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Tag: Climbing

  • Cycling Route: Crocodile Island – Climb Training

    Cycling Route: Crocodile Island – Climb Training

    I went for a cycling trip with a small group of local cyclists on a Saturday in May, to get a good look at the Crocodile Island 鱷魚島, which can be found in the Fei-ts’ui Reservoir 翡翠水庫 in Shiding District 石碇區 of New Taipei City. It is a 41km route with a maximum altitude of 583m and an elevation gain 1871m. The cycling route is designed by the group leader Sean Fang. The GPX file is downloadable at the end of this post. 

    Taipei Zoo

    We met at 7:30 am outside Taipei Zoo, and then took County Highway 106B (shown on Google Maps as 106乙) to a junction where 106B meets 106. With two big convenience stores (7-Eleven and Family Mart) and some parking space available, this junction has become a popular stop among cyclists and motorcyclists for toilet breaks and supply. It’s particularly crowded during weekends, so you better park your bike securely before getting into the stores, lest some careless souls may hurt your beloved one by accident.

    After getting what I needed in one of the convenience stores, I was called by my friends to help a young lady cyclist who can’t speak mandarin. Turned out she was looking for the toilet, which was apparently in short supply in this area. The shopkeeper was so kind that he let her use the one reserved for staff. 

    Let me sidetrack a bit to talk about toilets in Taiwan. Only a special kind of toilet paper, which is specifically designed to be dissolvable in water, can be flushed down the toilets in Taiwan. But in old buildings or many rural areas where the draining pipes are old and narrow, toilets get clogged very easily, especially when they are in heavy use. That’s why you can always find a garbage bin inside the compartment of those toilets, which is where the used toilet paper is meant to go. Please do not hesitate to use it. Otherwise you may be left in a very embarrassing situation. And when enough toilets are clogged, shopkeepers may stop letting us use their toilets. 

    So, we continued on the County Highway 106B and then made a right turn onto the Township Road TP47 (Shown on Google Maps as 北47) after passing the small town called Shiding.

    TP47 splitted into TP47 and TP47-1. We were supposed to take TP47-1 and start the climbing. But this turn is a bit tricky – Sean had led us to a wrong path even though he was the one who plotted the route and it was not his first time here. Anyway, we realized our mistake soon enough as the road became impossible for cycling.

    TP47-1 is good for cycling in late spring and summer as the trees along the route will protect us from the sun. That day there were practically zero motor vehicles but we had several cycling groups doing the climb with us. Around midway of the route, there was a handmade noodle workshop, HSU’s Noodle, where visitors could try making their own. For us, it was a nice location for taking a break and getting some supplies. It’s also interesting to see how noodles are made in the traditional way. 

    We reached the top and met Beiyi Road (Provincial Highway No. 9). It was a good climb, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to descend on this route because the shade beneath the trees keeps the surface wet and thus makes it a hotbed for slippery mosses. We actually saw an ambulance rushing past us that day, possible for a bike accident. A member of our group told me that they would have cancelled this trip if it had rained heavily the previous day because the road surface might not have enough time to dry. And if it’s summer, you’d better end the trip around noon because there usually are thunderstorms in the afternoon. 

    So, we were on one of the twin peaks on Beiyi Road, which connects Taipei and Yilan County. Some cyclists who do the around-the-island anti-clockwisely would take this route to get back to Taipei. It is the final leg and the end of the final climb. After that, all they need to do is a long descent all the way to Taipei to complete the loop. A coffee shop and some traditional food stalls are here to help make an early celebration. 

    We were also heading to Taipei from here but would make a detour first to take a look at the Crocodile Island. We needed to switch to a small road right next to a small police station after a short descend. So, take it easy and don’t go too fast or you will miss the turn. 

    The green sign with “鐵馬驛站” is set up by the police station to show that pump and water are available for free.
    Crocodile Island in Chinese

    The detour was around 2.5 km on a small road with an elevation profile shaped like a “V”. It was so steep that, when descending, some in our group found themselves not able to keep their grips firm on the brakes. And when ascending, we all gave up riding and pushed our bikes to the first viewing platform after passing by a beautiful tea farm. Those on motor vehicles were so impressed that we could make it there on bikes. 

    In order to get to a better viewing spot, we left our bikes and hiked a short trial. It may be a good idea to bring a bike lock if you want to have greater peace of mind. 

    The return leg was simple. We headed back to Beiyi Road and took a long thrilling descent to Xindian MRT station. 

