Tainan MTB Race

The first MTB race of the season is happening on March 13th. Unfortunately that is the same weekend as the first club race of the season. Racing is hard enough to come by here so why they have to schedule it the same weekend is beyond the understanding of Bikemosa.

Anyway, I understand that it is a good race. I went last year with a borrowed bike but found out at the race that the crank wouldn't stay on and so I missed out. Of course I will miss it again because I am going to be at the road race that same weekend.

If you aren't into the road scene, check it out. The details are here. Six thousand for the winner of the elite category. Nice!

First Taiwan Club Race of 2011

Well the season will soon begin. There is a club race (Taiwan's highest level of racing) on the north coast on March 12-13. March 12 is a 25 km ttt and March 13 is a 55 km road race. 55 km? Really? C'mon, make it more difficult! Anyway, enough complaining. Check out the details here.

MTB Race in Nantou

Ladies and gents. There is an XC race coming up on the 23 of January. It is on the same weekend as the road race, but this race is on Sunday. Racing starts at 9 am in Puli. It seems to be about a 2km course with elites doing 12 laps and then fewer laps for others. The info about it is here.

Nantou Racing

There is a 75 km race coming up on January 22 in Nantou. Brrr.It starts in Puli and takes a long way back to Sun Moon Lake. There is an elite category and age group categories as well. The info is here.

January 2011 DH Race

There seems to be a DH race coming up on Saturday, January 8. I don't know any more than this but when I find out, I'll post the details.

Pingdong Race

There is a Christmas day race down in Pingdong. It is 113 km long and has a hill climb finish. I have heard good things about this race. I might check it out, as it would likely have nicer weather than the race the week before in Yilan. Here is the link with more info (in Chinese, as usual).

Yilan RR

There is a race coming up on 12/19 in Yilan. Apparently the road will be fixed by then (after it was destroyed by a typhoon-caused landslide). Here is a link to the info about it. The sign up deadline is November 30. It is about 77 km. I'm guessing that the weather will be pretty awful for this one-cold and rainy. Of course it will have been a while since there was any race, so it might be good to break up the routine.

Racing is Over (for the season)

There is only one race left this year (which I forgot to post about-sorry). The next big race will be in the spring in Hualien. I will try to get out and ride some mtb trails that I have not done before and post pictures and maps. If you have any suggestions or tips, let me know and I will try to get out there and ride them. Thanks!

Highway 3

This is a good out and back route. Here is the map. You make it about as hard as you want because there are a lot of smaller hills (3-5 mins). Once you get out past Freeway 72, there is very little traffic. There are some places to stop along the way for refreshments, but not a lot so stock up before you need to.

Digging Time

This Sunday there is a digging party in Taichung. Lots of people are going to come out and help develop Dadu 2. If you want to help out, drop me an email (details at the bottom of the page) and I will send you directions.

Videos

Again, this video has nothing to do with riding in Taiwan, but man! This footage is from Redbull Rampage in Utah. Usually videos take away from the scale of things, but these two are taken with helmet cams and you get a little of the sense of scale of what these guys are doing.


Watch them in full screen for full amazement.



This one is the scarier one...



Via decline magazine

Where To Ride Your Road Bike #2

There is a famous hill climb on route 136. This is a map of the ride.

It starts out as a gentle climb and then rises to about 700m above sea level. You can do it as an out-and-back ride, or do a loop. I like doing the loop because the descent down the back side is one of the best that I have found. Since they put in freeway 6 a couple of years ago, the ride back on highway 14 used a lot less, so it is much nicer.

Kaohsiung XC and DH Race

There is a race coming up on October 9 and 10. There are actually two XC and two DH races on the same weekend. The info is posted here (in Chinese, works best with IE).

Random Coolness

This isn't really related to Taiwan, but it would be great to have because drivers would certainly leave me more space on the road.



It would be great if I could figure out how to hook the flame thrower to my bike so it would shoot where I aimed it.

Via Get Outdoors blog.

Where To Ride Your Road Bike #1

There is a nice ride that you should try. This is the link to the Google map.

It is an out-and-back ride that starts in Changhua with a mid-point out in Nantou. In total it is about 60 km and there are a couple of climbs which makes it a little difficult. There are usually not too many cars and there are only about six stoplights total. There are plenty of places to stop for water and food, most importantly, near the top of climbs.

Taiwan Cup Race

There is a race coming up on October 24 in Hualien. Details can be found at this site. There are races between 50 and 210 km.

This race is on a Sunday, meaning that you won't have to miss any days of work. Also, the weather should be pretty good. Most amazing of all is that the race starts are at a reasonable hour!

How Tires and Tubes Are Made

This video shows how bike tires are made. It is surprisingly labor intensive. And based on this video, the tires that I buy are cheap because they omit the quality control step.

Time Trial/Team Time Trial

There is a race coming up on October 3rd in Yunlin. There is an individual time trial as well as a team time trial. More information can be found on this website. If you need help with translation or signing up, my contact info is listed below.

Yang Jin Race (Taipei County)

There is a race coming up on September 11th in Taipei County. It is 56 km long and it ends on a hill. The info, in pdf form, can be found here (Chinese). If you need help signing up, my contact info is at the bottom of the page.

Taidong Race

There is a race coming up on September 5th in Taidong. It is a qualification for the Tour of Taiwan, though I understand that the points are only applicable to Taiwanese citizens. The info is here (Chinese).