Day 1 report - Against the wind 環島第一天台南到彰化市152公里 -

Thanks to the northeast wind, today's ride has been the toughest I ever had. Riding against the wind is worse than riding in hot summer day or rainy day. On my one-day ride to Kenting at the end of August (same distance 155km), I was able to maintain an average speed of 25 or 26 km/h and when I got there I still had energy to play. Today my average speed for the first 120 km was probably only 13 km/h and in a break around noon, I was already so exhausted that 我整個人攤在地上. Anyway, I checked into a hotel at 7:50 pm. After getting things done (eat, washing clothese, shower, etc.), it's now already 11:00PM. So I have to make this report short for now. I will fill in more stories later, maybe after 10/18. By the way, I had a bit of problem with posting to my blog from my mobile phone. That's why nothing was posted today so far. Hopefully the problem will go away tomorrow.

Key messages for the day:

1. Don't ride against wind (東北季風), don't ever try. You will lose miserably. Today in 雲林, I decided to change course and headed west to an inland route: 省道 19. The wind on 省道 19 was about the same as that coastal road in the morning but got much milder after entering 彰化縣. To morrow I will connect to 省道1號 (縱貫公路)

2. The west coastal road 西濱 省道17 was the most boring road I ever rode on (or driven on) in Taiwan. 好荒涼! 省道19 was the same until getting near 彰化市. (The pictures below will tell you how boring it is.)

3. Today was my toughest ride ever.

4. Both my body and my bike and gears survived. My toe that was injured yesterday, surprsingly, did not hurt at all today :)

Now I will let the pictures tell the story. I will add more lines to these pictures after 10/18.

6:20AM, 出發地點

My high school buddy 吳醫師 from Hua-Lien. He got up early 來為我加油送行

The ride was launched at 6:32 AM. That's the starting line 中華西路府前路口

轉身回頭向吳醫師道別並致謝, "I am taking off now!"，突覺一股熱流往上半身衝，卻哽在喉嚨... 這時耳中的iPod也開始播放上路的第一首歌: 五月天的"憨人"

Eating lunch at a Seven

台西最有名的是什麼?

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Several more pictures in between here... I will post them later

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7:45 PM, finally found a motel

Denys in 彰化市

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歌名:憨人 填詞:阿信, 作曲:阿信, 編曲:五月天

試聽source 1
試聽source 2

我的心內感覺　人生的沈重　不敢來振動(行動)
我不是好子　嘛不是歹人　我只是愛眠夢

我不願隨浪隨風　飄浪西東　親像船無港
我不願做人　奸巧鑽縫　甘願來作憨人

我不是頭腦空空　我不是一隻米蟲
人啊人　一世人　要安怎歡喜　過春夏秋冬

我有我的路　有我的夢　夢中的那個世界　甘講伊是一場空
我走過的路　只有希望　希望你我講過的話　放在心肝內　總有一天

看到滿天全金條　要煞無半項　環境來戲弄
背景無夠強　天才無夠弄　逐項是攏輸人
只好看破這虛華　不怕路歹行　不怕大雨淋
心上一字敢　面對我的夢　甘願來作憨人

(Below is a translation attempted by Denys)

Deeply in me I feel the heaviness of life
So heavy I dare not stride wide
I am not a good kid, nor am I a bad boy
I just love dreaming

Don’t want to go with the wind, tossed by the wave, like a wandering boat without a harbor
Would rather be seen foolish than being crafty and opportunistic

I am not dump, nor am I a waste to the society
Year after year, how do I make it worth my life


My road planned, toward my dream
Would I find only emptiness when I get to my dreamland?
On the road I pedaled, I left nothing but hope
Hope what we promised each other, deeply in our hearts, will come true someday


Daydreaming is always easy, yet so hard to grasp
Eventually you learn from being fooled by reality
Without a silver spoon, nor a good talent, eventually getting used to being a loser
Glory and vanity are now history
Rugged road will not slow me down
Pouring rain will not stop me
Bearing only one word on mind
Toward my dream dare I
A fool you see get on the bike

天有不測風雲，我會小心 Accident does happen, I will be careful

出發前一天中午，在辦公室摔了一跤。右腳拇指輕微扭傷，不影響踩踏，只希望不要惡化。我會小心，也不會勉強... after 2 months' prep, been thinking "萬事皆備"... been thinking "got to be careful on the road!"... yet it happened before I take off... oh, well, learned a lesson... God just taught me I need to be careful anytime anywhere, even before I start it...　

