Hauraki Rail Trail OGImage

Festive 500 2020 Day 2 - Hauraki Rail Trail

---
title: "Alpine, New Jersey"
blurb: "I arrived in New York on the evening of Friday 3rd of May, and it had been raining non-stop for 3 days straight. The forecast finally looked dry the following Tuesday."
type: "activity"
stravaActivityId: "4590347901"
date: "2019-05-07"
coverImage: "/images/alpine-new-jersey/alpine-5.jpg"
ogImage: "/images/alpine-new-jersey/ogImage.jpg"
authorName: "Jacky Lee"
authorUrl: "https://www.instagram.com/p0pmaker"
mapStyle: "satellite"
country: "United States"
published: true
---

This post is a combination of multiple rides on the same route. I arrived in New York on the evening of Friday 3rd of May, and it had been raining non-stop for 3 days straight. The forecast finally looked dry the following Tuesday. Tiffany Tu organised a group ride to Piermont and I RSVPed almost immediately because I had been itching for a ride to explore the roads of New York. We met up near Prospect Park the next morning.

First thing we did was stop by at Rapha New York and get acquainted over morning coffee. Tiffany works for Rapha as a ride leader so she’s the perfect local guide to all things cycling in this city. After coffee we made our way to George Washington Bridge, where we’re linked up with Tiffany’s cycling buddy — Martin.

Along the way we were distracted by the colourful murals at Children's Museum of Arts

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The thrill of the ride began as soon as we left Rapha. We weaved through traffic, dodged oblivious pedestrians crossing the bike lane, bunny hopped potholes and swerved around broken glass, all within the first few kilometers. This is New York after all, if there was one thing I took away from the countless rewatch of Premium Rush and Terry Barentsen – red lights do not apply to cyclists (sans-police), and cheating death is a NYC addiction.

We’re responsible adults though, so quickly made our way to civilized bike lanes of the Hudson River Greenway, along the West side of Manhattan

After 15km of bike lane along the Hudson River, we met up with Martin, and crossed George Washington Bridge into a lookouk point at Fort Lee, New Jersey.

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If you’re feeling adventurous for off road riding, head over to the end of <MapMarker lnglat={[40.84437278689919,-73.96538445550485]} >Shore Road</MapMarker>, walk your bike down a couple of stairs and then gravel your way along the water for around 5 minutes. You’ll reach an <MapMarker lnglat={[40.85254287442346,-73.95944777857068]} >open carkpark</MapMarker> right at the foot of George Washington Bridge. Tiff and I did this on a seperate ride.

# Alpine

On this particular day, we turned into Henry Hudson Dr instead of going off road. It was free of traffic, with abundant greenery surrounding us. This was the complete opposite of the concrete jungle I have heard & seen so much of. I can only imagine the seasonly variations this route will have throughout the year, I must come back and ride through fall & winter.

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60 km in, after some light gravel, we reached <MapMarker lnglat={[41.04192266853337,-73.91764040156538]} >Piermont</MapMarker>, a quant village in upstate, NY. We stopped for a big, carb heavy lunch. I couldn’t resist the urge to down a mid-day beer before we steadily rode home cutting into the headwind along 9W.

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Alpine, New Jersey

---
title: "Amsterdam to Paris – Part 1"
blurb: "This being my first time in Europe, I didn’t want to leave without doing a multi-day bikepacking trip somewhere. I had a vague idea of riding from Amsterdam to Paris."
type: "activity"
stravaActivityId: 4590287361
date: "2019-09-14"
coverImage: "/images/amsterdam-paris-1/9.jpeg"
ogImage: "/images/amsterdam-paris-1/ogImage.jpg"
authorName: "Jacky Lee"
authorUrl: "https://www.instagram.com/p0pmaker"
mapStyle: "satellite"
country: "Netherlands"
published: true
---

This being my first time in Europe, I didn’t want to leave without doing a multi-day bikepacking trip somewhere. I had a vague idea of riding from Amsterdam to Paris, but didn’t start planning anything until one week before the departure. Triggered by a mid winter depression in the southern hemisphere, a friend from Melbourne, Ian, decided to join in on the adventure. He arrived on Thursday evening, and we departed on the following Saturday.

Since we’re in the land of the flat, I planned to ride 550km over 3 days. We booked some Airbnbs for each night and that was the full extent of the planning – I put a lot of faith into Komoot because I did absolutely zero investigation on the route it generated for us 🙃.

- Day 1: Amsterdam to Antwerp
- Day 2: Antwerp to Saint Quentin
- Day 3: Saint Quentin to Paris

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Riding south to the border between Netherlands and Belgium was amazing, because dedicated bike lanes paved the entire way. Better yet, they have under river <MapMarker lnglat={[51.834557,4.514594]} >under river tunnel</MapMarker> for bikes…

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We arrived at Antwerp around 4pm, checked into our Airbnb, then headed out to meet Nicolas, a long time insta friend who’s a local. He kindly showed us around his favourite stomping grounds in the old city of Antwerp, where we bonded over dinner & the finest belgium beers 💯🍻.

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Amsterdam to Paris – Part 1

---
title: "Amsterdam to Paris – Part 2"
blurb: "Ian and I departed for Saint Quentin on the second day. This was the longest leg of the trip, 235km. We were out the door at 6am on the dot, and decided to skip breakfast and head straight to Ghent (60km in) for a hearty breakfast."
type: "activity"
stravaActivityId: 4590287164
date: "2019-09-15"
coverImage: "/images/amsterdam-paris-2/20.jpeg"
ogImage: "/images/amsterdam-paris-2/ogImage.jpg"
authorName: "Jacky Lee"
authorUrl: "https://www.instagram.com/p0pmaker"
mapStyle: "satellite"
country: "Netherlands"
published: true
---

Ian and I departed for Saint Quentin on the second day. This was the longest leg of the trip, 235km. We were out the door at 6am on the dot, and decided to skip breakfast and head straight to Ghent (60km in) for a hearty breakfast.

The morning segments from Antwerp to Ghent was spectacular. We were early enough to ride through the lingering morning mist.

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We rolled into Ghent around 10am and headed straight to a big breakfast. I picked up a bag of dates, bananas for the road, and took a short detour through the town center, before heading back on the road again.

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90 km in, we came across a quaint town. Not sure what the occasion was, but there were a lot of donkeys & horses on the main roads.

130 km in, we arrived at Tournai. We started to think every European town is starting to look the same – Big church with a big square in front.

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# Trouée d’Arenberg

We couldn’t ride through Belgium without paying a visit to the famous Trouée d’Arenberg of Paris Roubaix!

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After pretending to be Peter Sagan racing on the cobbles of Arenberg, we pushed on to our destination of the day – Saint Quentin.

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Amsterdam to Paris – Part 2

---
title: "Amsterdam to Paris – Part 3"
blurb: "After the longest leg from the previous day, we decided to treat ourselves with a bit of snoozing in and began riding at 8am. We only had to cover 150 km, we thought it would be a piece of cake and we’d make it into Paris by early afternoon. Little did we know Komoot would surprise us with some sketchy sand paths that made us walk our bikes, which added 2 hours to our original schedule."
type: "activity"
stravaActivityId: 4590287412
date: "2019-09-16"
coverImage: "/images/amsterdam-paris-3/11.jpeg"
ogImage: "/images/amsterdam-paris-3/ogImage.jpg"
authorName: "Jacky Lee"
authorUrl: "https://www.instagram.com/p0pmaker"
mapStyle: "satellite"
country: "Netherlands"
published: true
---

After the longest leg from the previous day, we decided to treat ourselves with a bit of snoozing in and began riding at 8am. We only had to cover 150 km, we thought it would be a piece of cake and we’d make it into Paris by early afternoon. Little did we know Komoot would surprise us with some sketchy sand paths that made us walk our bikes, which added 2 hours to our original schedule.

