Formosa on two wheels 雙輪環遊福爾摩沙: My 2014 cycling journal: Adventures in my own block: Shalu, Metropolitan Garden and the greater Taichung area

This is actually just a collection of pictures from short rides in Shalu. After arriving in Taiwan on August 8th 2014, I lived in Shalu. I used my spare time whenever possible for checking out my surroundings. I had many mythical moments here, making big discoveries in a world I had never seen before.

My place

Inside my room

The first two months I lived in this student dorm, with a cheap room of only 3500 NT. The name in Chinese says: Star that reaches richness. Typical Chinese thinking about money.

Exploring the Metropolitan Garden area. At the time these hills were too much for me

The day I broke my carbon wheelset. It exploded on the descent to Taiwan Boulevard and I had to walk home.

Not even one km of descent and it exploded

Useless crap

I bought a basic Sirrus for local transport to work

The main problem where its brakes. I later changed it for a disc brake model.

Beautiful panorama's over Taichung.

These little paths were super steep; around 13% or more. I had to use my biggest 30T cog.

I would do some occasional reading here, the view was magnificent

I will never forget that feeling when I just arrived here, everything was new and every little ride was a discovery

I descended here but I was scared off by three chasing wild dogs. I only learned in 2015 where that road leads to

:Many small roads in this metropolitan garden area

Tractors all over the place. It is August, harvesting time...

Red sand everywhere

Hot enough of me, I still had to get used to these temperatures

Splendid views in the falling evening. I had arrived in paradise

Central Taiwan in late August 2014.

I remember that on this day I was trying to get to the Specialized shop in Taichung. However I never made it because I was exploring big time. This might me my best picture fo August 2014.

Taiwan is so mysterious

My first encounter with Taichung-67, a small road that goes Zhulin to the airport

A 4.5 km climb of an average 3%. I felt it the first time

I somehow navigated through small lanes to Qingshui

GPS instructions in Taiwan. The fact that this map actually worked was a delight.

I only realized it several months later, but this was the Aofenshan area of Qingshui

I was coming down and there was a super steep descent. So steep that I decided to walk. My Sirrus did not have enough braking power

After my Roval carbon wheels exploded, I was in need of a good wheelset. I saw a discounted ZIPP 30 on the ruten website and it was in Taichung. I went there to get it.

A 22.000 NT expense I had not counted on but I was good to go now.

A small path that leads to Hwy 10 where the airport is.

This is the Qingshui area

During a ride along Taiwan Boulevard I saw this guy with huge tires. I approached him and chatted with him.

Cool bike, won't be having a lot of flats

On the 11th of September, I checked out the other side of the Metropolitan Garden, near Xitun. This road leads nowhere.

I was sweating from the climbing here

Road blocks for a road that stops like that

A cycling path in the Metropolitan Garden

Relaxing setting in the metropolitan garden

A great place for reading

Very Asian feature

Water lilies

Another small ride up here

Hot in here

There is an army base here

I was criticized by some friends for taking a picture of a tomb. I only realized it when they told me.

My 20k NT bike, heavy uphill but dangerous downhill. I changed it for a disc brake bike after just two months

To Shalu, there was a 15% gradient downhill here. I proceeded with care.

I am being filmed so SMILE

Inside of the Metropolitan Garden

Typical Taiwanese breakfast: Mantou and Doujiang

What a sunny day!

I was discovering more lanes in the metropolitan garden area

I descended through another small lane and entered the big road where the army base is.

My sis once left a message on this picture on FB, saying I looked sharp again.

Bartman exploring the shit out of Shalu

A lot of red sand here, beautiful on a normal day, horror on rainy days.

Making my way down to Taiwan Boulevard

This was very close to my student dorm

I had an off road feeling here

Even MTB seemed nice here

That day was a Taiwanese friend's birthday, I was invited for cake.

Happy birthday

After a steep climb...

Close to my home, this is the bridge of Freeway 3

More discoveries...

This road led to nowhere. Just a climb until it stops.

Back at Taiwan Boulevard

An overview of small paths in Shalu

Some challenging cycling lanes here

A blocked road in Xitun

Taichung Metropolitan Garden

Not a living soul here on weekdays

In October, I bought this bike. It is an E5 Sirrus with disc brakes. I especially liked the disc brakes. I sold my A1 Sirrus for 12500 NT to a local and bought this one for 29.000. It did not cost me a fortune but I felt it was a superior bike for my kind of riding.

I ordered it in the Taichung Specialized shop. I believe I picked it up somewhere around October 10

The very steep MTB trail that runs to Taiwan Boulevard and Zhengying road. Gradient around 14%.

Not all roads are on the GPS map

It was one of the last rides I did with this bike, before I got my new one.

