Xibao, elev.
910 and the view was absolutely stunning. This was a picture taken at
06:03 am, a time when most people are still dreaming. I was in fact
living the drea, dozens of km inside of Taroko Gorge
I had already made significant progress when the darkness was gone. I was well on schedule
Guyuan tunnel ahead of me
Gaining altitude
At 6am in the morning, the sunrise was breath taking
It was so calm here, hardly saw any vehicles
The 160km mark, already 29km inside of Hwy 8, altitude almost 1000
Stunning Xibao in the morning, this would be another fabulous day
A quick break at Xibao
From
here it was just calculating the KM, going to 112 and considering my
elevation, destination 3300. I occiasonally stopped for some pictures
and once for a longer break, at 128km, elevation 2100 at 9am. I had a
good breakfast, charged my GPS and went for it again. Things were really
going great and my backpack was getting lighter as I approached the
fatal ten km of Dayuling to Wuling. I had a quick break before I entered
the Grand Finale of the race of June and had some snapshots at it too:
When
I reached the top, I felt the weather conditions weren't getting any
better, so I decided not to waste too much time. A picture on top of
Wuling and hit the road. Of course, wearing a bit more textile for the
cold descent. Don't wanna be paralyzed by freezing temperatures in a
time where I need the fragile control of my fingers for braking the
most...
Elevation prospects for the next 20km
This section was not so steep, good for making speed
Xinbaiyang, 142mk mark, already 47km inside Hwy 8, altitude 1640. Progress was remarkable
I just had to take a picture at this cute little red bridge, it never loses its charm
Feeling great on a legendary ride
What can I say, this is the best Taiwan has to offer
Hehuan Police station
116km mark, I was really close to the 112 cross section.
That is correct, a 500 meter elevation gain in 6km, that means steep roads coming
Deviating for Hwy 14-2
I took a break here and then I went for it! Now where's that 32T cog!
Fog and mist
Elevation 3000, the weather was somewhat deteriorating here
34km, finally a moment of rest with this small descent. The previous 6km had been very intense
Wuling, the second time in two days! Amazing feeling
Kunyang, my descent had officially started
On
my descent, I stopped by Qingjing to pick up a little thing for friend
of mine and I went down again. When I neared Wushe the sky was dark and
at Renzhiguan it had already turned into a sudden downpour. Luckily
there was a little shack, decided to hide it out over there. What a
coincidence, the guy I was having a chat with up there was hiding there
too. We had a little chat, I offered him some cookies and we returned to
Puli together. I added his FB and we might ride Wuling together on a
next occasion. I had to take one more downpour in Puli and then I was
good for the rest of the trip.
Raining in Wushe, good thing I already descended a lot
Hiding with a new-made friend
I
went back via Tai 14 where Nathan came along around Caotun. His broken
BB was a turn off,but it did not spoil the pleasure of meeting him
again. He took me through some small roads back to Wufeng and then we
rode on to Wuril, where I started to feel weary. I really needed to get
home! I did my last 25km guided by GPS. One more thing worth noting: I
was waiting at a red light at Xiangshang road when two cyclists where
watching at me and checking out my bike. They wanted to race me uphill.
Bad luck for them, even though I just spent the last 48hours cycling
480km, most of it uphill, I could still find the power to send their
arrogant asses back home. They couldnt even come near me during that
climb. That was actually a WONDERFUL feeling, as it reiterated my
wonderful physical shape. Keep on pounding them pedals!
When
I got back home, I took a shower, had a good meal and just lied on my
bed and noticed nothing until the next morning. WHAT A RIDE!!!!
Hanging around with Nathan Miller, it's just part of the double central cross island fun
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