    That was a wonderful route. Thank you, Sean.

    Routes

    NOTE: To use the routes, please install the App on your smartphone. The App will launch and load the route automatically after you tap the above links on your smartphone’s browser. For Garmin Connect, you can then use the APP to send the route to your garmin device. If your Garmin device is not purchased in Taiwan, you will also need make sure you have the Taiwan map on your device. Here is our blog post on this topic.

  • Cycling Route: Xiong Kong Tea Plantation – Climb Training

    Cycling Route: Xiong Kong Tea Plantation – Climb Training

    I went for a cycling trip from Xindian 新店 to Xiong Kong Tea Plantation 熊空茶園 with a group of local cyclists on a weekend in May. It was a 60km route with two climbs (338m, 728m), planned by one of our fellow cyclists Martin. The tea plantation is operated by Taiwan Tea Corporation 台灣農林 (TPE: 2913), formerly known as Mitsui & Co., Ltd., which was founded in 1899 during the Japanese rule. The downloadable GPX file of this cycling route is at the end of this post. 

    We met at 7:20 am in the convenience store near Xindian MRT station. It had been transformed, by different cycling groups meeting up there, into an outdoor showroom of advanced bikes, cycling outfits, and various cycling accessories. With two convenience stores located conveniently near the MRT station, and a well-maintained toilet inside the MRT station, this spot serves as the default starting point for a number of popular cycling routes, including the section of Provincial Highway No. 9 connecting Taipei and Yilan (Beiyi Road 北宜公路), and the No. 9A (9甲) which brings you to the Wulai District 烏來區 (Xinwu Road 新屋路). 

    After socialising with others and filling up my bottles, I set off with the group to cycle along County Highway No. 110. The first climb soon appeared on our left-hand side on Chezi Road 車子路, leading to Daguan Road 達觀路. Motor traffic was practically zero as it is a cul-de-sac at the top with only a handful of residential buildings sitting along the road. We took a long break at a small pavilion just before we reached the top of the climb. It was a good warm-up to climb 305m.

    Then, Martin showed us a shortcut right next to the pavilion, which leads to the Erbazi Botanical Garden (二叭子植物園) via a series of short stairways. You will have to carry your bikes if you want to take this shortcut, but we all found it worth the effort as it was a beautiful garden. Also, by taking this shortcut, you can avoid descending on the same route.

    Where the botanical garden is located is a humid valley. Plants love humidity. Mosses are growing on the cement surface of the paths in this area, which make them slippery all the time except for a bright sunny day. It’s especially dangerous on the steeper parts, so walking with your bike is mandatory in this case. Go with your walkable pedal shoes if you plan to take this route. We were lucky to have the sun high up and dry the mosses, so that we could ride on our bikes slowly back to the main road.

    Tung Flowers
    Random art
    Erbazi Botanical Garden

    When we were back on County Highway No. 110, we started heading to the Sanxia District 三峽. Traffic was not busy and we could set our own pace without pressure. We reached a small town called Jiou Jiou 九鬮 with several stalls selling very juicy roasted pork sausages. Make sure you have more of those before the real climb to Xiong Kong because, at the top, there is only one small restaurant with very limited capacity. On that day it took them 45 minutes to prepare some very standard meal sets for us. 

    After the feast of pork sausages, we went to the 7-Eleven (address: No. 241, Chengfu Road, Sanxia District, New Taipei City, 237) around 300m ahead along County Highway No. 110 for water supply. It’s also good for some more snacks. I would have done that if I had known I would need to wait that long for my meal. The 7-Eleven also comes with a toilet. If you miss this chance, there is another toilet stop 2.3km away at the Daliao Tea House. The tea house is an old Japanese building built in 1944 as the residence of the chairman of the Taiwan Tea Plantation Corporation. We visited it only on the return leg because we did not want to start our climbing late. It’s better time management, I think.

    The climbing starts on the quiet Zhulun Road 竹崙路 (Township Road 北109). Road signs for the tea plantation were clearly displayed along the road. First half of the path was wide. Road surface was well maintained and smooth. The slope was moderate. There were cars and motorbikes passing by sporadically. We all shared the same destination as this road is also a dead end. After the first half, cracked surfaces and small pieces of broken concrete appeared. Roads got narrower, cracks deeper, slopes steeper, and turns sharper as we were approaching the top. I was told that a cyclist friend once had a minor accident on the descending leg when a trailing car imposed pressure on her. Her wheels slipped sideways on the edge of the cracks. She lost balance and fell. Fortunately, her bike was fine and she had minor injuries only. Anyway, this must be an enjoyable route for her, or she wouldn’t have joined us this time. 