Listening to some music and enjoying a relaxing ride, that's life

The map of the Shalu district in Taichung, my BLOCK

ROC Army slogan

A small road connecting from Xitun to Metrpolitan Garden

I got scared away by a wild dog here

A road that leads nowhere. A nice place for having a house though.

No idea if this trail leads to somewhere

Out of the blue I saw this big temple. I approached it to check it out and I was invited by an older man to have tea inside. I did not decline.

This man told me that his family had built this temple over thirty years and that they were still managing it. Buddhism is very strong and outspoken here.

Somewhere in the maze of Shalu and the surrounding villages

I believe that in the two months I had this bike, I did somewhere around 1500 km with it. On one particular ride I even did more than 100 km.

Heading back home, in Shalu under the freeway 3 bridge

Some random pictures at this viewers deck

Houshan road, one of my favorite ways to leave Shalu and to go to Taichung or Fengyyuan.

My new bike... It looked nice. A big improvement over the current one.

Sirrus Elite, with E5 allou and disc brakes. My new companion for short range rides

Once I rode my road bike to the school where I was teaching

A specialized Diverge, too bad it was in size 52.

I switched the tires to Nimbus 32, because they were sure to not flat on me

My new bike at my new place in Shaul

Later I also had the seat post switched to a COBL R roubaix one.

In Qingshui at Gert's company. This is the day we drove to Yunlin to look for a new company for him.

Sign at a railroad track

Taking my new bike for some rides around my block. Mileage was accumulating fast

I don't remember where this was, but I was having a good time exploring

I love these views, might be because we don't have hills at home.

This was a very steep alley connecting Hwy 10 with one of the bigger lanes in Shalu

This is a picture taken at a local park. I sat here for some reading in the morning.

Nice bike, still looked new here

I equipped my ZIPP wheels with 30mm tires, for the longer training rides.

I did it, I ate a portion of stinky Doufu. One is enough though. Still don't like it.

One day we had a Fengyuan group ride and I already left hone when I was called that they cancelled it due to rain. I did some minor cycling around my block however. This is the Qingquangang army base.

Early on a Sunday morning

The military base was forbidden terrain for me

I got a new bike computer for a nice discount.

Metropolitan garden on a grey Sunday morning

Riding my bike

Good morning Taichung

Connecting back to Taiwan Boulevard. Shalu was right and downhill from this position

Go straight ahead and then take the first right, number 200 is where I lived.

One of Shalu's very steep mountain paths

Got my hands on the one and only pair 28mm tires

Making sure I am riding a safe bike

Aqua zumba party at Fengyuan's Yuanhuan road

A small ride to Taichung's Dakeng area

I remember once going to Fengyuan, I completely cycled out of the direction and then let my GPS navigate me back. I traveled through some very tiny roads and saw nice sceneries. People were working on the fields here.

This particular ride to Fengyuan cost me two full hours haha

One of my favorite snapshots, coming home from Fengyuan, there is this tiny path in Shengang which leads to this temple. I almost every time stopped here to pee, as I had had too much tea.

A park in Shalu for children. I came here a few times for reading

My bike at the basketball court, in the early days of Taiwan 2014.

I would play one on one Bball with a new made friend: Liu Weiyi

I still like basketball, but it has become number two after cycling

Bartman going for a nice shot

On this day I went to the Metropolitan Garden for some reading.

I was reading here for some time, but it was too hot with the sun rays pointing at me.

Bangwen road, yet another short cut to Taiwan Boulevard. This road was bumpy and steep. Good thing I had disc brakes.

Returning to Taiwan Boulevard

Bangwen road and Taiwan Boulevard. They later put that sign in front of the pole, which makes more sense.

Cycling to one of my most favorite spots for reading. This particular day I saw an activity with foreigners at the Jiulong temple. They were from the rotary club or something.

Practicing Chinese through reaading

I bought a new COBL sattle pen for this bike, which would decrease its weight and provide a more comfy ride.

Bike equipped with S-Works parts, nice!

One particular Saturday I went to Qingshui for my private class and I saw this nice panorama

A peculiar sight

Once I cycled to Changhua for a short ride to Bagua mountain. I met some people in Longjing who were riding around the island. I rode with them to Changhua.

While we were taking this picture, another girl who was cycling around Taiwan joined the group. She was from Hong Kong. I felt bad that I was not cycling around Taiwan.

On top of 139 in Changhua

I wanted to explore this Changhua cycling trails a little. I had researched online and I knew there were quite a few.

I met some people here. It was quite surprising to see how many people were cycling here in the early morning

Checking out some trail in Longjing

I had already been riding this bike quite nicely, doing trips to Daxue mountain and other longer distance rides. Very soon I already had 2000 km on the computer.