November 9, 2021
November 9th
out with Ralph
Sunday was sunny and pretty hot, but the weather was awful on Monday. It poured down for hours and the temperature dropped about 12 degrees, but that didn't stop me meeting Ralph in the local pub for some IPA. Before we headed home, we agreed to go for a ride today and to meet up in Louisa Coffee in Longtan at 9:00.
I was awake very early. Actually too early, and went aback to bed at gone six, then didn't wake again till well gone eight. It meant it was almost 9:30 by the time I got to Louisa, but Debbie had contacted Ralph to let him know her dopey husband was on his bike.
After a cappuccino, we ride through Longtan and get on Route 3, which is a wide road that climbs steadily for a few kilometres. It warms us up.
The road then drops and a gush of wind blows off my cycling cap and I can't be bothered to brake and collect it. It's quite an old one that used to be a vibrant pink, but the colour washed out of it a few years ago. I've had my money's worth out of it.
We zip along a section of where I cycled last week en route to Zhubei, but then make a left turn onto a small road numbered 28. This is in Hsinchu (新竹) County, so it has a prefix of 竹 - which is the character for bamboo. There are a few houses dotted by the roadside in a tiny village, but we soon get into countryside.
Mountains flank the road on both sides. There's no traffic as there are very few homes on the winding road. There are at least a couple of large temple buildings and I take a snap of one with a pagoda-type structure that could be a dormitory for the monks.
Although the 28 climbs from the off, it's gentle for a couple of kilometres before the incline gets more testing. Ralph is on a road bike with gears that are not as low as mine, but he doesn't seem to have a problem.
This is the first time we've cycled in this direction on the 28. We came the other way with Debbie not too long ago, but we're unsure about how far the actual top is and we guess it's going to be a 5km climb.
My red jacket comes off as I'm sweating with the hard work of constantly pedalling up. There are a few steep parts and I'm in my lowest gear for te most part and occasionally use the full width of the road, zigzagging back and fore to ease the gradient. Ralph stays seated and turns the cranks slowly and keeps riding in a straight line.
It's nice that there's no traffic. A couple of motorcycles come by and about five minutes later pass us again going in our direction. What does come as a big surprise is when a guy cruises down the road on a single-wheel Segway.
After a while we pause for a drink and I fish out an energy bar from my bar-bag that I bought from a 7-Eleven last week on the ride to Zhubei and snap it in two to share with Ralph. It gives us a bit of a boost, but the incline eventually gets the better of us both and we end up walking for five minutes or so.
We pass the entrance to what used to be a large resort that got built when a dam was constructed far below us now during the 1970s. It never took off and it's now owned by a Buddhist organisation. It tells us that the top is not far away - just a couple more bends. It's getting windy now.
There's a flat piece of grassy land the size of a squash court that provides a panoramic view of the reservoir and the nearby mountains, which are slightly obscured with grey cloud. In the distance is the wide river valley that goes north towards Taipei. It's a great vantage point.
There's a slight hint of blue in the sky, but I don my red jacket for the long, fast drop that will take us back to Route 3. It's around 14 degrees and my yellow shirt is thin. I have another hat to wear.
The descent lasts about 3km, which is about half of what we did getting to the top.
We're only on Route 3 for a minute as we take a left turn and head towards Longtan on a flat lane. After about a kilometre I veer left and Ralph can't recall going this way before. It loops around the south of the town and I pass a few things I took photos of last week -- the wrecked mini with a fern inside, some seats outside a house and the faded kindergarten poster.
Ralph has a faster bike.
My energy level is low and it's about lunch time and I know I will get something to eat before heading home. We've cycled over 40km now and my breakfast seems a long time ago.
Ralph turns off when we get to a big intersection and I ride the last handful of kilometres back to my neighborhood alone and decide to call in at a place I've not eaten in for a while. It's called Traveler Cafe and it's only five minutes' ride from my apartment. They do pasta dishes and decent coffee.
It's busy, but there are still a couple of empty tables.
All the other diners are women. There are about 15 of them.
I sit near the large window and order a grilled penne dish with a bolognese sauce and a hot cappuccino, plus a waffle dessert that is decked with roasted banana and vanilla ice cream.
I told you I felt hungry.
My bill is NT$470, which is less than I thought it'd be - it's roughly US$14.
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Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 849 km (527 miles)
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3 years ago