Dood, that’s pretty damn cool. Definitely downloading that.
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Since the weather for these 3 days was forecast to be great for cycling I was looking for somewhere different to ride ride and came across this list @ranlee
The Double North (雙北) option was too much, so I decided on the just riding to Yilan and taking the train back. For the record, cycling down from Minci into Yilan I started to “wish I never go up this morning” - though to be fair this was probably due to including a “sojourn” up LaLa Shan…
Let me start by saying I didn’t plan on riding up LaLa Shan….I met some fellow cyclists on the road and they told me that the road beyond LaLa Shan was only open at 2pm and 4pm due to landslide damage, so here I was at 12 noon at the base of LaLa Shan wondering what to do - with 2hrs to spare I had no option but to ride up LaLa Shan (seemed like a good idea🤔)…for most of the ride its steep and especially tough after cycling 75km to get there. It didn’t help that I had to be down by 2pm to pass the landslide, so kind of felt rushed. The 7/11 about 3/4 of the way up the climb is a lifesaver. After descending LaLa Shan the real grind started and the slog up to SiCun - about 600m elevation from the base of LaLa Shan - was hard, but made easier by chatting with the cyclists I met. From there it was a great ride through the mountains along really narrow and winding roads before heading down into the Datong. The ride down was freezing with lots of switchbacks though I did get the obligatory photo at the 77km marker on route 7. The final ride into Yilan was fast (with straight (ish) downhill roads - although dark by this time the roads were ride were ok and it generally felt safe to ride in the dark. Got to the station at 6:19, put the bike in the bag and was on the 6:29 train back to Taipei which was empty (thankfully quick it arrived at 7:40pm). Incredible ride I would do again without the LaLa Shan side trip.
Thanks to @ranlee for the route.
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Single north with the addition of Lalashan? Mad props!
The descent from MinCi is no joke! Doing that after Lalashan takes great strength…and even greater responsibility😝. It’s a great way to kill time though!
I am hoping the road work is complete before the summer, as I’ve got a list of cycling buddies that want to complete the double north. Having that road block adds a bit of pressure and…that’s never fun.
Glad you enjoyed it and got use of the ol cycling route thread.
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The calm before the shit storm we’re going to see next week.
Originally going to be a cherry blossom ride + coffee. 100% of the group knew that if we didn’t get any miles in on Saturday, we knew we wouldn’t get weather like this for awhile. So we ended up at the peak and still got a chance to be above the clouds.
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quiz of the day: my guess the road from Lengshuikeng to Yangjin Rd?
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The one and only.
For those of you guys who think twice about night riding in Taipei. Feng Gui Zui or Zhi Shan Rd. are really awesome routes (and fully lit) to pop the night ride cherry.
Been doing night rides since day 1 when I took my Giant Defy out on the riverside and have had some upgrades, but still really enjoy how calm the city gets after rush hour.
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Why the fuck do I not live here?
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Because 7-Eleven is far away. jk
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It’s been a while since last time I shared any rides here because, well, that is what Strava is for, no? But I can’t resist the temptation of bragging a bit about yesterday’s ride.
After two hand rides in both directions, I finally decided to go for the whole route, including the arm. I think this is close to my physical limit, last three climbs were painful and slow. Maybe I should have eaten even more, although I wasn’t specially hungry when I got home. Or maybe it was that I was just too exhausted to make dinner.
Little traffic (parking lots in the mountains where almost empty) except near some cemeteries. Nice weather, although I got caught with wind and rain between index and middle fingers.
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Wow - well done. I think three of those fingers are about my physical limit. Especially that climb after Baishawan, which gets really friggin hard. How was the leaf litter on that? I went down that road on Tuesday, very very gingerly due to all the fallen leaves on the road.
I’m surprised there wasn’t much traffic but I guess, like you said, yesterday was mostly reserved for cemeteries.
One day I may figure out how to eat on rides. My problem is I don’t seem to get hungry. I just get weak. (Similarly, I get headaches that tell me I need water long before I actually feel thirsty.) Sometimes eating helps with that - not always.
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Roads were fine. Index finger and the descend of the middle finger were wet (actually raining) and some of the roads there are small and with little traffic, so there was vegetation (both dead and alive) here and there. I ride 32 mm tyres <60 psi. So, with caution it wasn’t too bad. I still almost cancelled the other climbs because of the weather, which fortunately was very good for the rest of the day.
Try to eat and drink more than you think you need. Because if you feel thirsty or hungry, it is already too late. Lots of carbs, and then a lot more carbs.
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Eating is so important. When I first started cycling, it was a lot of gels. Then I realized that…it’s a bit expensive to keep taking those on a weekly basis.
I’ve found out that my headaches come from not enough sleep the night before. Could be different for everyone, but the solution typically is eating and drinking the right supplements.
Good to practice with some rides that are a bit more than what you typically ride. Just so you get an idea of how your body reacts to certain things.
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I promise this isn’t to make you look bad @Membrillo. I just so happened to do this a week after your epic ride.
Probably the longest ride I’ll ever do, in one go. I was lucky to have a fellow cyclist that had done it multiple times guide us and also push us to keep breaks quick, otherwise we wouldn’t have finished under the 24 hour mark.
Probably too many things to really talk about, but one thing is for sure, I’ve never had that many different emotions repeat in one ride. I shit you not, I had so many cases where I felt exhausted, then all of a sudden, whatever I ate, kicked in, so I was full of energy, the next hour or so, I was sleepy.
Insane. Lots of fun though.
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Pics or it didn’t happen. 
Guy
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Actually, I thought about requesting you to write a post here after I saw your ride on Strava. Epic!
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