Day 11: 21 May 2023, Sunday
Woke up today with a mix of excitement and sadness. Excited because after working hard for the past week, our 9-day mission to cycle around Taiwan is finally about to be completed. Sad because we will soon be saying goodbye to our newfound friends and comrades who have pedalled alongside us every step of the way on this 900km journey. But alas, all good things must come to an end.
Today, we will be cycling 86km from Jiaoxi to Tapiei, back to where we started this adventure nine days ago. I tried to savour every moment of the experience, from our last warm-up routine to the last programme briefing by tour leader Jeffrey. At 7:30am, we set off from our hotel and cycled northeast along the round-island Cycling Route No. 1.
We soon reached the coast and I was overcome with emotion when I saw the ocean. Tears welled up as the beauty of the scenery overwhelmed me. I thought about how far I’d come on my cycling journey. Before this trip, the most cycling I had done in one go was less than 90km. Here, we exceeded 100km on many days, with the longest distance being 123km. Not to mention the countless hills that we had to climb, a world apart from Singapore’s flat terrain. Not only that, we had to negotiate the downhills as well, which was scary at times for me because I am not used to cycling down at great speeds over prolonged distances.
Cycling in a large group of 39 was also a new experience, as I learned about riding etiquette, maintaining lane discipline, the importance of a having safe braking distance and checking of blind spots. From this trip, my cycling skills and abilities have improved for sure, in terms of changing gears for the climbs/downhills and gaining confidence to cycle on busy roads amid heavy traffic.
We had our first break at 8:13am at Beiguan Tidal Park (北關海潮公園), at the 14.5km mark. Here, we had a superb view of Turtle Island (龜山島), an isolated volcanic islet about 10km away from the shore. The island resembles the side profile of a floating turtle, with a head, shell and tail. You have to view it from the correct angle and use a bit of imagination to picture a turtle.
We used the opportunity to take as many group photos as we could here because we knew that our ride would be ending in a few hours’ time. We also took a moment to enjoy each other’s company and soak in the view before us. I particularly like a photo that the Giant team took, which captured my sad expression just as I turned away from looking at Turtle Island. It perfectly encapsulated how I felt at that moment. After taking our daily group shot here, we continued our ride at 8:37am.
We then had a short break at Shicheng (石城) before entering the Old Caoling Tunnel (草嶺隧道). This 2.2km tunnel was built in 1924 during the Japanese Occupation and it was originally used as a single railway track before it was converted into a cycling path in 2009. Because it is dark inside the tunnel, we were instructed to switch on our front and rear lights and keep our sunglasses off.
It was literally a very cool experience riding through the tunnel because the temperature inside the tunnel was a few degrees lower than outside. It was also my first time riding through such a long tunnel. Even though there was no scenery, the tunnel was well-lit and maintained and I enjoyed the experience.
As we cycled through the tunnel, we crossed over from Yilan County to New Taipei City. After emerging from the tunnel, we turned west and cycled past Fulong (福隆) train station before taking a break at De Xin Gong temple (德心宮) in Gongliao district at 9:47am, at the 32.9km mark. Like many other temples in Taiwan, De Xin Gong is dedicated to Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea. For snacks, the Giant team provided muffins and cherry tomatoes, something different from the previous days.
We resumed our ride at 10:03am and took a quick break half an hour later at the 43.6km mark. The purpose of the break was to prepare us for the upcoming climb over the next 4km, the biggest one for the day. And boy was it gruelling as the elevation gain was 167m, the biggest climb we’ve had in the past three days. Somehow it felt even tougher than the Shouka climb on Day 6, and that’s saying something.
We were all panting heavily when we reached the top of the hill. As we waited for everyone to arrive, we cheered and clapped as each member of the group made it to the top. Everybody was genuinely rooting for each other and it was so nice to see the camaraderie on display. It was so fitting that we had to overcome this big climb on the last day of cycling, making it extra memorable.
We soon reached a second tunnel, Ping Shuang Tunnel (平雙隧道), a 1.3km shortcut through the mountain. However, this tunnel is also used by vehicles so we had to keep to the side of the road as cars and trucks whizzed past us. It was a little more stressful compared to the earlier tunnel but it wasn’t dangerous.
At 11:25am, we reached Shifen (十分), where we stopped for lunch at Lou-A-Chu Café. We had covered 50.6km so far. Lunch was a sizzling meal of hot plate chicken with bean curd on the side. After finishing our food, we had some free time to explore Shifen.
