Imagine cycling from sea level to 3,275 meters altitude in four hours, along a 100-kilometer long uphill slope, a route tougher than the toughest climbs on the Tour de France. Not only that, but taking in some of the world’s most spectacular canyon scenery along the way. This is the King of the Mountains Challenge, the highlight of the Taiwan Cycling Festival, which runs Nov. 9-17.
“On a scale of one to 10, it’s a 20,” said Lee Rodgers, a UK professional cyclist based in Taiwan, about the difficulty of the climb. “I’ve done faster and hotter rides and done longer days in the saddle, but for a one-off, it’s off the scale.”
The final section of the ride is 8 km at a gut-wrenching average gradient of more than 17 percent, in an Alpine climate zone and high enough for race organizers to caution about the risk of altitude sickness. “The last 8 km is even hard on a car. There’s just not enough oxygen for the engine to function properly,” Rodgers said.
According to Rodgers, famous riders coming this year to the fourth edition of the race include Simon Clark, who won the KOM this year in the Vuelta a Espana, and Stefano Pirazzi, who won the KOM in the Giro d’Italia. “There’s also more depth than last year. We’ve got eight other professional hill climbers coming, and leading women’s cyclist Tiffany Cromwell.”
But aside from the insane challenge of the ride and amazing scenery that passes from sub-tropical on the east coast of Hualien, through the world-renowned Taroko Gorge to end at Wuling on Mt. Hehuan, for Rodgers the most astounding thing about the race is that it’s not better known among the international cycling community.
The festival is part of a concerted effort by government agencies and national cycling bodies to give the country an international reputation as a cycle tourism destination to match the world-class bike manufacturing industry that has earned it the title of Bicycle Kingdom.
The event is being organized the ROC Tourism Bureau and the Taiwan Cyclist Federation, with the Sports Council and Environmental Protection Administration heavily involved in promoting the sport.
“Different government agencies are involved in different aspects. For example, the Sports Council is responsible for spending on building bike lanes,” explained professor Chang Hsin-wen, head of the Department of Leisure and Recreation Management of the College of Tourism at Hsinchu City-based Chung Hua University.
Chang is Taiwan’s leading expert on urban planning for cycling, and is currently involved in a project by eight northern cities and counties to fully integrate their more than 2,000 km of cycle paths with an additional 618 km of bike lanes, of which half will fill in gaps in the network. Between 2009 and 2011, US$100 million was invested in new lanes.
“The government is still putting a lot of investment into the hardware side,” meaning bike lanes, Chang said. “They are pursuing both hardware and software aspects. Three years ago the whole-island bikeway plan was created, and there are still some missing links to be filled in.”
“The software side of things is the preserve of the Tourism Bureau,” Chang said, referring to promotion of recreational cycling both domestically and internationally. “As an academic, I’m involved in helping the various government agencies integrate their projects, and things are moving in the right direction.”
The stunning scenery of Tarako Gorge in Hualien County in eastern Taiwan provides a thrilling backdrop to the KOM challenge. (Courtesy of Tourism Bureau)
According to Chang, the division of labor among the various agencies also explains why Taipei City’s YouBike bicycle rental scheme, which has proved wildly successful in recent months, got off to a slow start.
YouBike is a joint scheme by the EPA, Taipei City Government and bicycle manufacturer Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd. More than 9 million rides have been taken since the system began in November 2011, according to a ride counter on the YouBike website.
“The central government funding for YouBike is coming from the EPA because it is considered to be addressing the air pollution issue,” Chang said. “At some stage, hopefully, the funding can be integrated to make it more effective.”
The funding teething troubles are the reason the YouBike scheme was criticized at the start by some foreign observers for being overly cautious. Kevin Mayne, Director of Development at the European Cycle Federation said in a speech to the Taipei Cycle Show in March that “the bike-sharing system in Paris, for example, offered 15,000 bikes when it first launched, while YouBike currently offers only 1,500. Too many cities have started [bicycle schemes] too small.”.
“Since the TCG got involved there has been a massive increase in the number of stations and bikes,” Chang said. There were 108 YouBike rental stations at the time the rental fees were revised in September. TCG plans to increase the number to 173 stations by the end of the year. This a substantial increase on the 62 YouBike rental stops with 2,132 bicycles in April, and the system seems to have finally reached critical mass.
“Its popularity has really exploded in the past 3 months. There are also many domestic tourists taking advantage of the system, and I’m very proud that Taipei’s bike service is now on a par with such European capitals as Copenhagen and Paris,” Chang added.
Thomas Walk, a U.S. expatriate based in Taipei City and procurement manager of Durban Bikes, which sells folding and electric bikes to Brazil and the U.S., agreed that YouBike has proved a tremendous success. “I know several people who use the service. A lot of the users are people new to Taiwan, who are just here for a few months. They find it very convenient.”
Walk also has high praise for the bikes themselves. “I think they did a great job in terms of making it bomb-proof. It has a good locking mechanism and dynamo hubs. You create electricity by pedaling so you always have lights. The bike is a perfect balance of cost and quality. It’s lightweight and fast.”
Chang is also involved in a range of other projects to boost Taiwan as an international biking destination and to make it easier for domestic cyclists to organize trips. For example, she is consulting with various rail organizations to facilitate people bringing their bikes on trains. Whereas in recent years the number of Mass Rapid Transit stations in Taipei City that provide bike access has been steadily increasing, the High Speed Rail has yet to offer this facility.
Taipei City’s YouBike scheme is proving ever more popular, especially on beautiful sunny days. (CNA)
Unlike many biking boosters, Chang does not describe herself as a fitness fanatic, and one of her favorite ideas is organized downhill mountain biking trips, a subject she likes to bring up at any international conference she attends.
“Tourists can be taken up by vehicle and then descend,” Chang said. “We’re working with some travel agencies and bike associations on this and we have a provisional cost estimate for such tours of US$100 per day. When I tell people at conferences, they think this is very cheap.”
Taiwan’s topography makes it ideally suited to tourists of all fitness levels. The western half of the island is a fairly flat plain, while the central mountain chain of the eastern half rises to almost 4,000 meters. But even the eastern half of the island has a coastal highway and a low-lying rift valley connecting Hualien to Taitung.
So while the Taiwan Cycling Festival’s KOM challenge will be whetting the appetites of the professionals and anyone who feels like measuring themselves against European Grand Tour climbers, a round-island ride will depart from nine cities over nine days, which the Tourism Bureau says represents the spirit of moving Taiwan forward.
Taiwan’s recent efforts to boost its profile are paying off. Chang said Japanese film company Dreamkids produced a full-length romantic feature film based on a young couple cycling around the island. Shooting has already wrapped up, and the firm is currently seeking a distribution deal with cinema chains in Japan and Taiwan, she added.
Taiwan is also bidding to host the 2016 Velo-City Global conference. The biennial summit is the international offshoot of the Europe-based Velo-City event and is rapidly becoming one of the foremost international cycle planning meets.
“Velo-City has never been held in Asia,” Chang said. “I have been asking Kevin Mayne for some time if they could hold it here in Taiwan, and now TCG is bidding to host it in 2016. The result will be announced by the end of this year.”
Increased international exposure is the name of the game. Rodgers said a lot more people would come to Taiwan for cycling holidays if they only knew about the fantastic scenery on offer—not to mention the weather, food and friendly people. “Twelve hours on a plane is definitely worth it to be amazed by the hidden gem that is Taiwan.” (SDH)