    First half
    Second half

    I made it to the top sooner than I had expected. A short, mild downward slope brought me to the entrance of the tea plantation. A wide planform with tables for people to enjoy the vast view of the hills caught my eyes. On my right-hand side, there was a trail leading into a small forest of tall straight pine trees (Japanese Cedar). A billboard showing the elevation of 700 metre was set up right next to the gate of the tea plantation on the other side. They charge NTD100 per head for each visit, which will be rebated when you shop in the souvenir shop. Fair deal. But for us, it’s enough just to stay outside for the views and some food. 

    Xiong Kong Tea Plantation
    Platform outside the plantation

    The descent from the top was tricky because of the condition of the road. When my bike rolled over the cracked surface, my hands were almost shaked off the handlebar. I was lucky to do the ride with a Rikulau Audax Hercules, a flat-bar road bike. I could hold the grip and the brakes securely without making my hands numb. If I had been on a drop-bar, I might have had to stop and let my hands take a break. 

    The return trip to Xindian was very straight forward. That was enough for the day. It was a weekend and I took MRT home with my bike.

    For those who want more, the New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum is 10km away from Jiou Jiou 九鬮. The building itself is nice and worth a visit even if you are not interested in ceramics. There is an outdoor water plaza for some water fun in the summer. Kids love it. Then you may either take a train back to Taipei or cycling back along the Dahan River Bikeway. 

    My little trick to secure the bike by tightening it to the stands in the MRT for an easier ride

    Routes

    NOTE: To use the routes, please install the App on your smartphone. The App will launch and load the route automatically after you tap the above links on your smartphone’s browser. For Garmin Connect, you can then use the APP to send the route to your garmin device. If your Garmin device is not purchased in Taiwan, you will also need make sure you have the Taiwan map on your device. Here is our blog post on this topic.

  • Cycling Route: Maokong Loop – Climb Training

    Cycling Route: Maokong Loop – Climb Training

    Maokong Loop is a 13km long, single-peak (326m) cycling route in Wenshan District, South East of Taipei City. We went there on a public holiday in May, me on a Rikulau Audax Hercules and Lois on a Klever Q Comfort. The downloadable GPX file of this cycling route is at the end of this post. 

    Maokong is a popular tourist area where people can take the Maokong Gondola at the Taipei Zoo Station (next to the Taipei Zoo MRT Station of the Brown Line) to the top of the hill, take a leisure walk along the route on the peak, and enjoy the panoramic view of Taipei City with a cup of tea grown locally in one of the many tea cafes scattered around. This area used to be the biggest tea plantation in Taipei. As for kids, there is of course the amazing Taipei Zoo at the foot of the hill that never fails to offer joy and wonder. 

    To get to the starting point of this route, simply set your GPS navigation to this address: “No. 12, Section 1, Xinguang Road, Wenshan District”. It’s a 7-Eleven with a spacious area outside where you can park your bikes. If you start your ride early enough in the morning, say around 6:00, road traffic should be quite sparse and you will take less than an hour to get there from the centre of Taipei. 

    Strava (anti-clockwise): https://www.strava.com/routes/26747667

    If you start late and want to avoid the traffic, you may take the MRT Green Line to Jingmei Station, as the Brown Line does not take bicycles, and then use the following route to get to the starting point:

    Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/26748715

    Taipei MRT takes bikes during weekends and between 10:00-16:00 on weekdays, except the Brown Line and a few busy stations. 

    If you are in the west side of the city like Datong District, Zhongzheng District, or Wanhua District, you may take a pleasant detour along the Riverside Bikeways to get to Maokong. We have compiled a list of the access points to the Riverside Bikeways in this post.

    As to us, we live on the east end of Taipei. There is a popular and well shaded cycling route linking up that part of the city and the area around Taipei Zoo, by going along Section 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Academia Road (also known as Yanjiuyuan Road), followed by Lane 43, Section 5 of Muzha Road. It’s a 15.5km ride with 177m of elevation gain and very sparse motorized traffic:

    Strava: https://www.strava.com/routes/26403740

    We took a brief break and fueled up at the 7-Eleven before heading for the real climb. Traffic was busier than usual because it’s a holiday but still not too bad for cycling. I had done the loop anti-clockwise before, so this time we opted for a clockwise ride by taking the left branch at the Y junction on Section 3 of Zhinan Road.