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After coffee & bagels, we set off for our final destination — Paris. Ian’s legs felt good that day, mine didn’t. But I was looking forward to a celebratory beer in Paris, so that kept me going.

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# Noyon

40 km in, we stopped by Noyon to get some food at Le Galway Pub, where we binged on buttery olives and a cheeky pint of IPA.

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# Senlis

105 km in, we started feeling peckish, so stopped at another pub in Senlis. Feeling boujee, we got beef tartare and a sandwich. It was bloody good.

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After stuffing our face with delicious food, we gave ourselves the biggest pat on the back thinking the last 50 km into Paris would be breezy. Oh boy were we wrong. Immediately after coming out of Senlis, we found ourselves riding into a forest. The roads gradually turned into gravel, then dirt, then sand… Before we knew it, we were somehow stuck in a middle of a forest, completely unridable. We had to walk our bikes out of that nightmare, onto a main road in order to get on our saddle again.

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# Parisian sunset

Once we were on the main roads, we raced against the clock to get to Paris, and fortunately at 8:30pm we made it into Saint Dennis just in time for the sunset! A friend of mine, Yin-Ho, kindly took us into his house for the night. He even prepared dinner for us and made us feel so welcomed in his place! 🙏 (Yin-Ho if you’re reading this, I heart you.)

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Ian and I spent the next day wandering the streets of Paris.

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Amsterdam to Paris – Part 3

---
title: "Dirty Kanza 100"
blurb: "Dirty Kanza returned for 2019! Knowing I’ll be in the same continent around June, I signed up to Dirty Kanza 100 as soon as it became available in January 2019."
type: "activity"
stravaActivityId: 4590334163
date: "2019-06-01"
coverImage: "/images/dirty-kanza/13.jpeg"
ogImage: "/images/dirty-kanza/ogImage.jpg"
authorName: "Jacky Lee"
authorUrl: "https://www.instagram.com/p0pmaker"
mapStyle: "satellite"
country: "United States"
published: true
---

Dirty Kanza returned for 2019! Knowing I’ll be in the same continent around June, I signed up to Dirty Kanza 100 as soon as it became available in January 2019.

Wahoo Fitness set up a booth at the event this year, and there would also be a group of colleague riding DK100. So in the weeks leading up to the big day, I shameless invited myself to Megan and Clara’s roadtrip from Atlanta to Kansas. They kindly let me tag along on their itinerary for the weekend.

Here’s my gear setup for DK100.

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| Area      | Description                             |
| :-------- | :-------------------------------------- |
| Frame     | Surly Straggler                         |
| Wheelset  | Hunt 30 Carbon Aero Disc                |
| Tyres     | Panaracer GravelKing SK 43 (Tubeless)   |
| Bags      | Rapha Top Tube Pack, Patagonia Hip Pack |
| Hydration | 3 x Water Bottles                       |

On the 29th May afternoon, I flew from New York to Atlanta. The plan was to stay the night at Megan’s house before we drive to Emporia, Kansas first thing in the morning. I took a timelapse video of packing the bike up for air travel.

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If you’re in the market for a bike bag, I highly recommend [Post Carry Co](https://postcarry.co/). Their bags are lightweight (5.4kg) and fits in a boot of standard cars. I have been using this bag for flying with my bike all over this year and it always arrived intact. The only caveat is you’ll need to take the bike apart, but you’ll get the hang of it after a few practices.

Having a lightweight bag is great, why? Because even with my heavy Surly Straggler setup (10kg altogether) the entire bag is only 16kg. This means I can fit all the extras like kits, tools, water bottles & shoes all in one single bag. As long as it’s less than 23kg, most airlines will treat this as a normal check in luggage without charging me extra.

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After a huge flight delay from New York → Atlanta, I arrived at Megan’s place around midnight, where I assembled the bike discreetly in the garage, trying not to wake anyone up in the house.

Next morning at 6am we got ready, strapped down 4 gravel machines on a Honda Fit, and I took a last minute selfie with the Pipe for good luck.

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# Road trip to Emporia

It took us 15 hours to drive from Atlanta to Kansas, with breaks in between. We went through Nashville, and had lunch at St Louis. We randomly found The Hill, an italian neighbourhood, where Yelp recommended us to have some meatball sub & toasted ravioli at <MapMarker lnglat={[38.61521592513967,-90.27759425396755]} >Mama Toscanos</MapMarker> 👌😙

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The day before the big event, we went out for a short test ride on local roads. It was a good opportunity to test the gears out in course conditions. Everyone had a great time out there. I got to meet a few other Wahooligans for the first time. Working remotely means I rarely get to meet other co-workers in person. It’s great to put a face behind the voices of our monthly company meetings.

For the rest of the day I hung out at our Wahoo booth, drank beer and walked around the expo. I also grabbed some nutrition for the race next day.

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# Race day

DK100 kicked off at 6:30am. All of us made our way to the starting line, feeling stoked to enjoy the epic day of riding ahead.

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I joined Matthew & Jose at the front of the pack, and attempted to stick with the front group for as long as I can. The gravel roads were as gnarly as advertised, some with the size of my fists that made a lot of people puncture. Everything went according to plan in the first 40km. My legs felt great and managed to sit comfortably in the middle of the front pack. Then all of a sudden I heard my water bottle cage behind my saddle start to rattle. Before I can do anything about, the cage (with a fullly loaded water bottle) broke off, and I was forced to stop and leave the pack.

Turns out it was a bad idea to run these bottle cage bolts without a rear nut to keep it extra secure. This was a mistake and I paid for it for riding solo for the rest of the race.

Tubeless saved my ass multiple times. there were at least 5 instances where I heard hissing sounds from my rear tyre, and sealant sprayed everywhere on my hip back, but I didn’t have to stop for any punctures the entire ride. The course was really flat, name of the game was really just to keep rolling without any punctures. Each stretch of road were straight & long, with some rolling hills in between.

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Everyone had a chance at taking the 'Chase the Chaise' Salsa photo.

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We had a really fine weather that day, so there weren’t any nasty muddy sections, but it also meant it was scorching hot. Fortunately there was a water stop at 90km in. But having only 3 water bottles, I was out of water with 20km left to go. Just when I thought I’d have to keep riding without any water, an angel appeared on the side of the road and handed me an icy cold gatorade and water enough for the rest of the race.

The last 20km was rough, my back and arms were aching, legs were cramping, and I was only thinking about the cold beer waiting for me at the finish line.

Rolling into the finish line at 6:51, I came 59th/751 and immediately headed to the beer station. Muc-off set up a booth for cleaning everyone’s bikes too, kudos to them.

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Massive thanks to Emporia, the organizers and everyone there that made this event a memorable one in the books. If I have another chance to do it next year I am keen to take a crack at DK200 🤞🏼.


