Dongshan Exploring Again

[pe2-image src=”//lh3.ggpht.com/-csUwE37KvNo/UYip1ooUmEI/AAAAAAAALF4/G4fQ5pyURro/s144-c-o/IMAG1634.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875132452809513026″ caption=”Small and Quiet” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1634.jpg” ]

Sunday saw the rest of my family head off to the dream mall in Kaohsiung.

I headed off into the hills to do some more exploring of those foothills that beckon me when time permits.

The start was as usual, with a quick flat spin up towards the hills.

Over the past few months I’ve mastered the avoidance of busy roads in the neighborhood. What that means, in essence, is that I’m doing a fair amount of cruising through farm roads. These are not nearly as well maintained as the main road, but allow me to avoid the evil, metal beasts that threaten to disturb the sanctity of my ride at every turn.

There was one final stretch left to conquer that would plop me down right at the end of the stretch I want to avoid. With a fair amount of double-checking the route on my phone I managed to get to just where I had wanted. The detour adds roughly ten minutes to my journey, but is more than worth it.

Pressing on, I munched up the rest of the flats like the pancake they are.

And then the hills.

[pe2-image src=”//lh5.ggpht.com/-JU19gUXZyIY/UYip4rii9pI/AAAAAAAALGA/zqNwd0QerrE/s144-c-o/IMAG1635.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875132505130202770″ caption=”View From the Small Road” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1635.jpg” ]

My new alternate route to get to the main road at the foot of the big hills is a nice, winding road, almost two cars wide in places, but only a lane and a half in others. It’s a fairly quick, although fairly steep, climb that’s over before you know it and gives you the first taste of the thick, humid air in the hills.

The single, thin cycling top I was wearing was drenched from sweat once the paths headed upward.

The last ride into the hills I had made the mistake of doing so after a long period without food and was also short on water.

This time I finished off two Zefal Magnum bottles of water before I stopped off at the 7-11. Two sandwiches and two liters of water and it was time to head on to the good stuff.

The main route of choice that heads straight to near the entrance to “the big temple” is steep, brutally so. Despite a brave effort to push it in the middle chainring, I was in granny ring and by the time I was halfway up was searching for gears beyond the teeny weeny ones my bike is sporting.

[pe2-image src=”//lh6.ggpht.com/-Mbu3YUTJFiM/UYip7i2_H-I/AAAAAAAALGI/TKj7U4xJzyw/s144-c-o/IMAG1636.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875132554339622882″ caption=”On the Coffee Road” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1636.jpg” ]

Finally, I hit the no.175 coffee road and headed toward what Google Maps promised to be a good little, hopefully long, climb from about 300m to 800m.

It needs to be stated that Google Maps is great for most roads. However, the tiny roads mapped on this route are completely wrong. That just adds to the adventure.

[pe2-image src=”//lh6.ggpht.com/-ESdpE8SCd2U/UYip-lo_UwI/AAAAAAAALGQ/axkDvFB4dFU/s144-c-o/IMAG1639.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875132606625829634″ caption=”Fancy Sign on Coffee Road” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1639.jpg” ]

Straight into the baby chainring and up towards the clouds.

[pe2-image src=”//lh6.ggpht.com/-7Xkc_Vq1MX8/UYiqCg4_OyI/AAAAAAAALGY/k8XPNlsyCRc/s144-c-o/IMAG1640.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875132674070231842″ caption=”The Rock Sign at the Start of the Big Climb” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1640.jpg” ]

The thick clouds sitting on the top of the hills were threatening to pour bucketloads of water on my head, but had been kind in providing me a moisture-free ride so far. The atmosphere that the looming mists added were well worth the humidity that they were pressing directly onto me.

[pe2-image src=”//lh3.ggpht.com/-FzjkzhnwWzk/UYiqIsFo4hI/AAAAAAAALGg/3dG3GkKxsFw/s144-c-o/IMAG1641.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875132780155298322″ caption=”Trail Marker” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1641.jpg” ]

After passing what appeared to be an abandoned Buddhist center, I hit the first trail marker. I was in two minds as to whether to follow it’s advice on where to go or to blaze my own trail with my phone as my navigator. I chose the latter and headed off in the other direction to the trail that was most likely to take me close to the peak and into the clouds.

The roads were getting more and more patchy, but were still quite rideable. I pushed on and up, still able to keep the pedals turning around despite the pitch of the climb and having to fight to keep my bike from pulling an easy wheelie.

Riding the steepest hills provides a great challenge to both your skill and endurance. Once you’ve exhausted your gears, at speeds around 4-6km/h it becomes increasingly hard to keep your bike on track. The front wheel becomes light and in order to not go so slowly that you just topple over you need to keep pushing to keep the speed up a bit. This becomes even more difficult when the paving falls away and you’re wrestling for traction. In addition, at these speeds the cadence drops, there’s no choice but to “mash” the pedals. At the top sections I had to stop at every second switchback to catch my breath. The humidity plus the huge effort was just completely draining and I was heaving like I’d just finished an all-out training interval.

