Encycling Taipei
Last Tuesday we cycled all around Taipei. For a long time it was impossible because of the Taipei Flora Expo which blocked off a long stretch of the Jilong River Park, but that section is now open again. Thanks to the flower expo, the roads along that section have been greatly improved.
This is a nice ride, because it avoids almost all city riding, and follows the Jilong and Xindian rivers. We entered the Jilong River Park at the MacArthur Bridge and went all the way up to Shezi, the only section where you have to leave the river park because of the bridge currently being built between Shezi and Shilin (?).
I've lived in Taipei well over 15 years, but this is the first time I've been to Shezi. It ain't Taipei, it's the countryside. If I'd been parachuted in there, I'd think I was somewhere in Taipei County, sorry New Taipei City, countryside.
We re-entered the bustle of the city at Gongguan, but you could of course continue all the way down to Xindian and a cup of coffee in Bitan, for example. The park on a Tuesday was almost empty, so it's perfect for some interval training, and the roads are good enough that you can push it into 40km/h (which is a good speed for me) without any problems.