Dirty Kanza 100

---
title: "Tailwinds and trespassing: Puerto Natales to Ushuaia"
blurb: "We started this trip with the least committed attitude of almost any cyclists we’ve encountered. While others declare they’re embarking on multi-year, multi-continent journeys and no, "
type: "route"
stravaRouteId: "2784323291675243336"
date: "2021-10-10"
coverImage: "/images/eileen/01.jpg"
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authorName: "Eileen"
authorUrl: "https://www.instagram.com/eileenschwabnz/"
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country: "Chile"
published: false
originalUrl: "https://itsdownhillfromhere.com/2018/09/09/tailwinds-and-trespassing/"
---

I pity those folk who forgot to check the prevailing wind direction when they booked their tickets to the bottom of the world to start pedalling north. Our encounters with northbound cyclists go along the lines of ‘is it this bad further north?’ wincing at the mere thought of it, and, ‘But I just didn’t know‘ with faces of helpless resignation squinting into the icy barrage. But more so I envy them immensely, being at the beginning of so many epic adventures while we run out of land. Not for the first time I wonder if we should have done the same, if only to have the beautiful prospect of rolling on to the north until the far reaches of Alaska. For now, in consolation, I squeal gleefully at the roaring tailwind that propels us across the steppe.

We started this trip with the least committed attitude of almost any cyclists we’ve encountered. While others declare they’re embarking on multi-year, multi-continent journeys and no, they haven’t ridden a bike since they were kids and have barely spent time in the outdoors – as though these things were barely of relevance – we were the opposite. We loved mountain biking, the outdoors and travel, but still somehow thought maybe this wouldn’t be for us… let’s wait and see, let’s start in the middle where we know it’ll be good. I wasn’t interested in persevering just because I said I would.

I often tell people who eye me up suspiciously when I say this type of trip is fun/amazing/the best thing ever that I have never met an unhappy cycle tourer. It’s almost true. There was that one time in Bolivia we met a couple who seemed to be having a less than ideal time. Likely to do with the fact one of them wanted a European-cycle-path-with-lots-of-wine-and-nice-food sort of experience, but instead found themselves in a freezing high altitude desert with unrideable ‘roads’ and barely enough food, let alone anything tasty. Don’t drag an unwilling partner through a high altitude desert against their will is the moral, I suppose.

By the time we arrive in Ushuaia a part of me just wants to go back to Bolivia or Peru and keep pedalling in the other direction, but as of a few weeks prior we have flights to Europe. People often assume this lifestyle gets harder over time rather than easier. That after nearly two years of a fairly nomadic existence the desire to have more comfort and more stuff must get stronger. It’s an understandable perspective, but once you have descended into full dirtbag mode you might just find you have everything you need.

Our last weeks of riding take us back off the main drag, and even to the beach. We sneak through a mine, some estancias, and a military base, and jump countless gates and fences in the process. By jumping I obviously mean manoeuvring loaded bikes awkwardly and with difficulty. A perfect adventure to end on.

Tierra del Fuego is a wonderful surprise. The scenery is not overly dramatic, with the sort of simple landscapes that leave room for your thoughts and grow on you over time. The trees are turning red and gold and dripping with furry lichen and Guanacos roam around casually. Frosty nights spent camped in the golden grasses of some unsuspecting farmers land have a fitting symmetry with the beginning of our ride in the Peruvian Andes. On our way down a road that can only lead to trespassing a passing farmer reverses and pulls up in his Hilux. ‘Are you planning on cutting through the estancias?’ He asks. A quick assessment and a delayed, tentative but honest answer: ‘Yeaaahhh… is that ok?’ We ask. He proceeds to give us detailed instructions on the best way to trespass: ‘When you get to the big gate with the padlock, jump that, and you’ll get to a few more fences – just jump those too…’. If only everyone was so open to sharing land access.

We share some final nights and days of riding with new friends, pushing on past Ushuaia to the end of the road and Tierra del Fuego National Park. The snow is falling, the nights are crisp, the campsite is almost deserted in early April. We stay three nights and quietly potter about trails and lakes, wallowing in the strange feeling that there is no next section of the route to plan and prepare for.


Tailwinds and trespassing: Puerto Natales to Ushuaia

---
title: "Festive 500 Day 1 - Auckland to Thames"
blurb: "For Festive 500 2020, Kriss and I embarked on a three day light bikepacking trip. This was the first leg."
type: "activity"
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date: "2020-12-26"
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Kriss and I had been wanting to to a multi-day bikepacking trip for a while. The [Festive 500](https://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/stories/festive-500) was upon us and we decided to ride most of the miles over 3 days. The trip was contigent upon Kriss' availability. As a father of 4 children, he had successfully applied for his annual leave with the wifey a couple weeks leading up to Xmas. The plan was to ride the highly rated [Hauraki Rail Trail](https://haurakirailtrail.co.nz/). None of us had done it before. We planned to stay at the same accomodation for 2 consecutive nights, so we wouldn't need to ride the Hauraki Rail Trail with a fully loaded bike on the second day.

We started nice and early at 6am from West Auckland. Like most of our long haul trips, riding out of the city is usually the boring part of the journey. 30 minutes in, it started raining in East Auckland, so we quickly zipped into a <MapMarker lnglat={[-36.92628824608495,174.89510572937272]} >petrol station</MapMarker> for a quick coffee to wait it out.

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As soon we saw a window of opportunity, we mounted on our bikes and continued on. Eventually we reached <MapMarker lnglat={[-36.88103086737414,175.0442371578775]} >Maraetai</MapMarker>, where we stopped for flat white and breakfast. Kriss and I have regularly ridden together and have shared many long days in the saddle over the years. This would be, however, our first multi-day trip together. He's one of my earliest cycling buddies, and have always looked out for me like an older brother when I didn't even know how to fix a puncture out on the road. After the burrito, we kept moving along the coast. Traffic was quiet, and we've taken the pace pretty easy, soaking in plenty of New Zealand's finest but toxic UV rays.

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If you're riding south along East Coast Road, it's mandatory to make a pitstop at [The Pink Shop](https://www.facebook.com/The-Pink-Shop-Kaiaua-254281247949947/). It's hard to miss, because firstly, there's a bright pink sign. Secondly, it's <MapMarker lnglat={[-37.10543456689161,175.29908429988353]} >located</MapMarker> after a really long stretch of road, and you'll likely be suffering from headwind that you'll be wishing for a pitstop to appear magically anyway.

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After The Pink Shop, we knew the hardest part of the day is ahead of us. From Kaiaua to Waitakarua was about 20km of being totally exposed to the coastal headwind. Kriss and I took turns being at the front. That 20km felt like forever and both of us kept checking our Wahoo ELEMNT maps to see when we'd make the sharp left at <MapMarker lnglat={[-37.23883137515326,175.38653393080014]} >Waitakarua</MapMarker>.

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Once we made the turn, it was smooth sailing to the <MapMarker lnglat={[-37.13784919888642,175.54048808848796]} >Thames</MapMarker>. We arrived a tad too early for our check in at [Lady Bowen Bed & Breakfast](http://www.ladybowen.co.nz/), so we decided to roll straight to a local sports bar - the only bar open on boxing day. Beers were consumed, messages about us arriving safely were sent to our loved ones. We sat on the outdoor benches and a local lad - forgot his name - joined our conversations. He advised us to check out a local favourite: [Thames Central Fish & Chips](https://www.facebook.com/Central-Seafoods-Fish-And-Chips-2017-1765574420421494) Thames Central Fish & Chips for dinner.

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We checked in to freshen up. It's amazing how quickly you'll bounce back with a hot shower. Famished, and slightly drunk, we headed straight to the Fish & Chips joint and ordered a 3-person portion of food. We then picked up a box of IPA and enjoyed our dinner outside.

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We continued our beer yarns back at the balcony of Lady Bowen, not long before we hit the hay for a restful sleep for our second day of riding - Hauraki Rail Trail.

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Festive 500 Day 1 - Auckland to Thames

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Flagstaff Summit

---
title: "Girona"
blurb: "Making the most of my last weekend in Europe, I hopped down to Barcelona for 4 days. During one of those days, Katia recommended me to go for a ride in Girona in north eastern Spain."
type: "activity"
stravaActivityId: 4590285714
date: "2019-10-07"
coverImage: "/images/girona/21.jpeg"
ogImage: "/images/girona/ogImage.jpg"
authorName: "Jacky Lee"
authorUrl: "https://www.instagram.com/p0pmaker"
mapStyle: "satellite"
country: "Spain"
published: true
---

Making the most of my last weekend in Europe, I hopped down to Barcelona for 4 days. During one of those days, [Katia](https://www.instagram.com/katiaishere/) recommended me to go for a ride in Girona in north eastern Spain.

I took an early train and arrived in Girona at 8:15am. Feeling dusty, I headed straight to Coffee & Greens for a coffee and croissant. Just as I took my first sip of the flat white, Jimmy Whelan from EF Education First pulls up outside the shop. I guess it’s true that many pro cyclists live in Girona…

After coffee I began the ride for the day. It was stunning in every way. I kept making photo stops to try and capture the moments, especially along the coastal roads looking out to the Balearic Sea. My photos could never do them justice so please go and experience it yourself if you can!

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# Tossa de Mar

The climb out of Tossa de Mar was one of the most enjoyable moments of the entire ride. Looking out over Muralla de <MapMarker lnglat={[41.72623789499207,2.942029152513221]} >Tossa de Mar</MapMarker> was a treat.

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# Sant Feliu de Guixols

70 km in, I stopped at Sant Feliu de Guíxols for a lunch break. Looking out onto the <MapMarker lnglat={[41.780951503310355,3.0327991811520234]} >beach front</MapMarker>, I carbed loaded on some pasta and radler.

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Coming back to Girona, I went through a really nice dirt road Cassà de la Selva. I made it back to Girona about 4pm, and took the train back to Barcelona at 5pm.

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Girona

---
title: "Hauraki Rail Trail"
blurb: "One of New Zealand’s easiest Great Rides, this laid-back Waikato trail follows historic railway lines between the quaint townships of Thames, Paeroa, Te Aroha, Waihi and Matamata."
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Hauraki Rail Trail

---
title: "Hunua Overnighter"
blurb: "Two friends go on an overnight bikepacking trip for the first time."
type: "activity"
stravaActivityId: "4601049995"
date: "2018-11-02"
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“KEEN FOR A HOON!” – was what Sam and I shouted at each other through WhatsApp one evening after watching the first [Outskirts: Route 66](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh25fH5diwQ&t=8s). There’s nothing quite like the feeling of exploring on two wheels. The joy of discovering new grounds at your own pace always brings a smile to our faces. Some say it’s an addiction, I don’t disagree.

It didn’t take long until I purchased a second hand Surly Straggler Disc, and began planning a bike packing trip. Since this was the first time for both Sam and I, we didn’t dare go far. We picked somewhere relatively close to home: Hunua. We met up on Friday around noon at Sam’s work, inhaled some burgers, then took the train to <MapMarker lnglat={[-37.06491030775507,174.9462227103809]} >Papakura</MapMarker>.

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From there we steadily made our way to the camp site at Tapapakanga Regional Park roughly 70km away. The first 20km was nice and flat, filled with plenty of banter. We even made a coffee stop at <MapMarker lnglat={[-37.08239368652029,175.07300154819598]} >Hunua Mini Supermarket</MapMarker> before realising we were pressed with time if we want to arrive at campsite before dark.

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# Momoukai road

As we turned left onto Moumoukai Rd, we became a bit nervous because we knew gravel roads were coming up. The gravel section along Moumoukai Rd & A R A Dr wasn’t new to us, as we had already done a recon ride a few weeks prior. However we weren’t carrying any extra gears like this trip. To make things even harder, I had forgotten the fact that I recently swapped out my front crankset from compact (39/34) to traditional (53/39). We didn’t know what to expect, other than to keep pedaling.

As we hit the climb on Moumoukai, I could immediately feel the extra weight dragging me. It wasn’t too bad though, in the back of my mind I know this isn’t the steepest bit yet, so I just white knuckled the whole way up. Then came the descent into A R A Dr, where I was glad I had some decent Vittoria Cross XG Pro 34 tyres to avoid slipping through the gravel and eat shit.

Going up this climb on A R A Dr was rough. It was only 2km but with an average gradient of 13%. It was hard enough the first time without any extra gears. This time it was utterly unenjoyable. I was forced to come to a complete stop half way up. You know you’re going slow when your ELEMNT computer auto-pauses on ya.

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We were making progress up the hill, albeit rather slowly. We eventually made it to the top of A R A Dr, where we stopped second guessing our life choices and began looking forward to the rest of the route. At this point we were only half way (30km) into the whole trip, but we knew the hardest climb was behind us. All that’s left is a sweet descent, followed by some flat coastal roads into the camp site.

# Broken chains

Unfortunately after the descent, Sam’s bike chain broke. Luckily I packed a chain tool in my bag, otherwise we would be stranded in the middle of the ranges praying for the reception gods to call for an Uber.

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Along the rest of the way we made plenty of quick stops when photo ops presents itself.

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# Tapapakanga campsite

We blitzed through the flat East Coast Rd and made a right turn into <MapMarker lnglat={[-36.97298034418655,175.25397166241484]} >Tapapakanga Regional park</MapMarker>. Immediately passing through the gates we were greeted by a flock of sheep.

Upon arrival, we had about 30 minutes to spare before dark. We quickly set up the tent and prepared dinner – Back Country Cuisine: Free Dried food. Sam and I both were pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was. It’s not the most economical way of camping, but the weight savings compared to carrying fresh ingredients were largely beneficial for an overnight trip like this.

By the time we finished dinner it was about 10pm. We were both knackered and ready for bed. The sleep turned out to be a bit of a nightmare.

Firstly, Sam, the brave, did not bring a sleeping bag and thought his down jacket will suffice the drop in temperature overnight.

Secondly, we made the mistake of setting up the tent on a slope, and both found ourselves toss & turning in the middle of the night waking up at a corner of the tent. It was like sleeping on a slide, but not the fun kind.

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We woke up at 6am to cook breakfast (Backcountry Cuisine). Both of us needed to be home before noon so we packed up and left the camp ground by 8am.

This overnight bike packing trip has been a learning curve for both of us. We both knew this was the first of many trips to come, because there are still so many spots in our backyard that are better discovered on two wheels.


Hunua Overnighter

---
title: "Nikau Cave – Day 1"
blurb: "One of New Zealand’s easiest Great Rides, this laid-back Waikato trail follows historic railway lines between the quaint townships of Thames, Paeroa, Te Aroha, Waihi and Matamata."
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authorName: "Jacky Lee"
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country: "New Zealand"
published: false
---


Nikau Cave – Day 1

---
title: "Ohakune Weekend with GLCC"
blurb: "So the Ohakune weekend Stage 1 was upon us. We’d all managed to navigate our way safely to Ohakune, albeit some where pretty late. We were to get up at 4:30am to be on the road for 5. For those that arrived late on Friday night, that was a shock."
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So the Ohakune weekend Stage 1 was upon us. We’d all managed to navigate our way safely to Ohakune, albeit some where pretty late. We were to get up at 4:30am to be on the road for 5. For those that arrived late on Friday night, that was a shock.

The alarm went off. The usual quietness instilled. No one really talks much at that time in the morning, much less when they are preparing for a very long ride. The usual was had for breakfast. Everyone got dressed silently. Packed their bags, silently. And then proceeded to file outside, yep, silently.

It wasn’t until we were all on the road that the chatter started. Nervous chatter. Chatter about doing 330km. We’d all discussed about carrying less equipment, and share the load. But in the silence no one broached the subject, so we all ended up carrying 2 tubes, gas, levers and tools. The only positive from all of carrying tubes is that we obviously scared the puncture demons away. We had just one puncture the whole day, and that happened early on.

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It all started out so well. A little tail wind, not too cold, and this time we had a group of seven riders. Then we hit the desert road. From here until just after the central plateau it all turned to shit. It started to rain. The wind was now wrapping around the mountain and offering us a headwind. The road surface is unkind to cyclists, even more so with roadworks. Although the shoulder is wide in places, it’s non-existent in others. When dealing with trucks it makes it especially scary.

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As soon as we reached the summit of the desert road, we cruised down to Turangi. A gentle roll at 40kph for 30 km. The feeling of reaching the highest point of the ride can’t be over exaggerated. It was here that the rain finally stopped for a while. We were frozen. Guy too cold to change gears with his fingers. He’d decided to brave the cold in just a jersey. Mad, simply mad, I tell you. The rest of us at least had a jacket.

We arrived in Turangi. Headed straight for the <MapMarker lnglat={[-38.99003237214845,175.80845096342657]} >nearest cafe</MapMarker>. Breakfast and multiple coffees, all of which were pretty top notch. Trying to eat whilst shivering was proving a problem. Guy looked hypothermic. That warmed me up, knowing I wasn’t the coldest in our group. We had to make a decision. Would we be able to make 330km, or should we be sensible and cut it short! The answer was proving difficult to find. I made the executive decision that we should just abandon our dreams of reaching 330. Let’s just cut it short and let sanity prevail. As soon as it was suggested that we would cut it short everyone agreed in haste.

We finally left the café, and rode off towards Te Pihanga Saddle Road, state highway 47. It’s a 6km climb at 7%. We last tackled this climb at 240km. This time we are tackling it at 93km. That made one hell of a difference. My legs felt fresh, although my heart rate didn’t suggest that. The rain made an appearance once again. It wasn’t welcome. I continued up the hill as to not slow the group down. They visited the scenic lookout. This bought me enough time to make it to the top and down the other side before they rejoined. A crafty move it could be said, especially for the Strava data. That didn’t matter though.

We regrouped and made our way to National Park. A <MapMarker lnglat={[-39.17503590730302,175.4007709841645]} >cafe</MapMarker> and food beckoned. We could smell coffee. And with a good tailwind now playing its part, we knocked off the next 45km pretty quickly. National Park couldn’t come soon enough. Although we’d eaten only 3 hours previously, too soon for some, we all dived in and fed our souls.

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Everyone was a little warmer and happier, now. We were fed and watered. The weather had improved. From National Park all the way to Ohakune we’d be gifted a tail wind. Absolute bliss. We raced along highway 4 towards the Makatote Viaduct railway bridge. We stopped to take some fresh team jersey pics. A great backdrop and well earned rest. The bridge is an absolute stunner. If you’re ever in the area it’s worth stopping and checking out.

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The final dash for Ohakune was a smashfest. All guns blazing we roared to the finish. A smash for the line as we finished the final stage of the day. Glory was ours. Onto the pub, well, café (again).

A dash to the old railway station for some more GLCC jersey pics, and our journey was nearly over. Although it was cut short, we felt this was the best decision for everyone. A night in the Powderkeg made sure of that. Everyone had a few beers and then it was straight to sleep, ready for the Turoa TT the next day.

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# Makatote Viaduct

The Makatote Viaduct Bridge 179 takes the North Island Main Trunk railway (NIMT) across the Makatote River. It is 335.7 km from Wellington, at the foot of Ruapehu, in northern Manawatu-Wanganui (central North Island), between National Park and Ohakune.

It was built between 1905 and 1908 for the Public Works Department (PWD), who passed it to New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) in 1909

When built it was tallest, and is now the third tallest, viaduct in New Zealand, the higher ones being the 1981 North Rangitikei 81 metres, further south on the NIMT, and 1937 Mohaka viaduct 95 metres, on the Gisborne line.

# Ohakune

Settlement of the <MapMarker lnglat={[-39.418371813093465,175.40014549560132]} >town</MapMarker> is considered to have commenced in the early 1890s and by March 1908 the railway line had reached Ohakune.The period of railway construction activities was followed quickly by intensive timber milling; as the forest was cleared, cattle and sheep were introduced and farming progressed. Ohakune was constituted a town district in August 1908 and in November 1911 attained borough status.

The meaning of the name Ohakune in the Māori language is “the place of” (Ō) “the careful ones” (hakune).

Known for it’s skiing, it’s also worth checking Ohakune out in the Summer. The roads south are great for road cycling. There’s also plenty of mountain biking to be had. It’s Home of the Ohakune Old Coach Road and the starting point for the Mountains to Sea cycle trail.

There’s plenty of great accommodation in Ohakune, but I’d recommend staying close to the town centre. It has a great heart, and the locals are friendly.


Ohakune Weekend with GLCC

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Pingtung Randoneur

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title: "Waiheke Man O'War Bay Road"
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- Meet up at the ferry terminal and ride from there.
- Lunch will be back in Oneroa.
- Catch the 7am ferry from AKL city, and ride from waiheke at 7:45.
- Route will take a few hours, with optional lunch once back at Oneroa.


Waiheke Man O'War Bay Road

---
title: "The Great Taste Trail - Tasman Region, New Zealand"
blurb: "For the Christmas holidays in 2020 our family headed down to Richmond, just outside Nelson on the top of New Zealand’s South Island. It’s a genuinely pretty part of the world with some great riding to be done in amongst the fruit farms, vineyards and coastline of Tasman Bay."
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For the Christmas holidays in 2020 our family headed down to Richmond, just outside Nelson on the top of New Zealand’s South Island. It’s a genuinely pretty part of the world with some great riding to be done in amongst the fruit farms, vineyards and coastline of Tasman Bay.