However, AT, TH and I had come here on our own on our second day so we had seen the town before. We revisited Old Street and took photos on the railway track before the train passed through on the way to Shifen Station. We also had a look at Jingan Suspension Bridge (靜安吊橋), a historic bridge spanning 128m across the Keelung River.
Shifen is famous for its custom of releasing sky lanterns. When we were here on our own nine days ago, we did not partake in the activity because we felt it was environmentally unfriendly as the lanterns end up as litter when they eventually fall to the ground. However, the Giant team arranged a sky lantern for us so we joined in with the rest of the group.
We each penned our wishes on one of the four coloured panels of the lantern. I wished for everything to be smooth sailing (一帆風順). Others wished for health, happiness, prosperity and early retirement. One of our members even wrote “this is not environmentally friendly”! Whatever reservations we might have, I think it was meaningful to participate, especially since it was our last day together. At least we minimised our impact by releasing only one sky lantern for the 39 of us. I sincerely hope everyone’s wishes will come true.
After watching our lantern float slowly upwards before being absorbed into the sky, we resumed our ride at 1:03pm. From Shifen, we cycled through yet another road tunnel, Jiping Tunnel (基平隧道), which is longer than the previous one. When we emerged, we had crossed over to Keelung City (基隆). We turned southwest and stopped for our last break at 2:03pm at a small Chinese temple in Baifu (百福), at the 64.7km mark. From here, it would be a short ride back to Taipei city.
We resumed cycling at 2:15pm. As we approached the city centre, the buildings became taller and the traffic got heavier. Before we knew it, we were back in familiar surroundings. At 3:30pm, we caught sight of Songshan Station, where we started this adventure nine days ago. As we crossed one last traffic light and rode towards the open plaza, everyone wore big smiles on their faces, raising their arms in triumph. We had done it. This was officially the end of our Tour de Taiwan. My Strava showed that we cycled a total distance of 80.1km today, with an elevation gain of 679m.
Where I felt sadness earlier this morning, the feeling I had at this moment was one of great satisfaction and accomplishment. After nine days of cycling 900km around the entire Taiwan, conquering some of the toughest hills, falling off my bike and getting injured, we had finally completed our mission!
Cycling round the island of Taiwan was a dream I had several years ago with my cycling buddies from secondary school to celebrate our 40th birthdays but it didn’t materialise due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other reasons. I ended up cycling in Vietnam and Cambodia (without my buddies) to mark my 40th birthday in 2022. But by a twist of fate, my dream was eventually fulfilled one year later, all thanks to TH’s dream of completing the Tour de Taiwan for his own 40th birthday (he is one year younger than me). And it wouldn’t have been possible without AT, who connected us. To AT and TH – it’s honestly been a blast riding with you both, thank you so much for the companionship, the laughs and the shared memories.
But we were not done yet. After our last cool down session, there was still the small matter of the final certificate and medal presentation. I liked how the Giant team organised it – they made us each pick a random certificate belonging to another person and keep it face down so we didn’t know who it was. We then turned it over at the same time, and had to find the person to present the certificate to him/her.
As fate would have it, the name I picked was Taurus. I couldn’t have been more delighted to present her the certificate because she so kind to me. She lent me her GoPro chest harness when my handlebar mount broke on Day 3. She also hung out a lot with our bunch, especially in the past five days, so we had developed a nice friendship. Congrats Taurus!
We gathered together for one last group photo in front of Songshan Station. It was a full circle moment as we were back where we started. Nine days ago, the 39 of us were strangers. Some of us had joined as a group while others joined individually. After nine days of cycling together, we had become comrades and friends. We created memories that will last a lifetime.
Of course, some bonds were stronger and we developed closer relationships with certain people. Besides AT and TH, I am especially grateful to Taurus and the locals – Jacky, Gary, Steven, Peilin and Skyler for their friendship and for their generous sharing about Taiwanese life and culture. It really made a big difference to get the locals’ perspective and it made the experience even more meaningful and memorable. We promised to keep in touch, and asked them to call us if they ever visit Singapore in the future.
Also, a big shout out to the six incredible Giant team members. They were professional and helpful throughout the entire tour. They led the way, kept us safe, fed us well, motivated us and ensured we had a fun and happy time in Taiwan. We were truly lucky to have them as our tour leaders for the past nine days.
The mood at the finish point felt like a graduation ceremony. We wanted to prolong the moment and take photos with as many people as we could. When the time came to say our final goodbyes, I got a little emotional (as usual). Eventually, everyone started to go their separate ways. As we dragged our suitcases and walked away from the plaza, it really hit home that it was the end of the Tour de Taiwan.