謝謝多位朋友加油的e-mails !

(To those of you who can't read Chinese: I strained my toe yesterday noon. Not serious enough to stop me. But I will be careful... )

Six hours before taking off,

Denys at home in Tainan

我的單騎環島計劃 My plan for cycling alone around the island of Taiwan

計劃:
*出發日期與時間: 2008/10/10(星期五) , 06:00 AM (原訂10/04出發，因天氣因素延後 (10/05~10/7北部有豪大雨)
*預定完成日與時間: 2008/10/18, 5:00 PM ~ 6:00 PM 回到出發點 (全程9天)
*出發地點: 國立台南生活藝術館, 中華西路/府前路口, 隣市政府
*環島路徑: 大環島(走最外圍濱海公路，北至鼻頭角，南至鵝鑾鼻), 全程約1200公里; 順時鐘方向(由台南先往北騎)
*行程:
Day 1台南to鹿港(143km)
Day2鹿港to桃園縣觀音鄉(140km)
Day3觀音鄉to基隆(107km)
Day4基隆to蘇澳(99km)
Day5蘇澳to花蓮(100km)
Day6花蓮to成功(122km)
Day7成功 to 大武(111km)
Day8大武to 墾丁(96)
Day9墾丁to台南(154km)
[註1: 若東北季風太大，北上路線可能在苗栗後龍棄海線改走內陸縱貫公路，經新莊轉關渡至淡水再回到海線(北濱公路)到基隆。]
[註2: 第五天(10/14,星期二)的100公里蘇花公路，將是景觀最壯麗的一段路，但也是體能和安全的最大挑戰，聽說是爬不完的陡坡和很多與砂石車爭道的陝窄遂道...]
[註3: 看體能狀況及路上風景，全程可能調整成8天或10天]
*車隊成員: 自己一人(所謂"單騎")
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The Plan:
*Lauch date/time: 2008/10/10(Friday) , 06:00 AM (Original plan was to launch on 10/04. It's postponed due to weather condition - heavy rain in forcast for 10/05~10/07)
*Planned completion date/time: 2008/10/18, 5:00 PM ~ 6:00 PM back to the launch location (entire trip will take me 9 days)
*Location for launch: near Tainan City Hall
*Route: Starting by heading north-bound from Tainan (i.e., clock-wise), mostly on coastal road, total mileage is about 1200 kilometers (750 miles).
*Itinerary: Day 1 Tainan to Lukan (143km), Day2 Lukan to Guanyin (140km), Day3 Guanyin to Keelung(107), Day4 Keelung to Su-Au (99km), Day5 Su-Au to Hua-Lien(100km), Day6 Hua-Lien to Tseng-Kong (122km), Day7 Tseng-Kong to Da-Wu (111km), Day8 Da-Wu to Kenting (96), Day9 Kenting toTainan(154km)
[Note 1: If the NE wind is too strong on the first 3 days, the north-bound route may be changed from coastal roads to inland.]
[Note2: The 100 km on the Su-Hua Coastal Road on Day 5 will be the most challenging yet rewarding on this 9-day ride. To cyclists, the breathtaking cliff/ocean view on the Su-Hua coastal road comes at the cost of endless uphill climbing and numerous dim and narrow tunnels with traffic of heavy trucks.]
[Note 3: Depending on my physical condition and how attractive the scenic places are, I may adjust my itinerary by one day shorter or longer.
*Team: me, one person riding alone

