4 Day Tour - King of the Mountain. Brochure For more information or to book your place, or visit pedaltaiwan.

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1 4 Day Tour - King of the Mountain Brochure 2018

2 The Pedal Taiwan King of the Mountain Tour Our four day King of the Mountain epic takes in Asia s most challenging climb the mighty ascent of Taroko Gorge to the highest road in Taiwan at 3280m as we ride the whole way from Hualien through Taiwan s precipitous peaks all the way back to Taipei. By the Fme you roll back into the capital you ll have ridden 450km and have climbed the equivalent of Mt. Everest so this isn t one for the fainthearted. We kick off with an early morning departure by rail to the city of Hualien on the east coast of the country. From the stafon we ll jump on the pedals straight away for our warm up ride. We ll cover approximately 60km, taking in the beaufful Liyu Lake and the first climb of the tour a steep but relafvely short ascent to a fantasfc viewpoint overlooking the city to the north and the Pacific to the east. AVer arriving back into the city, we ll fuel up for the day ahead with a visit to Hualien s famous night market for dinner before an early night ahead of the main event climbing Taroko Gorge. We ll set off early to ensure we get the best of the weather as we track the route of the Taiwan KOM Challenge won last year by cycling superstar Vincenzo Nibali up Taroko Gorge. In this Fme we ll climb a total of almost 4000m, topping out on Taiwan s highest road of Wuling Pass at 3280m. The mountain scenery will be spectacular and the winding road is made for cycling. From the summit we ll descend to our accommodafon for the night at Qingjing Farm. Day 2 will begin here as we retrace out steps and climb back up to Wuling Pass in preparafon for a descent of epic proporfons. