Five stages. 490km. 2,124m of climbing. Our sore seat situation that shall not be dwelt upon but cannot be entirely ignored.
By the numbers, we’re at the halfway point of Taiwan pedal.360 2026. Ten stages, and we’ve completed five. But numbers, as this trip keeps reminding us, only tell part of the story. The 494km ahead is broadly similar to what we’ve covered. The 6,361m of climbing ahead is not. We’ve done 2,124m. We have three times that still to come, concentrated in the east coast stages and the final push back over the mountains to Taipei. Halfway in stages. Somewhere well short of halfway in effort.
And yet, the legs are holding up stronger than either of us had any right to expect. We should probably confess at this point that the two months before departure were not, shall we say, characterised by intensive cycling preparation. Generally fit, yes. Trained for back-to-back century rides across Taiwan, not exactly.
The West Coast
Stages 1 through 5 have taken us down Taiwan’s west coast, from Taipei through Hsinchu, Changhua, Chiayi, Kaohsiung and now to Fangshan at the island’s southwestern tip. The west is industrial, agricultural, dense with cities and traffic and infrastructure. It is not, in the conventional sense, the scenic half of the route. The east coast, which begins properly tomorrow is where the landscape opens up.
But the west has delivered its own rewards. The cycling infrastructure has been genuinely impressive: dedicated cycleways, rest stops, clear signage including the Cycling Route No.1, which has been our companion throughout. Taiwan has invested in making this kind of journey possible, and it shows.
What the west has delivered most, though, is people.
The People
If there is one thing that defines the first half of this trip, it’s the warmth of everyone we’ve encountered. Cars honking and waving, not in frustration, in encouragement. Riders on bikes calling out as they pass. Strangers taking a moment at a traffic light to point two cyclists towards a better route.
Today, an elderly man on a scooter pulled alongside us and, with considerable insistence and even more warmth, handed over his egg and fish sandwich. He wanted nothing in return except to see us fed and encouraged. Alex carried it to the 7-Eleven stop and ate it there. It was, by all accounts, excellent.
These moments accumulate. They become the texture of the trip, as much a part of the experience as the kilometres and the climbing.
The Stages
Stage 1 (Taipei → Hsinchu, distance: 94km, climb: 666m) announced itself with three climbs and a max speed of 47.5km/h on the way down. A proper opening statement.
Stage 2 (Hsinchu → Changhua, distance: 123km, climb: 695m) was the early examination, a route closure added 10km, a chain decided to take a break mid-stage, and the climbing came in at nearly double what the plan suggested. The legs passed the test, if not entirely comfortably.
Stage 3 (Changhua → Chiayi, distance: 79km, climb: 215m) was the one where everything clicked. Finished by noon. Mercifully flat. The relief of a short day after Stage 2 was considerable.
Stage 4 (Chiayi → Kaohsiung, distance: 124km, climb: 350m) was the longest day yet, through agricultural and industrial Taiwan, tracking the HSR line into the city through intersection after intersection, a masterclass in patience, as it turned out.
Stage 5 (Kaohsiung → Fangshan, distance: 69km, climb: 198m) brought the coast, the mountains on the horizon to our left, and the growing sense that the landscape is shifting. Fangshan sits right on the water. The accommodation was directly on the route. We rolled in at 12:15pm, five stages done.
Where We Are
The sore seat is real. The weary legs are real. The excitement every single morning, for what the day holds, what the road will bring, who we’ll meet, is equally real, and has not diminished once.
Tomorrow, Stage 6. Fangshan to Taitung, 89km, 1,150m of climbing. The mountains to our left today become the road beneath our wheels.
The second half of Taiwan pedal.360 starts now and it has considerably more to say.
