Pre-departure ride with Ralph

March 29, 2022

north from Zhubei

Not long now. My bags are packed.

What little work I do is winding down and in my last TOEFL class on Sunday, a student asked me what food I was looking forward to having once in the UK. Taiwanese are so focused on eating that it's practically a fetish and they hold their array of street food in high regard, while British cuisine is usually derided. However, while eating out here is cheap, I'm usually underwhelmed and this is not just some foreign bias, as Debbie also complains about the dearth of places serving decent meals. Anyway, I told my student the variety on offer makes visiting the UK something to look forward to, and as a way of proving my point, I went on Google Maps and zoomed in on the Lincolnshire town of Spalding (population 34,000). My student was taken aback when Chinese takeways popped up: Riverside Chinese, The Silk Rose, Spalding Chinese Takeaway, New Tasty, Taste of China, Chrystal Inn, Shanghai Garden, The Golden City and Golden Lee. Yes, nine, plus four Indian takeaways.

Just so you know - Spalding is on my itinerary.

Here, the incessant rain finally ceased during the early hours and while Debbie insists it's going to be wet most of the day, I wheel my bike out the door at 8:20 to meet Ralph at the train station, with our plan being to go south on the 8:59 departure.

Like the food, train travel in Taiwan is cheap. That same student was also shocked when I compared the price of rail tickets for a 50-minute journey. In Taiwan, it's less than £1.50 while the journey from Lincoln to Spalding is going to set me back £18.50.

There are just enough passengers to deprive us of seats, so Ralph and I stand with our bikes for the 40 minutes it takes to get to Zhubei. It's hard to grumble when it's so cheap.

Although the sky is overcast, it doesn't look like rain won't be falling anytime soon and it actually feels quite balmy. Ralph says the forecast predicts temperatures in the mid 20s, which is hard to believe.

There's a Louisa just a few minutes' ride from Zhubei Station and it's on our way, so that's where we go and after ordering we opt to sit outside just as I did about a month ago, when I joked to the same clerk that it felt like being in Milan. On that morning there was a superb blue sky, but today's weather has erased the illusion of that suave Italian vibe.

Sat at a table, we watch traffic flit by and comment on a chunky mountain bike that's resting against a nearby pillar. Letters on its down-tube say it's called Joker and the seat is as low as it can possibly go.

The owner eventually walks out of Louisa with his Japanese dog, gets on the bike and plonks his pooch in front of him. The Shiba Inu nonchalantly rests its front paws on the handlebar and seems to have a confident smirk on its face, but after looking at the snap I quickly take, I wonder if it was perhaps a grimace...

By the time we set off it's around 10:30 and we cruise with a constant flow of scooters and cars down to the riverside. There, we head upstream, east, away from the coast on a wide road that does its job and nothing more.

After a few kilometres, we pedal past a string of tall apartment blocks, then see signs for the Taiwan High-speed Train station, but make a right before getting there. A side road takes us closer to the river and we ride beside a concrete flood wall that keeps it out of sight for several kilometres. We're now in quiet countryside and short rice shoots are sticking up in paddies looking like the bristles on a toilet brush.

We veer over a rudimentary bridge with no guard rails and keep going roughly east until Ralph says we should make a left and this small road soon leads us to a junction where there's a Family Mart shop. A clock inside tells us it's now 11:30 and we guess we've cycled at least 15 km. We buy cold drinks and a banana each.

The road rises from the junction, initially going past industrial units that look out of place in such an otherwise rural place. As we pedal away, the sun comes out, lighting up the sub-tropical greenery and Ralph tells me that he may have cycled this way once before, but it was likely 10 or more years ago. The road climbs for about 5 km and it's all pretty steep, making it sweaty work, and we have to pause a few times.

There are no vehicles at all and it's jungle with bamboo and tree ferns and who knows what. Small leaves cover swathes of the twisting route and moss grows on the edges and sections of the centre, like a dodgy Mohican.

Ralph slowly pulls ahead and waits at the crest and we have more of our not-so-cool drinks before taking it very steady on the winding drop that lasts a good 4 km or so. The moss is slippery and trees hem us in and it has a toboggan run sense to it, minus the white ice.

At the bottom I lead Ralph down a side road that takes us into a town called Guanxi, which we skip and ride beside a shallow river that has paved paths on each side. There are weirs every 100 metres or more and the turbulent water gives off an unpleasant smell. It looks scenic, but you wouldn't want to fall in.

Ralph is wondering where we're going, but gets his bearings when we end up at a set of lights at Highway 3 and after going straight across, there's now a second climb of about 4 km.

This route - the 28 - is another gem devoid of vehicles, but it's a test of stamina and mine is depleted. My banana gets eaten near the top and once finally there I gulp down what's left of my liquids and do an impersonation of a landed fish that's gasping for more. After taking a snap of Ralph, we begin to whiz down, heading towards the familiar landscape of Longtan.

My legs feel like they're experiencing the onset of rigor mortis and it's just as well we're now cruising subtly down on what's known as a false flat towards home. Ralph eventually peels off at the junction with Route 66, but we agree to meet up later for a beer at around 9:00, once he's done teaching.

Unsurprisingly, with only having had a banana, my energy level is low, so I decide to treat myself to a pasta dish and a brownie desert in Traveller Cafe, which is busy as usual.

At home, lying on the sofa, I drift off for 30 minutes or more and when I wake up and try to stand, cramp bites my thighs muscles. It lasts a few minutes. A shark attack couldn't be any worse.

Ralph's already sat in Hop In when I arrive. My face feels like it's glowing from the day's ride in the muted sunshine. The IPA goes down well.

Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 65 km (40 miles)

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