TH’s wife, S, had arrived in Taipei and she met us here at the finish point. They would be staying at their Taiwanese friend’s apartment so it was just AT and me sharing a room for the next two nights. The two of us hopped on the train and made our way to Ximending (西門町), where we booked a stay at CityInn Hotel.
We paid NT$4,608 (S$205.91) for our Twin Room for two nights, so it was about S$103 per person. The room had no windows but it was spacious enough, modern and well furnished. The bathroom was large and clean. Best of all, the location was great, very near the Ximen metro station exit and a short walk to the heart of the Ximending shopping area.
After taking our showers, we headed out at 6:35pm to soak up the Sunday vibes at Ximending. It was especially crowded as there was a flea market going on. I even managed to unearth a rare copy of Michael Jackson’s Blood On The Dancefloor cassette tape for NT$700 (S$30.80), which made me very happy. Buskers added to the buzz as throngs of weekend shoppers flocked to the stores and eateries in the area. I also made a trip to Chia Chia Records (佳佳唱片), where I bought three CD albums.
I then went back to the hotel to drop my shopping before heading out again to meet TH and S for dinner at a hotpot restaurant called Niu Zong Shabu Beef (牛總涮牛肉) at Zhongshan district. TH and S had invited their Taiwanese friends to join in so it was a nice, relaxed evening, eating and chatting over hotpot.
It was almost 11:00pm when I returned to the hotel, exhausted but happy. As I lay in bed, I recounted the day’s events and gathered my thoughts about the Tour de Taiwan. Here’s my feedback for the tour organised by Giant Adventure:
Bicycle
The hybrid bicycle provided was of very good quality – light, comfortable to ride and easy to operate. I have a road bike of my own with a drop handlebar but I think I like the Giant flat bar bike better. The free water bottle was a nice souvenir as well.
Hotels
All the hotels were of good standard, perhaps with the exception of Hoya (Hu Ye), which was a bit old and the washing machine was not working well. But it could also be because it was raining that night, and we had to walk a distance to get to the restaurant and hot spring, which were located in separate buildings. But overall, I was happy with the hotels we stayed at for the 8 nights.
Food
The lunches and dinners provided during the tour were good overall and the portions of the food were sufficient. I enjoyed the bento sets as well.
Snacks
The little snack treats along the way were really nice, e.g. the Chao Zhou Shao Leng Shui, the salty ice-cream (Bing Bang) and the mochi at Hualien, which allowed us to taste some of the local delicacies. I also enjoyed the good variety of fruits provided each day, especially the pineapple and persimmon. The cold fresh milk and coffee at Tuo-Shen was a nice surprise and I wished it was available every day!
Logistics
The support vehicles (Da Bai and Xiao Bai) were convenient and allowed us to access our personal belongings in our small bags easily. Xiao Bai was well-stocked with snacks and water so we were never hungry or thirsty. I also liked that Jeffrey used a microphone and portable speaker, which allowed us to hear him clearly at all times. From the step ladder to the foldable table to the use of walkie-talkies for coordination among the guides, it is clear that the team was very well-prepared.
Photography service
One of my favourite things about the tour was the free photography service. Every night, we would wait patiently for Jeffrey to post a message in our Line chat group that the photos had been uploaded to Google Drive. It was great to have nice photos taken of us using a professional DSLR camera. Not just of us riding, but also candid moments during the breaks. These photos provide a great memory of the trip and I really appreciate the service.
Communication
At the beginning of the day and at each rest stop, Jeffrey communicated clearly to us what would be coming up next and the things to look out for, which made us feel safe at all times. It was clear that Jeffrey knew the route well and the potential danger areas. Besides Jeffrey, the other guides were also clear in their communication to the riders while we were on the road. The use of whistles was very good as it was loud enough for riders at the back to hear it.
Programme
I think the nine days of riding had been planned well overall. There was sufficient time to rest each day before the next day of riding. It was good to start with distances of below 100km for the first three days to build up our fitness and confidence, before tackling the longer distances from Day 4 and big climbs from Day 6 onwards. I also liked that there were some pockets of time during our lunch breaks, and some nights when we could do some R&R or free-and-easy on our own, e.g. at Kaohsiung and Jiaoxi.
Final comments
The tour was very well-organised and the entire Giant team was extremely professional. Thanks to all members of the team for always being cheerful and upbeat and infecting us with your positive energy. I know how hard they worked behind-the-scenes each day – to buy fruits, draw the illustrations for the board, make arrangements with the hotels and restaurants etc. And these were on top of the cycling, which in itself was already super tiring. Their warm hospitality and positive attitude made all the difference. I really enjoyed every moment of the experience and will treasure it forever.
