Apr 24-25: A bunch of us are doing this ride in Nantou, up along the ridges to Xitou, and then up the second day to 1700 meters before plunging down Nantou 49 to Zhushan and home. A variant will take a few people to Jiayi town.
The ride starts on Saturday from Shuili. You can HSR down to Taichung, take a local to Shuili, and be there by ten. Assemble your bike and off you go. Alternatively, you come down on friday and bike with us down 3 to 152 and Jiji, stay overnight, and bike to Shuili – a lovely few kms, as described in my post above.
Lovely route, but weather may intervene. the third day from I-lan back up the coast to Keelung is optional, sunday you arrive in Keelung and can bus/train back to Taipei.
June 19-20. Up over Hehuanshan from Taroko, or any of several variants. Two day ride starts from Xincheng on Sat morning and ends in Taichung on Sunday afternoon. Tentative.
Spring is Taiwan’s rainiest season. Yilan is Taiwan’s rainiest county (or it sure seems that way). The Mingchi to Yingshi section of the Northern Cross is probably the rainiest and foggiest part of Yilan.
Mark me down also tentatively for #2 and #3. I’d also like to make it for No. 1 but am still not very sure about how to get bikes on trains here (need guidance how a lone non-Chinese speaker can sort it out)
I’m definitely interested in ride # 3. Too far off to make a full committment, though.
I’ll be riding the north cross sometime this month–weather permitting on the 24th, but would loe to come down and ride in Nantou again.
Darn. Looks like we are gonna miss you by one week. Two others and I are planning the Hehuanshan to Taroko ride the following weekend 26 June. Then we are continuing down to Hualien, Taidong, and eventually Kending.
I would have figured most cyclists choose the latter direction. I would have guessed it’s a more gradual (but still grueling) ascent from West to East, then a steeper and more winding descent to Taroko, finishing down on the coast. Is there a reason to go East to West instead? Not complaining, just curious.
I would have figured most cyclists choose the latter direction. I would have guessed it’s a more gradual (but still grueling) ascent from West to East, then a steeper and more winding descent to Taroko, finishing down on the coast. Is there a reason to go East to West instead? Not complaining, just curious.[/quote]
That’s the way I would ride it, too. It would be much nicer finishing on the east coast than in the middle of some city on the west.
One thing guys. Don’t take the 49 all the way down to Jhushan. Just past the turnoff for Tizi Bridge (to the gorge) on the way down turn left onto the 49-1. This will hook up with the 49 a few km down but you wil avoid that messy part of the 49, which you mention last time.
MT - I’m hoping to go over HeHuanShan next week, after cutting across from the Northern-Cross highway to Lishan, up and over and down Taroko.
I can’t make it on the 20th June for any rides (girlfriend has booked my time) but would likely be interested in doing a short tour on the 26th across HeHuanShan down Taroko again.
regarding the Northern cross Island ride, in may-june, it is almost guaranteed to rain at least somewhere along the trip, and any later (june-October, you are almost certain to get absolutely pelted by at least one major thunderstorm above 1500m somewhere. I would prefer the thunderstorm option, personally: it’s never too cold.
Very enjoyable ride.
For Hehauanshan, be prepared for near-freezing rain at any time of the year. Starting from Puli is not a bad idea, but there are parts of the uphill that really suck.
Keep us posted.