I had brought my Aspero down, equipped with its gravel tyres, and was keen to get at least one 100km+ ride during our time there. I chose the Sunday after Christmas to do the ride, and decided to give the Great Taste Trail a go - it had been recommended by a few locals and looked like a good morning’s ride.

The route officially begins and ends in Nelson, but I started in Richmond. Tasman has a really well developed series of cycle trails, and that’s where I jumped on (just behind the Richmond McDonald’s.

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The initial 20km of trail mostly consists of concrete bike paths, roads and some gravel trails and suspension bridge crossing. All flat as can be, but riding alongside vineyards and Wairoa River to Brightwater, and along a fairly straight roadside into Wakefield. Taking a 90º right hander, you are guided along the trail into Wakefield village. The signage got a bit confusing there, as the there are two options for the trail and the one I wanted wasn’t well sign posted… A quick check on Google Maps and I figured out which way I wanted to go.

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The next 5km were ridden along a beautiful valley road, climbing ever so slightly towards forestry land. As you enter the pine forests, the road turns to gravel and the gradient steps up a wee bit, taking you on a very steady climb to the days highest point.

In case you haven’t gathered, the ride is a very low elevation one.

The winding 5km climb up to Dovedale Hill Summit (a not-so-whopping 326m elevation) is genuinely one of the prettiest roads I’ve ever ridden. Not to mention one of the quietest. At the summit, the road drops through recently logged areas, down a descent that would put a smile on anyone’s face.

At the bottom of the descent, the road switches back to tarmac and winds through picturesque New Zealand countryside until it intersects with the Motueka Valley highway, running alongside the Motueka river.

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Thankfully, the route takes you almost immediately across the river to a super quiet road that follows the course of the river. It rolls through orchards, berry farms and even a deer farm, with glimpses of the river and the odd trout fisherman along the way.

At this part of the ride, my left knee began to ache; courtesy of a low-speed crash a couple of weeks beforehand. Plus, the wind had started to pick up, but thankfully not too strongly. Given that I was more or less half way on a big loop, there was nothing to do but pedal on…

Heading towards Riwaka, the road began to get busier, but people were courteous and relaxed (a nice change for NZ motorists. Maybe it was the holiday vibe).

Coming through Riwaka, the trail goes off road and onto a reasonably well maintained path before switching back to road again as it nears Motueka. I didn’t really enjoy this part of the ride in truth, as my knee was now sore and I was not relishing the remaining 50km.

To add salt to the wound, the coffee shops were all closed!?!

The trail winds around the coastal outskirts of Motueka, which if I do the ride again, I will avoid and head straight through the town, as they’re more geared to low-speed tourist type riders.

Leaving Motueka, the trail heads back inland and to Moutere, where you head back onto blissful gravel farm roads. That road does climb a wee bit up to a lookout point, and then skirts a ridgeline for a few KM before heading down towards Mapua.

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A long, fast 4km descent take you back down towards the coast. I stuck to the road, but the trail does run alongside it.

By this stage my knee was screaming at me, so I made a call to my wife and organised a pickup in Mapua. Leaving another 10km to ride along nicely maintained cycle tracks.

I arrived in Mapua with enough time to grab a coffee before my brother-in-law arrived to bail me out.

The trail actually continues from Mapua, across to Rabbit Island (via a 5 minute ferry crossing). The trails on Rabbit Island and then back into Richmond are superb! I had ridden them just before Christmas, so didn’t feel like I missed out too much.

Overall, it was a really nice ride and I definitely recommend it. The whole thing could probably be handled on 28mm road tyres, but I was happy with my 40mm Terreno Drys.

Things to be aware of: the back part of the ride is isolated and there’s very little mobile coverage, and the coffee shops close early on Sundays.


The Great Taste Trail - Tasman Region, New Zealand

---
title: "Tour of The Walking Dead"
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During my first week of employment at Wahoo Fitness, I went over to Atlanta, Georgia to meet everyone at Wahoo HQ. It was kinda cool to see the mothership in person, as I’ve only seen it previously from DC Rainmaker.

Within the first couple of days, we were kindly hosted by David, our Head of Engineering at his mansion, to some sweet barbecue, beers & golf cart shenanigans.

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The team organised a spare bike for me during my stay. In the weekend Ben, Michael and I headed up north to Cartersville for a nice local scenic ride. I was told we‘d be riding near some shooting locations of The Walking Dead.

We managed to fit 3 road bikes into a rental car, and drove 50 minutes to Anheuser-Busch car park, where we unloaded the bikes and began the ride.

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We rode at a nice, steady pace, taking in the surroundings around us. The weather was perfect. Occasionally I’d spot the fluttering flags of Trump and America – a patriotic sight rarely seen anywhere else. After a gentle 50km, we made our way back to the carpark, and headed back to our AirBnb at Buckhead. We then wrapped up the evening with a local baseball game at SunTrust park.

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Thanks Ben and everyone at the Wahoo HQ for showing me around Atlanta. I had a great time and can’t wait for my next trip over!


Tour of The Walking Dead

---
title: "Turoa: NZ’s only HC climb"
blurb: "After an ultimately great 180km ride on our previous day, we’re ready to climb New Zealand’s only Hors Category (HC) road. We were, and continue to be surprised that the Ohakune to Turoa climb is NZ’s only HC climb. When you think of all of the other mountain roads there are throughout NZ, it’s a little surprising. Anyway, we were heading up the hill at 7am."
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After an ultimately great 180km ride on our previous day, we’re ready to climb New Zealand’s only Hors Category (HC) road. We were, and continue to be surprised that the Ohakune to Turoa climb is NZ’s only HC climb. When you think of all of the other mountain roads there are throughout NZ, it’s a little surprising. Anyway, we were heading up the hill at 7am.

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We’d definitely not had a big night the night before. In fact, we only managed a couple of beers each. Although I am sure that had we not been riding today then it could’ve been a lot worse. We’d got all of our gear ready the night before. Most opted for just one water bottle. It’s only 17km, but would probably take us close to 90 minutes.

We set off in the rain, yet again (that was the theme for the weekend). We’d decided that we’d ride at our own pace, and if that pace included others then so be it. For the first 2 km we acclimatised and eventually took off our jackets, except Guy, he just didn’t wear one. Actually, he didn’t wear one for the whole weekend, despite the rain.

We rode together for the first 6km. That was until we reached a gravel section. Mark and I had ridden up to that point on the Friday before. We elected not to say anything, there may have been a few folk that wouldn’t ride if they knew. As soon as we hit the gravel, BOOM, Guy got a puncture. That was him out of the game. He decided rather than ruin a pair of carbon soled shoes that he’d walk down. All 6km of it. We later met him at the café.

The first 6km are gentle. It barely gets above 5%. The next 5km are pretty tough, with gradients barely dropping below 9%. Then there’s a rest section. It’s a false flat for a few KMs. The last 3km are just brutal. There are some pitches in the 20s, but rarely fall below 10%. It’s a tough climb. The car parks can’t come soon enough. As you make your way around the last bend it’s almost an anticlimax. One huge carpark, a few buildings, and the chairlifts.

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Kriss and Guy started hard and fast. Guy punctured, Kriss led the way. It wasn’t long before Jacky took control. With a pedal stroke so smooth, and age on his side, he soon disappeared from sight. Mark and I cycled a lot of the way together. Ian and Peter were just behind. Suddenly there was a rampaging noise behind us. Peter was on the charge. Not sure what he’d taken, but whatever it was was working well, and I wanted some.