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如何與我保持聯絡:
*部落格: 10月10日起，環島日記及相片會每天隨時在這個部落格貼出。只要有感想或相片可分享，我會隨時(包刮途中休息時)從我的3G手機貼到這個網站。另，部落格左邊會有連結到每天的日記及更多的相片。
*MSN/hotmail: 有兩個時段我會上MSN及hotmail:睡前和白天途中休息時。 途中休息時，我會是用我的3G手機上網。我大約每一個半到兩個小時會休息一次，每次10~15分鐘。中午那次會長一點30分鐘。
*衛星及時定位系統: 部落格左邊會有一個連結，讓你透過衛星及時定位系統看到我目前在島上的位置(只在每天05:00AM to 08:00PM 提供，從10月10日開始)。那是捷安特自行車新文化基金會提供的服務。進入時系統會要你輸入我的身份證字號和一個我會帶在身邊的SIM卡號碼。這兩個號碼，我會在10/09提供给老友們。
*手機: 我會帶兩支手機，一支是我一直在用的私人手機(0911-xxx-406)，這是主要聯絡電話。另一支是衛星定位用的，但也可接電話。那支號碼10/09再公佈。
盼望在路途中收到大家為我加油的e-mail，MSN，或部落格留言。"好友與我同在"的感覺，可以給我更多的續航力！ (我的MSN帳號: denys_chen + 小老鼠 + hotmail.com)
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Staying in touch:
*Blog: Starting Friday, 10/10, I will be posting artcles and photos on this blog anytime and real-time during my ride (from my PDA phone) and before bedtime (from my laptop computer). Also, on the left-hand side of this blog you will see links to daily archives of postings and photos.
*MSN/hotmail: I will sign on to MSN via. my 3G cell phone during my breaks in the day time and also from my laptop before bed time. I plan to take a break every 1.5 to 2 hours. Each break will be 10 to 15 minutes. The break around noon will be longer, 30 minutes.
*GPS tracking: Also on the left side bar will be a link to a page where you can see my current position on the island (5:00AM to 8:00PM, starting Oct. 10). To access that page, you will need my ROC ID and a (cell phone) number that I will give you by e-mail on 10/09.
*Cell phone: Two numbers to reach me. One is my personal cell phone (+886-911-xxx-406). The other is the SIM card for GPS tracking (To be provided on 10/09.)

When on the road, I really look forward to receiving e-mails, MSN messages, or comments on this blog from you my dear friends. That will always pump me up, something I will need ! (My MSN account: denys_chen + at_sign + hotmail.com)

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行前練習:
體力，騎車技術及心情的訓練與調適是從8月16日就已經開始了。
8/16 高雄到墾丁一天100公里練長騎
8/23 從墾丁大街直攻佳鵝公路最高點，練爬坡
8/30 台南到墾丁一天155公里長騎(環島每天里程上限)
9/7 台南外環雨中夜騎，練雨中單騎
9/13 台南黃金海岸颱風天單騎，練逆風單騎: (無相片)
9/20 再次從墾丁大街直攻佳鵝公路最高點，練爬坡及黑夜無路燈騎車: (無相片)

10/4 終於征服大崗山，一路沒停踩到山頂。大崗山在高雄縣田寮鄉，上山坡道比佳鵝公路還陡: (無相片)
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Trainings to get ready for the ride:

Trainings reqired for the skills, physical strenghth, and mindset started on August 16:

8/16 A 100 km one-day ride from Kaoshiung to Kenting
8/23 A straight ride from Kenting Main Street to the peak on the road to Jialeshui, training for uphill climbing
8/30 From Tainan to Kenting, a 155 km one-day ride (also the max daily mileage I will try on the round island ride)
9/7 A 60 km night ride around the Tainan county，training for riding in heavy rain
9/13 A 40 km ride along the "Golden Coastal Road" in the south of Tainan city under a typhoon. Training for pedalling against gusty wind: (no photo)
9/20 Revisit Kening. Tried the same route as 8/23, trained for up-hill climbing and also experiencing riding in the dark, on the mountain, no street light, not even star light (it's a cloudy day): (no photo)

10/4: Finally made it to the top of Da-kan hill in Kaoshiung county. That was the deepest hill I ever cimbed on a bicycle: (no photo)





~ ~ ~ Posted by Denys on 9/21 at號稱墾丁最靠近海的民宿海洋玫瑰(Ocean Rose) , 位在香蕉灣，從墾丁大街往屏鵝公路向東約4公里 (at Banana Bay, 4 km from Kenting Main street)
~ ~ ~ Revision with postponed launch date posted on 10/03 from Tainan