Destination: Yilan

Well, if I were going on my own, I would just go by number 9 and pray for not getting rear ended (which I’m afraid is rather possible)…\

I want to go to Yilan by bike and I was wondering if there’s some alternative road for making it there, some road EASY enough for a lazy ass beginner. I think I know the cycleable options, but may be I’m missing something. Another option is to take a train and ride there, which I’m sure is way safer.

Any thoughts?

You could also take the 109 to Fulong and then to Yilan. This is easier than the 9.

I recommend the northern cross (Highway 7) from Sanxia to Yilan. On the weekend you can take the MRT with your bike to Yongfu station in Tucheng and start from there. Or ride out on the bike paths. It’s an easy two day ride or a harder one day ride. It is no more difficult than the 9, better scenery, and safer. Here’s a map

goo.gl/maps/2AHYa

[quote=“Feiren”]You could also take the 109 to Fulong and then to Yilan. This is easier than the 9.

I recommend the northern cross (Highway 7) from Sanxia to Yilan. On the weekend you can take the MRT with your bike to Yongfu station in Tucheng and start from there. Or ride out on the bike paths. It’s an easy two day ride or a harder one day ride. It is no more difficult than the 9, better scenery, and safer. Here’s a map

goo.gl/maps/2AHYa[/quote]

Thanks a lot :slight_smile:

Uhm, think that I could be more or less OK with any of those roads… the problem is that my gf is not so much into sports, and number 7 or number 106 + number 2 sound like too long for somebody like her… I would like to do number 7 though (I have done it like 4 times with motorbike, I like it!).

I was thinking more of some small road parallel to number 9… anything like that? if not, I could consider number 7 for a long weekend.

Train to Toucheng -> Ride to the 5 Peak Waterfall in Jiaoshi (it has rained a lot, it should look amazing) -> spicy ice cream in Jiaoshi -> back on the saddle ride south until you’re around LuoDong -> head to the Ren Shan botanical gardens and Shin Liao waterfall -> if it’ss just a one day trip I suppose your gf will be asking to get the train from Luo Dong to go back home!

For a long weekend I’d ride Taipei-Jiao Shi, stop there for the night and have a hot bath, then spend the following day visiting some cool places.

[quote=“Ibis2k12”]Train to Toucheng -> Ride to the 5 Peak Waterfall in Jiaoshi (it has rained a lot, it should look amazing) -> spicy ice cream in Jiaoshi -> back on the saddle ride south until you’re around LuoDong -> head to the Ren Shan botanical gardens and Shin Liao waterfall -> if it’ss just a one day trip I suppose your gf will be asking to get the train from Luo Dong to go back home!

For a long weekend I’d ride Taipei-Jiao Shi, stop there for the night and have a hot bath, then spend the following day visiting some cool places.[/quote]
Isn’t 200 km in one session way too much for a newbie??? O_o I don’t see my gf making 100 km in one day, and even I’m going to be tired after 100km!

200kms ? o.O

From Toucheng to Ren Shan it’s maybe 35kms, add a bit of road to get to the 5 Peak Waterfalls and I’d say 40kms at the most!

Where is you starting point?

[quote=“Ibis2k12”]200kms ? o.O

From Toucheng to Ren Shan it’s maybe 35kms, add a bit of road to get to the 5 Peak Waterfalls and I’d say 40kms at the most!

Where is you starting point?[/quote]
Nope, but number 7 to Yilan is about 200 km. May be I´m confusing Toucheng with another Touchen that it’s on the way to Sanxia (Tucheng, perhaps… language from hell…)

Taipei to Yilan to Taipei via the 7 is a very very long day. Definitely not beginner material. 12 hours or so: 240 km? something like that.

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. I would like to try with her number 9, which is not going to be entry level either, but at least she’s familiar with the road (we have done it thousands of times), and shorter. The problem is traffic there is crazy. There’s a lot of motherfuckers…

As Feiren said, go the 109 through PingXi and then turn off to Fulong. It’s easiest by far, but still a big ride for a “beginner”. (Somehow I think she’s not a raw beginner.)

She is indeed :S

Today we have done 39 km in I don’t know how many hours. The only muscle I could have exercised was the “patient” muscle… and I’m afraid that I have a very weak one. I guess I need to improve in that regards…

I’m thinking that one weekend we could take the train to Yilan and enjoy a casual ride there, with beutiful nature around and so… with no slopes. Today I wanted to climb to Linkou and then return by some road I know more in the north-east. I gave up that plan after 4 km xD

Anyway, thanks for the advices and recommendations. I will use them sooner or later :slight_smile:

Even taking the 106 through Pingxi towards Fulong sounds a bit too much for your girlfriend. You could take the train to Fulong and rent bikes there. There’s a tunnel you can ride for about 1km and also some relatively flat bicycle paths along the coast in that area.

106? 109? please check! I can’t remember.

I think we will bring our own bikes and make some relaxed ride not far from Jiaoxi. We have been a few times to Fulong but I don’t find it specially impressive. But thanks for the tip :slight_smile:

Uhmmm 106 goes to Fulong, I believe. I know a small mountain road that joins with 106 and starts from DaXi (or DaShi, or who knows). That must be a lovely ride too (I’ve done it several times but by motorbike).

That Daxi ride is long, steep and remote. Not a beginners road!

That one would be for me :smiley:

hahaha I know that feel xD My wife is always good of full intentions, and when a few weeks ago I told her:“Look, I’m being honest, there’s no way we can go to Taiping mountain together” she felt a bit upset because she really thought she could do it. Basically 10 minutes after we hit the beginning of the hills she had to gave up xD

I think the best solution would be the trip that I mentioned in my first reply, so arrive in Yilan by train and then spend the whole day riding around on flat terrain at a comfortable speed and stop very often to see towns, waterfalls, hotsprings etc etc.

We’ve mixed up Toucheng (just north of Yilan/Jiaoshi) and Tucheng (near Sanxia) in this thread.

If you have two days then you could ride out to Yilan the first day and meet your girlfriend in the afternoon. I have done this with a girlfriend before. The 2nd day you could do some leisure riding and take the train back together.

this way you get in your long ride w/o punishing your gf and you still spend time together.

[quote=“Abacus”]We’ve mixed up Toucheng (just north of Yilan/Jiaoshi) and Tucheng (near Sanxia) in this thread.

If you have two days then you could ride out to Yilan the first day and meet your girlfriend in the afternoon. I have done this with a girlfriend before. The 2nd day you could do some leisure riding and take the train back together.

this way you get in your long ride w/o punishing your gf and you still spend time together.[/quote]
That sounds like a good idea. It’s still 200 km… I think I never made 200km in row before. Let’s see if I’m prepared for the challenge :smiley:

200kms?

I got 112km from Taipei Main station to Yilan Train station going through Pingxi/Fulong. Or were you talking about doing hwy 7 from Tucheng (133kms)?