    Take the left branch for the anti-clockwise ride

    It was a straight, continuous climb all the way up to the top without much shade at noon time. The climbing ended shortly after we took a right turn and cross a short bridge called Caonan Bridge 草湳橋. There was then a mild downward road winding around the peak, lined with tea houses and cafes. Once you reach the busy Gondola Terminal, the descent back to the ground level starts. It may be a good idea to bring along a book if you have the whole day. It is said that the sunset and night views there are really great, so night rides along this route are popular among local cyclists. If you googled 夜騎貓空, which means night rides in Maokong, you will find lots of blog posts in Chinese. But for first-timers, it may be better to do it during daytime for safety consideration.

    Now I have done it both clockwise and anti-clockwise. Which way is better? My vote goes to the anti-clockwise one. It’s because the climbing is less steep and there seems to be more shading. The Gondola Terminal will again greet you at the end of the climb. 

    Strava (clockwise): https://www.strava.com/routes/21611174

    We had a late lunch after the ride, which wasn’t worth mentioning, and then headed back home following the same route.

    There is another route to climb Maokong, via the Hengguang Bridge. It is said that the traffic is sparser. I will have a try later.

    Routes

    NOTE: To use the routes, please install the App on your smartphone. The App will launch and load the route automatically after you tap the above links on your smartphone’s browser. For Garmin Connect, you can then use the APP to send the route to your garmin device. If your Garmin device is not purchased in Taiwan, you will also need make sure you have the Taiwan map on your device. Here is our blog post on this topic.

  • Cycling Route: Xizhi Pigeon – Climb Training

    Cycling Route: Xizhi Pigeon – Climb Training

    I had been seeing fellow local cyclists posting accounts and photos of their rides along the route named Xizhi Pigeon 汐鴿展翅, which seems to be lots of fun. I wanted to do it, too. I found the route’s gpx on xplova and invited Lois to join me. The downloadable GPX file of this cycling route is at the end of this post. 

    Xizhi Pigeon 汐鴿展翅 is a 28km cycling route with its starting point at the Nangang Exhibition Center 南港展覽中心 on the east fringe of Taipei City. The maximum elevation of 394.29m at the top makes it a good route for climb training. The route mainly consists of Section 1 and Section 2 of Jiuzhuang Street 舊莊街, Xiding Road 汐碇路 and Xizhi Keelung Riverside Bikeway 汐止基隆自行車道. Upon completion of the route, you will draw a pigeon with spreading wings on the map of your GPS tracking app. 

    To get to the starting point with your bike, you can either take MRT to the Nangang Exhibition Center Station on the blue line (ref: Taking Bicycles on the Metro) or simply cycle there via the Riverside Bikeways along the Keelung river, setting your destination as the Nanhu bridge. It is along the route, so you may as well just start there. If you live outside Taipei, you can also get there by taking a train / HSR to the Nangang Station, followed by a short ride.

    I took the trip on a Friday morning in April, with me on a Rikulau Audax Hercules and Lois on a Klever Q-Comfort. The traffic soon got much quieter after about 5 minutes’ ride from the busy MRT station (Nangang Exhibition Center Station). We could enjoy our ride at our own pace with almost no cars and scooters on Jiuzhuang Street. Some of the slopes were rather steep for me that my heart rate raced up to over 170 bpm. There were tea shops and a tea workshop along the way but I had no mood to stop to explore. It took me about 1.5 hour to reach the top, where a shiny silver sculpture sits. This is the Luku Incident Memorial park and you can find out more about the incident in this blog post.

    Luku Incident Memorial park
    View at the top

    With Velodash turned on to share our locations real time, I left Lois behind briefly to enjoy my speedy descent on Xiding Road. It was less steep and I could enjoy it without having to hit the brake much. I saw carpets of little white flowers spreading along the way. It was so beautiful that I had to stop to take a good look and take some pictures. It occurred to me later that those are the flowers of Tung Trees, which were introduced to the island during the Japanese rule (1895 -1945) for their economical values. The oil from their seeds makes good waterproofing material and paints. The trunks were used for furniture, clogs, toothpicks and matches. They were popular and planted extensively by poor families to supplement their income. Nowadays, local people love the trees for their dense blossoms during April and May. It’s dubbed as the May Snow. As beautiful as they are, you’d better not touch them as the whole plant is poisonous.

