A Typical Sunday Afternoon Mountain Bike Ride in Taipei

Today's ride starts out the same as a ride does anywhere. I grab some (clean-ish) riding clothes, make sure that my essential tools and snack are still in my Camelbak, give my tires a quick squeeze, smear on some sunscreen, grab my helmet and gloves and head out the door. Almost normal … totally normal really, except that I can't fill up my Camelbak at the sink. No, in Taipei, we're warned that it is unsafe to drink tap water. Not being a fan of drinking recently boiled water while riding, I'm forced to stop at one of the plentiful convenience stores on the way to the trail. Easy enough, just not as easy as the tap that I grew accustomed to drinking out of over the first twenty-four years of my life in Canada. Speaking of Canada, there is one other difference in my prep for the ride - as Taiwan's hot January sun has pushed the mercury up to 25 C today, I certainly don't need pants, a balaclava or even a jacket for that matter. Instead I simply buy a larger bottle of water.

Through the busy city streets I ride, working the well-worn path from my house towards the trailhead. Today I take the main road, slightly shorter than the more scenic, motor-vehicle free river pathway. I'm late (again) and need to make up some time. After 15 minutes of riding in traffic, followed by a 1.5 km climb, I meet Geoff and Stephen. While I've been sweating my way across the city, they've been sitting and enjoying the sun. Today we're riding the Backyard Trail, the trail that starts and finishes only metres from the unofficial headquarters of the FFTA.

Today's ride is front-loaded with climbing - the 1.5 km initial climb was just the beginning. We gain more than 400 metres in elevation, finishing with a steep hike up a roped hiking path. The climb feels long but takes less than 30 minutes from FFTA HQ. At the top, we find ourselves just below the peak of Monkey Mountain, with a clear view of one of Taipei's many suburbs far below. Just over 10 km from my own home, and not more than a few kilometres from the dense urban jungle below, we find ourselves immersed in the very vivid Formosa, a true jungle.

Seconds after the climb finishes, one of Northern Taiwan's most intense technical descents begins. Friction-free green rocks and roots welcome our wheels, inducing considerable nervous tension. These innocent looking slippery devils patiently wait for riders who make the mistake of trying to brake on top of them, instantly facilitating a quick and painful slip-and-slide to the ground. Hikers are just as susceptible to their unforgiving attitude. Uneven rocky drops are interspersed with scattered rocks and great stretches of wild, rideable trail. Predominantly downhill, gravity powers us through undulating terrain without much pedalling, though we must continually scan the trail ahead for evil green danger. This, my first ride on the top section of the Backyard Trail, is a blast. Doing my best to keep up with Stephen and Geoff, I find myself in awe of the trail and the surroundings. After three years in Taiwan, I sometimes feel like I've grown accustomed to my unusual surroundings. This trail again shows me that there are always new surprises to be found. The beauty and pleasure of riding through a bamboo and palm tree lined trail in the jungle is overwhelming. A quick thought about the -35 C weather currently keeping Canada in the deep freeze makes me appreciate these foreign surroundings even more. I have not yet ridden a bamboo or palm lined trail in Canada!

This well travelled hiking trail has seen very few mountain bikers. As such, some sections pose a seemingly impossible challenge to riders. Fresh off the boat from Western Canada, Stephen has the confidence and vision to pick (create) lines that neither Geoff nor I are interested in pursuing. Occasional pauses to improve the trail or perfect a section served as our only breathers during our otherwise torrid assault of the Backyard Trail. Like most mountain trails in Taiwan, this one is packed with bone- and bike-jarring punches, most commonly delivered through the abundant randomly sized and placed boulders. After one particularly rough section, I noticed by back wheel was making an odd noise. I expected to find a flat tire, but instead found that the quick-release had wiggled itself dangerously loose, meaning I had completed the last section with an unanchored wheel. I thank the engineers at Bontrager who are responsible for my wheel staying in place even without a tightened quick-release.

The trail is divided into two sections by a brief road ride. Feeling great after my first descent of the top section, I look forward to my second look at the bottom section. The bottom turns out to be much drier than the top, though much more difficult than I remember. Again, more of the same style of trail with twisting and winding singletrack covered and surrounded by rocky jungle. Lush isn't really a strong enough word to describe the vegetation.

Getting to and from the trail on the road is a necessary evil for riding in Taipei. Though these commutes account for much of the total distance that I cover in a given ride, they are quickly forgotten. My passion for riding lies off-road … the challenges offered are sometimes more than I can handle, but I never feel bad after exercising my fat tires. I try to think of words fitting of today's ride … fast, rocky downhill … irregular trail with countless surprises … confidence and traction gained and lost in a heartbeat … seat down, hands on the brakes, constantly shifting weight, fully alert at all times … hold on tight and ride like hell!

As the trail nears completion, we find ourselves walking through yet another very local farming operation. An old Taiwanese man greets us from the small courtyard in front of his even smaller house. As he finishes his locally grown Mandarin orange, he invites us to take a break. These friendly greetings are so common on our rides around Taiwan that we almost brush it aside without a thought. However, after a few moments we change our minds and take up the man's offer. Within minutes, he has set up a table and chairs, has fresh tea brewing and sets out plates full of snacks. We're warned that if we don't eat plenty of sweet snacks with the tea, the tea's alcohol-like effects will render us drunk. The warning wasn't really necessary though as we three hungry riders quickly devoured the assorted sweets. Entertained by our host smoking "Long Life" cigarettes while coughing, and his small fleet of clothed dogs, we quickly feel at home … well, maybe not at home but certainly comfortable. After nearly an hour of conversations, translations and minor misunderstandings, we extend our thanks and promise to stop again next time.

Sluggish after our Taiwan style four o'clock tea and crumpets, we hit the trail to finish off the ride. The ride concludes with us passing through our third temple of the day - smiles from the local nuns suggest that they are just as intrigued by us as we are by them. Only minutes later, we find ourselves back at Geoff's doorstep. We've gone door-to-door with a little more than an hour-and-a-half of riding. In that time, we've climbed and descended a mountain, seen all sorts of small tropical wildlife and interesting views of the city below, ridden through two temples and walked through a third, been treated to some tasty snacks by a friendly farmer and been roughed up by an unforgiving, inspiring trail.

An average ride? It seems like it, as I've been riding here for many years - by now, I've spent more time riding in Asia than I have in my home country. But I wonder … is it normal to carry your mountain bike up a steep hiking trail? Maybe. Is it ordinary to stop your bike only inches away from a large poisonous spider and her web? Possibly. Is it common to ride through a tropical jungle in January? I suppose it could be. Do most people ride their bikes through a Confucian temple with a fresh coat of red New Year's Paint still heavy in the air? Ummm … probably not. Do most riders have the pleasure of being warmly welcomed into the home of a farmer while riding across his front lawn? Definitely not. Do most people living in a megatropolis have world class riding in their backyard? Highly doubtful. But for me, this is just a typical Sunday afternoon mountain bike ride in Taipei. In writing this, I've reminded myself to never take such a pleasure for granted.