The Route

Three opening climbs burned the legs harder than expected despite looking gentle on paper, setting the tone for a deceptively demanding first day. We averaged 21.2 km/h and hit 47.5 km/h on the biggest descent, an early adrenaline rush and a first lesson in how much snacking three hours of continuous cycling actually demands. Hsinchu rewarded an early finish with some excellent noodle houses in the heart of Taiwan's semiconductor belt.

An early resolve test. A route closure forced a 10 km detour, a chain that decided to take an unscheduled break, and a gear issue that needed a roadside repair, with the climbing coming in at nearly double what was planned, though spread gradually enough that the legs didn't fully register it. We still maintained 22.5 km/h moving speed and hit a slightly reckless 57.2 km/h descent. Changhua more than made up for the day: kind strangers navigated us through stinky tofu, and one shop owner's daughter personally walked us through a shaved ice bowl of taro balls, red beans and purple rice.

The shortest day on paper, finished by noon with energy left over. A one-kilometre detour around a bridge closure, one mandatory 7-Eleven stop, and not a single other cyclist spotted all day. Chiayi then delivered: soup noodles at a traditional restaurant, and after sundown the Wenhua Road Night Market for grilled skewers from an ornate red cart, hot-and-sour noodles, banana pancakes and a fried cheese baton of frankly alarming proportions. No regrets.

The longest day of the trip so far at 124 km and the warmest at 26°C, winding through agricultural and industrial Taiwan in equal measure. The final stretch into Kaohsiung tracked the High Speed Rail line, a masterclass in patience through intersection after intersection, traffic light after traffic light. We averaged 21.7 km/h and decided we were, apparently, naturally patient people suited for exactly this kind of grinding urban riding.

A shorter southern push that brought the coast into view for the first time, with mountains appearing on the horizon to the east. Fangshan sits right on the water with accommodation directly on the route, and we were done by 12:15pm. By stage count we were halfway; by effort we were nowhere near, with 6,361 m of climbing still ahead on the east coast and the final run back to Taipei.

Taiwan showed us what it was capable of. Gusts strong enough in the first ten minutes that we nearly came off the bikes, then sustained headwinds for 90% of the ride that crushed our moving average to 15.9 km/h despite a respectable 1,299 m of climbing. The 5 km ascent from the west coast to the east coast at the 18 km mark was when it really started to bite, but the long descent to the Pacific on the far side revealed the ocean in every imaginable shade of blue. Hot springs in Taimali dealt with what the wind had done to the legs.

The perfect response to Stage 6. A rock-solid ride from a 6:25am start, light headwinds that gradually eased as the day opened up into lush green mountains, rice fields and long valley stretches, with constant “Jiayou!” encouragement from locals passing in cars and on scooters. Nutrition executed flawlessly: 20.4 km/h moving average and an 18.7 km/h overall, the best of the trip, over 117 km in 6h16m with 91% moving time. The finish demanded one last 2.5 km climb to gain 100 m, because apparently arriving gently wasn't on the agenda.

Rain arrived for the first time, not a passing drizzle but enough to stop, layer up and cover the panniers. A humbling reminder that Taiwan doesn't owe us perfect weather. Despite the wet start the day stayed clean: 21.6 km/h moving average, 80% moving time, done before noon. All day the peaks were closing in as we moved deeper into Hualien county, mountains shifting from backdrop to something altogether more present, a warning shot for the Suhua Highway the next day. Xincheng Old Street rewarded us with a peanut wheel cake from a street cart.

The infamous Suhua Highway. Tunnels occasionally terrifying as trucks roared past and echoed through the mountain passages, but with a prepared mindset and defensive riding it was exhilarating rather than intimidating. Towering cliffs to the left, the Pacific in every shade of blue to the right, among the finest scenery of the whole route. Recently-completed tunnel sections gave us a roughly 30% discount on the planned climbing, which we gratefully accepted. Two categorised climbs (Cat 1 then Cat 2) and a descent that hit 58.9 km/h, our trip record. And, only in Taiwan, a bin truck playing its iconic music rolled past in enthusiastic triple support.

Taiwan kept one final card up its sleeve: headwinds, rain and cold, all three on the final day home. When the headwinds arrived Stage 6 came briefly to mind, but only sparked laughter and harder riding. Nine stages and 891 km in the legs carried the rest. Every single climb across all ten stages was completed without stopping, without any outside assistance, all 1,004 km and 7,124 m of climbing earned on 25 kg loaded bikes. We finished at the exact 0 km marker where we'd started twelve days earlier, riding at the line furiously, as if it deserved nothing less.