[pe2-image src=”//lh5.ggpht.com/-YEdoXBYw-_U/UYiqLHj0-8I/AAAAAAAALGo/gMVtA4RZLJw/s144-c-o/IMAG1642.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875132821889416130″ caption=”Up to the Clouds” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1642.jpg” ]

And then another sign. The virtual world and the physical world were showing no convergence whatsoever. The signpost pointed me to an unpaved road that looked like it would head me in the wrong direction so headed the other way.

Upwards, then dirt.

I was not prepared for this.

[pe2-image src=”//lh4.ggpht.com/-K6m59NpkNDE/UYiqOeXKQoI/AAAAAAAALGw/qP-rF-UD438/s144-c-o/IMAG1643.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875132879549907586″ caption=”Bamboo” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1643.jpg” ]

When the trail started to fade it was a sign that I read as needing to turn back. Perhaps the sign was right.

So I headed back down to the signpost and with a minimum of confidence in the direction it was heading and then pushed on.

The dirt on the signposted section quickly changed to old cement road, which gave me a slight confidence in the road ahead. Unsurprisingly that changed as all paving gave way to dirt roads.

The roads were getting steeper and there were no plantations of betelnut trees, or anything to suggest that any human had been by recently. There were beehives, however, artificial ones that were just erected at the side of the road. At least it was something.

Then came the rain.

It started as a light drizzle, nothing that wouldn’t make me wetter than I already was. And then it started to rain harder. There was no point in heading back, just push on upward.

Up, up, up until finally I arrived at the end of the trail.

[pe2-image src=”//lh4.ggpht.com/-TAR_KkXVzK4/UYiqTGIPzCI/AAAAAAAALG8/cYXhFRYvmNk/s144-c-o/IMAG1645.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875132958944250914″ caption=”Shelter for Bees” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1645.jpg” ]

It started pouring down and I took a slight refuge in the shelter of a tree. The covered area was home to two big beehives and preferred to just leave them alone.

It was a tad cooler and the air was fresh. The pitter patter of raindrops in the peace and quiet of the hills. Nothing better.

My shelter was not providing much protection from the rain, so I headed back down.

Mountain biking is one thing, but I’ve learned from experience that slicks don’t provide much grip. The chainring scar on my left thigh is testament to this.

So feathering the brakes I headed down the steep, and now wet, path. I was starting to remember why I always loved mountain biking so much and why I’ve been reluctant to switch to a full-on road bike for all my riding.

With butt over the back of my saddle and my eyes peeled for the best route around or over obstacles, avoiding slippery patches of concrete with their slimey coating of moss waiting to drop me on my ass.

[pe2-image src=”//lh6.ggpht.com/-sVibdRrzOe8/UYiqVvanNkI/AAAAAAAALHE/jcQxOd83DJU/s144-c-o/IMAG1646.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875133004386874946″ caption=”Mountain Biking” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1646.jpg” ]

All went well and before long I was back to navigable roads. My perceived exertion on the way up had me thinking I was much further away than I really was.

And I set on my cruise back home. Cracked 60km/h freewheeling down the big hill I had come up on, then stopped at the 7-11 again to sit down and get some nourishment.

[pe2-image src=”//lh4.ggpht.com/-QgexT-4z69Y/UYiqZ-MAPdI/AAAAAAAALHU/0i3XvKD7K0M/s144-c-o/IMAG1648.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875133077071609298″ caption=”Rest Stop” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1648.jpg” ]

The hills coming back were as expected, it’s amazing how familiarity makes hills seem a little less daunting.

On passing through Liujia a group of roadies passed me by. They were going a tad faster than me so I seized the opportunity to suck some wind and make some quick progress through this final segment.

As it turns out, they were from the same town as me, so I got to suck wind all the way back.

[pe2-image src=”//lh4.ggpht.com/-DZ-ngUn7knc/UYiqcGeHD8I/AAAAAAAALHc/yytU0ALI8Qw/s144-c-o/IMAG1649.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/110249026098208712655/DongshanExploring#5875133113654775746″ caption=”Roadies Hauling Me Home” type=”image” alt=”IMAG1649.jpg” ]

On the final, long stretch into town I tried to see who would take the bait and pick up the pace for the last section. Head down, I picked up the lead pace to 40km/h with the front guy holding his spot behind me.

At least that’s what I thought. When I got to the traffic lights they were all some way back.

My favorite part about road races, when I used to do them, was the group sprint to the line. At least in those local races, I found almost everyone did a lot of training, but that was limited to long miles in the saddle. My rides were long, with intermittent sprints all the way through, it was the greatest feeling to look at the person who I was riding with, see the slight nod, and then both head into a frenzied sprint to some arbritrary location on the road ahead. When in Taipei, “The Fly” gave a me a good run for my money, we need to have a challenge again.

The sprint was not without pain however. My legs were starting to cramp, and although I maintained all the way to the line, my hamstrings and quads were both giving me warning messages to ease up on the pace. Since moving my saddle forward about 4cm my hamstrings are getting a little more work done. Bliss.

Another trip into the hills is in order, and hopefully I’ll find a way to the summit at around 1000m.

But that’s for another day.