Peter was a man possessed. He whizzed past me. He soon caught Mark and Kriss. And then he caught Jacky, although I wouldn’t have believed it possible. It was only when Jacky congratulated him on the KOM that I realised what had happened. For a guy who’s only been cycling 3 years, and was heavier than all of us, he managed a herculean effort.

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Jacky, followed by Mark, then myself, Kriss and Ian, all managed it, Turoa had been conquered. For most it was their first HC climb. And their first taste of what a great descent is like. It’s not often in NZ that you go downhill for 30 minutes.

We descended as quick as possible. It was freezing. We wrapped up warm, or as warm as our clothes would allow, and quickly dropped down the mountain. The only hold up was the nasty gravel section. As soon as we hit the bottom of the climb we headed straight for coffee. We all had a feeling that Guy would be there. We weren’t disappointed.

Mark went and got the car and picked up Guy and his punctured bike. We all made our way back to our lodgings. As soon as we’d finished our ablutions we were out of there, homeward bound. And if wasn’t for the traffic jams, the whole weekend would’ve been a massive success.

Thanks to everyone for making the effort.


Turoa: NZ’s only HC climb

---
title: "Wellington to Auckland: Mission Aborted"
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published: true
---

Why catch a plane when you can ride 900k from Wellington to Auckland? This is a story about two optimistic bike fanatics taking a punt at riding 900 km from Wellington to Auckland over 4 days.

In the beginning of 2018 I was staying in Wellington for work. Near the end, instead of flying home to Auckland, Sam and I decided it would be more epic to ride our bikes from Wellington to Auckland. We convinced ourselves that this could be one of our epic tales we share in the future. Lots of people have done this ride before, surely we can do it — or so we thought.

We picked a route 900 km in total, and set out to complete it over 4 days.

- Day 1: Wellington to Whanganui (200 km / 1200 m elevation)
- Day 2: Whanganui to Taupo (238 km / 2600 m elevation)
- Day 3: Taupo to Hamilton (158 km / 1200 m elevation)
- Day 4: Hamilton to Auckland (151 km / 600 m elevation)

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Sam flew into Wellington with his slick Baum green machine. He assembled the bike in 10 minutes, we left the cardboard box in the airport, and off we went to the apartment I was staying at near Mount Victoria. We spent the rest of the day chilling, enjoying a sunny cruise along Wellington waterfront. We thought the weather couldn’t have been more perfect for our multi-day bike trip the next day.

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We woke up before sunrise at 6am to the sound of gusty wind hailing outside our window. Forecast told us we would be pushing through a strong 47 km/h northerly wind. That was bad news: To get to Whanganui, it’s all north, which meant we’ll be served headwind for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We headed straight to a local cafe, <MapMarker lnglat={[-41.29234341787124,174.78190860072192]} >Joe's Garage</MapMarker>, and filled ourselves up with a big breakfast and caffeine.

By 8am we began our departure for Whanganui. Riding out Wellington was harder than expected. Wind was coming at us from every direction as we rode past large blocks of buildings in the city. It didn’t take long before we found ourselves on the <MapMarker lnglat={[-41.24237942479314,174.81181044293493]} >State Highway 1</MapMarker> , climbing out alongside other traffic heading north. To our surprise there were plenty of space for us on the shoulder, it wasn’t as terrifying as we thought.

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Along the highway there were heaps of <MapMarker lnglat={[-41.072208371041555,174.8752495708074]} >Seperate cycle way</MapMarker> along State Highway 1, which was always welcomed to add a bit of variety to the riding.

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After the fruit stop, we hit the road again for another hour. The wind was calm, but we were 120 km into the trip and started feeling fatigue. We stopped at <MapMarker lnglat={[-40.47822183544056,175.2845629311815]} >Foxton</MapMarker> for some snack and moral boost. We had another 100 km to go before Whanganui. We had 4 more hours of daylight and felt the need to get back on the road as soon as we could.

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After Foxton we steadily made way to Bulls without much trouble. We thought we would be sweet rest of the way, but Bulls to Whanganui turned out to be the toughest section of the whole trip. Either we have physically hit a wall at the 150 km mark, or the headwind got stronger on the wide open terrain. The headwind was consistently there, working against us. We had our head down, working our legs but the fastest we could go capped at 13 km/h.

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The last leg was slow and torturous, after 9.5 hours of moving time, we made it to Whanganui at 8:40pm. We rolled straight into a Noodle Canteen, had the best fried noodle of my life, then checked in at <MapMarker lnglat={[-39.92682091093479,175.04703320069254]} >College House Backpackers</MapMarker>. Safe to say both of us were cooked after a long day, and went straight to bed.

# Day 2: Mission aborted

After the first torturous day, both of us knew there was no way we would be able to finish our day 2 ride from Whanganui to Taupo – 240 km, with twice the elevation. Even worse, the forcast said it was going to rain a lot. We decided to throw in the towel and go for plan B – get hitched by a friend who were conveniently driving a bus from Wellington to Auckland on that day. We cruised 50 km back to Bulls and waited for the bus at the BP petrol station.

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So there you go, this is a story about two optimistic bike fanatics taking a punt at riding 900 km from Wellington to Auckland over 4 days. We felt underprepared (physically & gear) after the first day. Knowing that was supposed to be the easiest leg, we didn’t want to risk getting stranded out there with minimal summer gear. This has been a good learning experience and we’re keen to do it again sometime in the future with a bigger group.


Wellington to Auckland: Mission Aborted

---
title: "Chapter2 Taiwan Travel – Part 1"
blurb: "Summiting Wuling has always been on my bucket list, I immediately contacted Yao Bike and signed up."
type: "activity"
stravaActivityId: 4601049003
date: "2019-04-06"
coverImage: "/images/wuling-day-1/26.jpeg"
ogImage: "/images/wuling-day-1/ogImage.jpg"
authorName: "Jacky Lee"
authorUrl: "https://www.instagram.com/p0pmaker"
mapStyle: "satellite"
country: "Taiwan"
published: true
---

The week I arrived in Taiwan in January, a Facebook Event from Yao Bike appeared on my feed. The event was for a bike ride itinerary onto the highest point in Taiwan: Wuling.

The itinerary:

- Day 1: Taipei → Yilan • 106km / 710m
- Day 2: Yilan → Wuling Farm • 99km / 2620m
- Day 3: Wuling Farm → Wuling • 63km / 2326m

Summiting Wuling has always been on my bucket list, so I immediately contacted Yao Bike and signed myself up. For those that don’t know, cycling to Wuling is considered one of the toughest climb in the world. It is the reason hundreds of professional cyclists travel here to attempt the famous Taiwan KOM race, held every year in October.

Our route won’t be entirely the same as the Taiwan KOM, since we’re going up through the north side of the mountain. But the infamous ‘last 10km’ will be the same, so we can at least experience why everyone hates it in the race.

The day finally came and cyclists from all over the Asia Pacific region (Thailand, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China) gathered in Taipei the day before the departure. I took the high speed train from Kaohsiung to Taipei, arrived at around 1pm UiNN Business Hotel, assembled my bike, then did some work at the cafe until the briefing.

There were around 30 riders that came from all over the Asia Pacific Region. I admit I was envious of everyone's slick Chapter 2 bikes.

