Cycling Tour Of Taiwan

Introducing The Most Scenic Way Ever To Burn 10,000 Calories

They say that long bike rides are the best way to burn off that extra fat from the belly. But sometimes that aerobic activity can get stale if you’re seeing the same things and cycling the same routes. To freshen things up, we decided to discover a new spinning destination.
 
Countries like Denmark, Holland and Italy have long been friendly to cyclists, but recently Taiwan has pedaled up the standings. Over the last decade, the government of Taiwan has invested more than $1 billion to make the country far friendlier to bicyclists. The concerted effort to build an infrastructure has paid off and now the island of Taiwan is one of the trendiest spots to two-wheel (or go bikepacking).
 
While it takes about 11 days to cycle the island, we stayed seven days and did a shorter route. And — truth be told — we stopped plenty of times to replenish the calories burnt with some incredible, authentic Chinese food. If you’re looking for a new adventure, here’s one of the most scenic ways to burn 10,000 calories.
 

Big City Biking

We started our journey in the capital, Taipei, a city that sees plenty of two-wheel action. Although it’s friendly to cyclists, you might feel like you’re in the scooter capital of the world with so many scooters whizzing by. The ride in Taipei is definitely easy mode. It’s more about seeing the sights, trying the street food and getting an introductory feel for the country. Hop on a YouBike — Taipei’s bike sharing system — to ride around and hop off at one of the 150+ stations when you’re finished.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Golokhov

Cycling The Island

With the recent upgrades, a popular thing for locals and tourists to do is to embark on a journey to cycle the island. That’ll last about 900 kilometers — depending on the route — with plenty of gorgeous stops along the way.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Golokhov

Thanks to the upgrades, there are more than 80 dedicated bike routes that cover 3,000 kilometers. And what makes it an engaging ride is the changing topography. There’s city riding, flat lands, hills, coastal cycling, mountains, tunnels and more.

Coast With The Most

 
The general perception of Taiwan is quite different from the reality, which we discovered once we flew from Taipei towards to the east coast. The picture below says a thousand words.
 
Yes, you might not realize it (neither did we), but Taiwan is a tropical island that probably makes you think of Hawaii more so than China. And being it tropical means warm weather and spectacular scenery anytime you’re on the water. We cycled plenty along the No. 11 highway and were kept company by the color blue. The turquoise water and the azure skies made it hard to keep our eyes on the road.

King Of The Mountain

If you’re feeling like easy and intermediate are a breeze, you can step up to expert mode, which is a challenging ride up Taroko Gorge. It’s the same route that’s taken for the popular King of the Mountain challenge. It’s so demanding that some cycling outlets deem it one of the most challenging rides in the world. The inclined journey will lead you up about 3,300 meters above sea level and, as a reward, you’ll literally be biking in the clouds.
 
The gorge itself is gorgeous. It’s a long canyon with marble walls. As you cycle to the top of Taiwan, you’ll see heart-stopping views at the edge of steep cliffs. In 2014, French magazine Le Cycle rated this ride as the most scenic ride in Asia and it’s easy to see why.
 

Sun Moon Lake

Speaking of scenery, on the way back down from Taroko Gorge, you’ll want to stop at Sun Moon Lake in Taichung, a place that CNN Travel rated as one of the 10 most breathtaking cycling routes in the world. It’s an easy three-hour ride to the pristine lake, which is likely so spotless since you’re only allowed to swim in it once a year. And if you’re feeling on the lazy side, you can also just go for a ride on one of the boats.

Photo Courtesy of Taiwan Tourism Bureau

Authentic Chinese Food

Living in North America, it’s always important to add in the word “authentic” when referring to Chinese food, otherwise you end up with a deep-fried, sauce-soaked mess. And no, you don’t get fortune cookies.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Golokhov

 What you do get is dumplings soft as pillows (Michelin-starred Din Tai Fung is a must-eat), delicious broths in hotpot and incredible street food in the night markets — although that’s for the more adventurous crowd. The flavors will take your tongue on a journey but the best part is that it’s generally healthy, unlike the oversaturated Chinese food we’ve come to know in North America.

The Route 

Photo Courtesy of Dave Golokhov

In total, our seven days of cycling (about two and a half hours per day) we burned about 10,000 calories off the breadbasket. Of course, that amount differs by the person but if you’re looking for a trendy new cycling destination, check out Taiwan. It’s in the heart of Asia, it’s easy to get there — EVA Air has directly flights from Toronto, New York, Vancouver and Los Angeles, and it’s worth mentioning that they have great in-flight service — and it’s a cycling trip that’s quite different from the ones we normally take.