    Tung flowers on the road
    Tung flowers on the road
    Tung flowers on the road
    Tung flowers on the road

    At the bottom end of Xiding Road, we passed a busy juncture and entered the quiet Riverside Bikeways of Xizhi. It’s easy to miss the entrance, which is shown on the picture below. Then you will complete the route after riding for around 15 more minutes.

    Entrance of the Xizhi Riverside Bikeway

    I love this route because its elevation gives me enough training and it offers the reward of a mild downward slope which is perfect for speedy yet unthreatening descent. Traffic on the route is really low and therefore makes it very bike friendly. No wonder we ran into several groups of cyclists even on a weekday. 

    If you want more climbing after doing Xizhi Pigeon, Fengguizui lookout is just about 13km away via Dahu Street, which offers a 636m climb. GPS route available at the end of this post.

    If you want a low-carb meal, an authentic American smokehouse serving juicy brisket, Bogart’s Smokehouse, is about 1km away. 

    For me and Lois, our pick is this local hotpot restaurant that offers all-you-can-eat duck-blood curds 鴨血,  braised pork rice 魯肉飯, and free drinks and ice cream along with a very generous portion of meat and veggies in a standard lunch set. That’s a very satisfying conclusion for a great ride.

    Routes

    Xizhi Pigeon

    Fengguizui Lookout from Nanhu Bridge

    NOTE: To use the routes, please install the App on your smartphone. The App will launch and load the route automatically after you tap the above links on your smartphone’s browser. For Garmin Connect, you can then use the APP to send the route to your garmin device. If your Garmin device is not purchased in Taiwan, you will also need make sure you have the Taiwan map on your device. Here is our blog post on this topic.

  • Cycling Route: Buyan Pavilion – Climb Training

    Cycling Route: Buyan Pavilion – Climb Training

    Buyan Pavilion (不厭亭), apart from Fengguizui (風櫃嘴), is another popular climb training route in the Greater Taipei Area. The pavilion can be found at the highest point (530m above sea level) of Ruifang – Shuangxi Highway, a segment of County Highway 102, which is about 11 km away from either Ruifan Station or Shuangxi Station. However, Jiufen Old Street, the busy tourist spot, lays somewhere en route Ruifan Station to Buyan Pavilion. If you don’t want to get stuck in the heavy traffic, breathing in car emissions while you are doing the climb, starting from Shuangxi Station is definitely a better idea. But if you have to approach Buyan Pavilion from the Ruifan side for some reason, you may take a detour to Ruibin Beach via the Provincial Highway 2D (shown on Google Maps as 2丁) and then start climbing from Bin’er Road (also shown on Google Maps as 北35) or Jinshui Highway (北34) to avoid the heavy traffic in Jiufen. The downloadable GPX file of this cycling route is at the end of this post. 

    Hairpin turn descent with 2 cyclists
    Cyclists from Jiufen enjoying their descent
    long winding hilly road
    Long winding climb for me

    Some experienced cyclists may find this route too short for a one-day workout. In that case, County Highway 106 is a great route to bring you to Ruifan (44km, elevation gain 861m) or Shuangxi (40km, elevation gain 675m) from Taipei Zoo. Note that the county highways may be swamped with roaring motorbikes during weekends. If you happen to live around Nangang area, County Highway 109 could bring you to Shenkeng, where it meets County Highway 106.

    For my trip this time, I would just take the train to Shuangxi from Nangang Station. Otherwise I would have exhausted all my strength and time before even reaching the starting point. 

    It was a Saturday in October 2018. I had planned to board the train no. 4148 at 07:44 because it would take a naked bike, but unfortunately the tickets for bikes were sold out when I got to Nangang Station. See? It’s indeed a popular cycling destination. The next train that carries naked bikes was not leaving until 12:47! My contingency plan: bag it. You just need to make sure the bagged bike is not over 150 cm on any side and the total measurement is under 220 cm.  

    I took the train no. 4152 that leaves Nangang at 08:05. Still early. Not many passengers. I could keep my bike comfortably with me in front of my seat. Then, around an hour later, I arrived at Shuangxi, a quiet, relaxing small town with enough breakfast kiosks and convenience stores for cyclists to stock up. For me, I tend to have my first meal only after cycling. 

