When Ho Chien-Lo suggested a night cycle around Kaohsiung City I was tempted to check my medical insurance was still valid. Kaohsiung is Taiwan’s industrial powerhouse and its traffic-congested freeways didn’t sound the most bike-friendly location.
But how wrong I was. A remarkable plan to transform Taiwan into a cyclists’ paradise ensured I joined hundreds of locals pedalling beside the River Love along the best cycleway I’d ever ridden. It was just one of 1,100 kilometres of new cycle paths that have been recently constructed around Taiwan and forms part of an ambitious effort to encourage cycling by the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer, Taiwan-based Giant, and the Taiwanese government, which has bold national targets for the reduction of carbon-emissions.
Indeed, earlier this year Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou announced a $20m investment over the next four years in new cycleways. Cycling is also being integrated with public transport: the ‘railway plus bikes’ initiative enables passengers to take their cycles into train carriages while public buses are being trialled with racks for bikes. Elsewhere, urban rental schemes based on Paris’ successful Vélib have been rolled out in several cities.
The Taiwanese Tourism Bureau is actively promoting the country as a cycle tourism destination. Away from the big cities much of Taiwan is mountainous, with wild stretches of coast and national parks. Cycling is an ideal way to strip away the island’s hi-tech veneer and discover at close quarters a conservative society of traditional rural practices and indigenous beliefs.
Serious cyclists can undertake their very own Tour de Taiwan using the country’s coastal ring road; budding Lance Armstrongs will need between 10 and 12 days to complete the 1,000 kilometre-plus circumnavigation. This challenge has become something of a Holy Grail since it was dramatised in the 2006 movie Island Etude. Taiwanese film-director Chen Huai-En’s film portrayed a free-spirited young man on a cycling voyage of self-discovery. The film captured the mood of a growing lifestyle aspiration within Taiwan that has been coined by the frequently used acronym ‘Lohas’ (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability).
I, however, will not be challenging for any yellow jerseys. I join a small group on a more sedate cycling trip that involves pedalling for shorter stretches and being supported by a vehicle transferring luggage.
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