Author｜Jason P

Through the lens of a Canadian in Taiwan, this narrative unveils the dual reality of cycling: the promise of a year-round season and the challenge of enduring rainy winters, revealing the resilience and joy found in the journey.

The Unique Cycling Experience in Taipei

Whenever I talk about the cycling situation in Taiwan to someone who isn’t from here (especially if they happen to be from my native country, Canada), more often than not, I express with great enthusiasm that we have a twelve month cycling season here.

While this in theory is true, when you live in the north of Taiwan, as I and many others do, once the winter season rolls in, so does the rainy season. I’m not just talking about any kind of rain either, but cold, all day rain.

The sky, so dark and gray that you can’t even make out the shapes of clouds. This doesn’t just last for a day or so either, but entire weeks can go by without any indication that there’s a sun in the sky and what it feels like to be dry.

When the rains take a break, and the blue sky is once again visible, it’s like Christmas Day for a cyclist.

No matter what the temperature outside, you get our winter kit on, inflate your tires back up, as it’s likely that your ride has been sitting idle in your basement storage space, and then you stable the frame, find that comfy position in the saddle and begin the motions that you’ve so desperately missed.

My Preferred Way to Ride

After a long, cold spell with non-stop rains from morning till night, the forecast called for a clear day and so I made sure I was ready.

Several riding groups that I’m a part of, large and small, had made plans with some fun routes, but they were leaving far too early for my comfort zone.

While I do enjoy my time riding with friends, I’m definitely a solo rider for the most part. After my breakfast of hot oatmeal with apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup, I got ready and was on my way just before noon.

The sun and blue sky which had been present earlier in the morning made way for some steady cloud cover, but that didn’t matter.

The roads were dry and it looked like they’d stay that way for the entire day. My original plan was to ride out to Dansui via the riverside trail network, and from there, ride north on Danjin Road and turn right on Beixin Road. This is a familiar start for me when I ride in this area.

Riding Routes and Experiences

Usually, I’ll stay on Beixin Road and head north towards Sanzhi, hugging the outskirts of the Yanminshan hills and bringing you out to the coast near Baishawan (it should be mentioned that this is a great route as well, with lots of different roads that you can take to get to the sea, ride a section of coastal road, then cut back up the countryside through farmland roads and repeat) .

On this particular day, which was about 10 degrees, but felt closer to seven or eight, I thought that riding next to the ocean would feel even colder, so I called an audible to myself and took the 101A, also known as Yanming Road towards Datun National Park. 

The road was basically devoid of any automobiles and I came across one other solo rider which I overtook on a climb, we exchanged pleasantries and I kept up my pace. I settled into a state of zen as I made my up the long, but not overly grueling climb towards Zhuzihu.

My Cycling Rituals in Taipei

Then came the descent down Zhuzihu Road. Barely able to feel my fingers from the biting cold as I accelerated down the mountain, winding around corners almost not want to use my fingers on the brakes as that caused them to feel even colder, I managed to get to the 711 where Zhuzihu Road, Husahn Road, and Shamao Road interact.

I promptly ordered myself a hot chocolate, wrapped my fingers around the piping hot paper cup the beverage was served in, and found a seat at the counter and began to get the feeling back in my extremities.

Feeling full of life once again, and slightly warmer than when I entered the convenience store, it was time to pump my legs again and start making my way back to the city. Before that, there would be some more climbing and another long downhill section on Jingshan Road, where I’d eventually catch Pingjing Street which eventually turns into Zhishan Road.

As I passed the National Palace Museum and made my way to get back onto the riverside network, the traffic was typical for a late Sunday afternoon, steady but not overly busy.

I came across many other cyclists as I was making my way down. They were all on their way up. Perhaps they had later starts than I did, or were only planning on doing a short ride, as it was nearly 4pm by this time.

The sun was out in the city, a big change visually from my afternoon riding in the mountains. I made my way back to where I had started from, no longer freezing cold, but looking forward to a hot shower and a hot meal.

Once I finished saving my ride to Strava, cleaning my bike and putting it away, I mouthed a silent thank you for the incredible day of riding.