    Navigation was straightforward. Just find County Highway 102 and go towards Ruifang and the climbing would soon begin. Vegetation is not as tall as what I saw on the route to Fengguizui. Not much shade. Anyway, it was a cloudy day. I found the weather quite comfortable and reached Buyan Pavilion without much struggles, though I’m sure most cyclists would find my speed pretty slow.

    silver grass at the peak
    Silver grass
    pavilion on a hill
    the Buyan Pavilion

    The view from the top was much better than that of Fengguizui. There was silvergrass all over the place. There was a truck selling roasted sweet potato and water, which I think would only be there during weekends and holidays. 

    Cyclists on a hilly road
    Three Cyclists Descending from Buyan Pavilion

    Then, I enjoyed my descend to Jiufen and met the busy traffic there. Going downhill with all the cars, buses and coaches requires extra caution. I had my lunch near Ruifang Station and took a detour via Provincial Highway 2D to visit Fanzi’ao Park (番仔澳酋長岩公園), Shen’ao Elephant Trunk Rock, and then Shen’ao Fishing Harbour. I should have left County Highway 102 at Jiufen and switched to Bin’er Road (北35), which would allow me to avoid the busy traffic and bring me to the coast directly. I should have had my lunch at the seafood restaurants there. Calling it a day, I completed my trip with the last leg to Keelung station and took a train home with my bike in the bag.

    Hairpin turn
    Lots of Hairpin turns for me, too.
    Peak Earless Teapot Mountain
    The Peak looks like a teapot without a handle – “Earless Teapot Mountain”. Another good place to visit.

    If you still have time and strength to spare, switching to Jinshui Road (北34) from Jiufen will bring you to some less popular yet also interesting spots like Golden Waterfall and Gold Museum. You can even try climbing the Teapot Mountain (無耳茶壺山). It is also a less popular route as you have to come down on the same route and people find it boring. But it also makes it a less busy and perhaps more pleasant route.

    Routes

    NOTE: To use the routes, please install the App on your smartphone. The App will launch and load the route automatically after you tap the above links on your smartphone’s browser. For Garmin Connect, you can then use the APP to send the route to your garmin device. If your Garmin device is not purchased in Taiwan, you will also need make sure you have the Taiwan map on your device. Here is our blog post on this topic.

  • Cycling Route: Fengguizui Lookout – Climb Training

    Cycling Route: Fengguizui Lookout – Climb Training

    Fengguizui Lookout (風櫃嘴) is a very popular destination for those Taipei cyclists who want to get some quick training on climbing. Today, I tested myself to see if I can make it to the Lookout at 598m above sea level. I took the 6.5km Wanxi Industry Road (萬溪產業道路) and start climbing. It is a well shaded road with lots of fellow cyclists who would give you words of encouragement generously. And most importantly, there are not much other vehicles to share the road. The downloadable GPX file of this cycling route is at the end of this post. 

    The view from the Lookout is not particularly impressive. It is a pass connecting Shilin District (士林區) and Wanli District(萬里區). If you are looking for a better view, you may join the hikers and take the trail to the Mt. Ding (頂山, 768m) and Mt. Shiti (石梯嶺, 886m) on foot. Or, let’s don’t leave our bicycles and take the “北 28” and descend to Wanli Fishing Harbour (萬里漁港) and then take the dedicated bikeway along the coast to Keelung (基隆).

    If you have enough of cycling, try your luck to find a train to take you and your bicycle back to Taipei (e.g. Nangang station (南港車站), Songshan Station (松山車站) or Wanhua Station (萬華車站). But not for Taipei Station (台北車站)) . Some particular trains accept naked bicycles for half the fare. Otherwise, keep cycling and take Provincial Highway No. 5A (Shown on Google Maps as 5甲) to get back to Taipei (around 25km)

    Mountainous view
    Road signs and a hiking trail
    Colourful fishing boat
    Coastal bikeway

    Route:

    • Garmin: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/43115208
    • Velodash: https://cx6sm.app.goo.gl/3sfZ
    • komoot: https://www.komoot.com/tour/1032787650
    • Most navigation apps will not route us to the dedicated bikeways along the costal line. Find this Bikeway Entrance right next to the Wanli Fishing Harbour (shown below) and stick to it, you would reach Dawulun Fishing Harbour （大武崙漁港) and then Waimushan Fishing Harbour (外木山漁港) and then Keelung city without much climbing. If you take the Provincial Highway No. 2, expect lots of climbing and traffics without much benefit of seaview.
    Bikeway entrance next to a fishing port
    • When you reach Dawulun Fishing Harbour, Set Google Map Navigation: Keelung Station (基隆車站).

    My Strava link here