More info on the Singapore perspective of the same drain issue:-
TL;DR: guy accepted settlement so public water board didn’t have to accept liability via the courts for the design of their drains. Water board suggested that the gap between rails was “only 3cm”
First ride in almost 5 months. Just feeling the bike again after this hiatus. Also feeling my body after 4+ months of meeting friends like Jamón, Chorizo, Queso, Morcilla, and many more.
Air not great today in general, bad in some areas.
Saturday morning, I did the clockwise north coast loop to Keelung. It was perfect weather with the clouds hiding the sun for most of the morning.
I hit the section that’s popular with TT / triathletes and they all eventually dropped me.
A 4:41 am start? Or is that when you made it back to Daan? 
Guy
This summer I’ve become an old man, in bed at 9pm and even on non-cycling days I’ll be up by 4am. I do like to get home by 11:30am to eat with my wife so for longer rides that means starting earlier.
Strava usually is accurate with “estimated riding time” for heavy elevation climbing routes, but for this mostly flat route they have it at 4hrs 35mins which was way off, so I probably could have slept in to 5am 
Here’s mine from the weekend. Rode down to the reservoir and had to pay for it coming back up. I opted for the 47 which had very few cars unlike the 9. I don’t think I’ll ever ride the 9 again unless I’m heading out to Yilan. The 47-1 on the return trip was exhilarating as always.
Post typhoon ride this afternoon. First ride on my new (old) bike. Just a short ride with a bunch of Allen keys in my pocket to adjust the seat and bars and brakes and stuff. Very pleasant surprise: such a great frame and all worked well.
Nice swell remains from the typhoon too.
More bike pics in the other thread
First ride from Taipei to Yilan via Pinglin - the
ride down into Toucheng was fantastic - long winding road. Highly recommend it.
On my way up, hiding out for some really heavy rain. Super quiet on the road, not a single soul.
UPDATE: Made it till the gate (of “rainy hell” today), and turned around for a wet and slippery return.
It looks grey on the pic, but it was massive downpour from there, not worth going further. And it was actually getting cold up there.
Fabulous ride, great views and descent as you say. Nice weather you had too!
Oh, is that actually a thing?! I’ve had that happen a couple of times (first time I unwisely persisted to the top; second time I took the hint and turned around) - but is that a regular occurrence?
I made that entirely up while typing , but in this season, with higher altitudes covered in clouds, it does not make sense to keep going higher.
I hate biking in the rain, or, I actually hate my bikes getting dirty … 
If we ever meet, don’t look at me. My bike has never been washed 
It’s about time for my annual shower.
So finished this morning what I was intending to do yesterday.
It was absolute gorgeous up there, sun, little wind, 22 degrees.
Just sat in the grass for a hour, taking it in …
You must have got home around the same time I headed out on the same route. What a gorgeous day.
It’s the first day for me of the season when I’ve been able to have a slow start to the morning, with coffee and chores and a bit of reading before heading out for a ride. No need to race out in order to beat the heat (or beat the crowds, since it was a weekday).
I’m mildly disappointed that I didn’t get one of my top three times on any of the climbing segments - I did well at working hard the whole time, or so my heart rate showed me. But I guess working hard right now still isn’t as fast as it was a year or two ago.
You shouldn’t expect too much on the first day. You gotta build up to it. Just be glad you got in a ride on a nice day. The more I climb, the more I realize it’s about holding back and conserving energy than pushing myself to the limit, especially on a long, albeit gentle climb like Balaka. Those Strava achievements can really do a cyclist a disservice sometimes.
It’s a balance of both, innit? Probably before you didn’t have all the energy you can better administrate now.
Oh, I’ve been back on the bike for a few weeks now, after spending summer overseas (and before that taking it perhaps too easy in a cautious recovery from Covid … and before that the awful weather we had earlier in the year … and before that a knee sprain, where my physiotherapist kept telling me cycling would be a great way to recover, and my doctor kept telling me to be wary of cycling, and to entirely avoid hills …)
I just meant it was my first morning ride of this pleasant season, as opposed to the summer heat.
This was one of my first rides where I’ve tried to focus on my heart rate, and not let it fall below a certain level. And I succeeded! I think it’s one of the best jobs I’ve done at finishing a longish climb having given it everything I’ve currently got, not burning myself out early on, and not leaving too much in the tank. I was however disappointed to find that “everything I’ve currently got” isn’t as good as what I had a year or two ago. Oh well - I’ll get stronger again.
And oh my goodness, it is so nice to be doing climbs again in more moderate temperatures.
I hardly look at PB’s, although Strava throws them around if I store my ride.
But now you got me wondering what kind of times you did this morning.
We are in the same kind of boat, I had my crash last year, then the rain, then other stuff.
Did not go up YMSh (or any significant climb) for at least 2 years, till last week.
Mind to share, or maybe share in Strava through a PM?
