Do you know that Taiwan has a cycling route around the whole Island? Yes, it is the Taiwan Cycling Route No.1. A more than 900 km path dedicated to cyclists that goes around the island.
So when you visit Taiwan and you see the brown circular road sign 環島No.1, it is the cycling path.
Weekend Cycling
I regularly ride every weekend either for training or leisure. Today, I was invited by my friends to go for an afternoon ride along the cycling route no.1 from Banqiao District 板橋區 to Taipei.
In most parts of Taipei, this cycling path runs along the rivers, offering a perfect combination of cycling and sightseeing.
YouBike: Taiwan Bike Sharing System
YouBike is a public bicycle rental system operated by Taiwan Transportation Department with collaboration with Giant Bicycles.
The rental is 5NTD for every 30 minutes
of use. And you can find stations in almost every corner of Taipei as well as other major cities in Taiwan.
I do have a professional road bike but for leisure rides I often use YouBike as it is more convenient to use and return. It also have a basket where I can put my stuff. And I dont have to wear sexy looking cycling jerseys hahaha!
The rent is being paid not by cash but using prepaid cards similar to the ones we use to ride public transportations in Taiwan. Notice that it charged me $0 , it is because I only used it for less than 30 mins. So it is free.
I believe YouBike's computer is powered by solar energy as it has a built in solar panel.
Cycling Route No.1
The Route No.1 does not only runs along the rivers separated from the major hi-ways. But believe it or not, some parts of the route run along the freeways. Of course, there is a bike lane separated from the vehicles.
This, for example, is a wide vehicle bridge connecting two cities. They built bike lanes on the sides with metal fences so cyclists can cross the bridge safely.
Going up the bridge is via stairs with bike rails.
Ride Summary
My strava recorded a total of 11.4km in an hour. It was chill and slow.
We ended our ride in Ximending Shopping District.