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Name tags and feed bag were handed out to everyone at the start of the briefing.

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Yao from Yao Bike carefully briefed everyone on the 268km / 5600m elevation gain itinerary for the next 3 days. Everyone was 'stoked!'.

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After breakfast at the hotel restaurant, everyone gathered at the lobby around 8am for the departure. Everyone was friendly, excited but generally nervous about the next few days of riding. Even though we all knew the today was the easiest leg, we were mentally psyching ourselves up for day 2 & 3. Despite the language barrier between some of us, we all had a common goal: Making it up to Wuling.

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Riding through Taipei city was fun, the roads weren’t particularly busy. We kept the pace nice and steady, just slow enough to have a conversation with whoever’s around you. This was nice because I didn’t know anyone in the group.

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Roughly 20km in, we began climbing out of Taipei, through Pingxi.

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65km in we made a lunch stop at Fulong. then another slow & steady flat section into Yilan. In true Taiwanese spirit, we took a pitstop for some boba tea before heading into our accomodation.

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Some of us headed straight into the rooftop spa & pool at the hotel. We figured any
sort of muscle recovery would be ideal for the brutal climbs for the next couple
of days.

## Photo Credits

Photos from this entry is provided by ([Dom](https://www.facebook.com/domhosports), [CJ](https://www.facebook.com/chunju.lin.315)).


Chapter2 Taiwan Travel – Part 1

---
title: "Chapter2 Taiwan Travel – Part 2"
blurb: "We had a lot of elevation to cover for day 2 so we departed from Yilan at 7:30 in the morning. Everybody looked fresh and stoked to tackle 100km / 2500m from Yilan to Wuling Farm."
type: "activity"
stravaActivityId: 4589802390
date: "2019-04-07"
coverImage: "/images/wuling-day-2/01.jpg"
ogImage: "/images/wuling-day-2/ogImage.jpg"
authorName: "Jacky Lee"
authorUrl: "https://www.instagram.com/p0pmaker"
mapStyle: "satellite"
country: "Taiwan"
published: true
---

We had a lot of elevation to cover for day 2 so we departed from Yilan at 7:30 in the morning. Everybody looked fresh and stoked to tackle 100km / 2500m from Yilan to Wuling Farm.

20km in, the road began pointing upwards and the group started splitting. I held onto the wheels of the first group until I regretted the stupid decision. Kim (Chapter 2 distributor from Korea) and I decided to be sensible and peel off the back and ride at our own pace.

To regroup, we made our first pit stop 48km in at <MapMarker lnglat={[24.574972,121.478008]}>Datong Junior High School</MapMarker> School. Soft drinks and snacks were handed out, it was a much needed sugar top up because we still had about 2000m elevation to cover.

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At 63km in, we made our second pit stop at <MapMarker lnglat={[24.487625851507882,121.426612596537]}>Siji Elementary School</MapMarker> The sun was beating down and everyone was cooked!

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At this point, Terence warned me about what’s coming up. He said we’re about to enter a long stretch of false flats, and the climb is going to feel never-ending. He wasn’t joking, riding through the section was torturous, but luckily I had Kim to keep me company.

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The false flats lasted for about 10km, then we all regrouped at a FamilyMart convenience store. Everyone was starving at this point, and inhaled everything we bought for lunch. I had some instant noodles, a banana and a hot long black coffee.

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After lunch, the road continues to kick upwards. This was the last stop before we reached the highest point of the day, at <MapMarker lnglat={[24.397215233823427,121.35682959230122]}>Siyuan Yakou</MapMarker>. The group eventually turned into a string of riders, all grinding it to the top. Everyone was happy the hardest part of the day was over. It was all downhill from that point… for now.

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## Photo Credits

Photos from this entry is provided by ([Dom](https://www.facebook.com/domhosports), [CJ](https://www.facebook.com/chunju.lin.315)).


Chapter2 Taiwan Travel – Part 2

---
title: "Chapter2 Taiwan Travel – Part 3"
blurb: "The final day of the trip came faster than I anticipated. Time certainly flies when you’re having fun in the saddle. The morning began with breakfast at 7:00am, then meet up at 7:30pm for departure."
type: "activity"
stravaActivityId: 4558701767
date: "2019-04-08"
coverImage: "/images/wuling-day-3/11.jpg"
ogImage: "/images/wuling-day-3/ogImage.jpg"
authorName: "Jacky Lee"
authorUrl: "https://www.instagram.com/p0pmaker"
mapStyle: "satellite"
country: "Taiwan"
published: true
---

The final day of the trip came faster than I anticipated. Time certainly flies when you’re having fun in the saddle. The morning began with breakfast at 7:00am, then meet up at 7:30pm for departure.

Word on the street (anyone that’s done Wuling before) warned everyone to take it easy today. Pacing is critical to prepare yourself for the “last 10km”. The “last 10km” came up multiple times this trip. Poetically they called it 天堂路(Road to Heaven) and it’s the section before summiting Wuling, the highest road in Taiwan.

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The air at 1700m elevation was chilly in the morning. We departed at an easy pace, and began with 300m of climbing.

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At 14km in, we made a brief stop at <MapMarker lnglat={[24.297355273332,121.28024555713787]} zoom={17}>Qingquan Bridge</MapMarker>. This bridge was built by the in 1954, a popular destination for anyone travelling through here.

From here it was a steady 4% hill without too many sharp pinches. [Jay](https://www.instagram.com/ecboyy/), [Terence](https://www.instagram.com/terence.yeh/) and I found ourselves pacing nicely in the same bunch. It didn’t take long before we reached the tunnel. This tunnel in <MapMarker lnglat={[24.180782346770506,121.30999078301681]} zoom={17}>Dayuling</MapMarker> marks the beginning of the “last 10km”. Some of us took a toilet stop for some strategic offload. I swallowed my last energy bar, hoping I don’t ever need to do the walk of shame.

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Immediately after we made a right turn at the tunnel, the road kicked straight up
to a whopping 11%, and stayed there. It was like staring at a merciless wall. I found
myself looking away at what’s ahead, staring at my handlebar was far less intimidating.

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The hairpins here were the steepest I have ever ridden, sometimes at 20% at certain areas, where I had to do the delicate balance of wheelie vs. spinning out. To make things even harder, the high altitude made if difficult to breath, and my heart rate peaked only at 160. Each pedal felt heavier than usual. Fortunately Terence was my climbing buddy for the day, I don’t know how he’s doing this on a 36/25 gear ratio, bloody insane.

After an hour of agony, Terence and I finally made it to the summit. The pilgrimage was complete, and I couldn’t tell if my tears were from joy or the unforgiving freezing wind at 3275m elevation.

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Today was a massive success, the pilgrimage to <MapMarker lnglat={[24.137134948704695,121.27583873227155]}>Wuling</MapMarker> was as tough as advertised. I can’t imagine having to race the 100km from sea level to here. This was a humbling experience, and it’s motivating me to train harder, so one day I can attempt the Taiwan KOM.

## Special Credits

This trip wouldn’t have been possible by the amazing organiser ([Yao Bike](https://www.facebook.com/yaobike/)) & photographers ([Dom](https://www.facebook.com/domhosports), [CJ](https://www.facebook.com/chunju.lin.315)).
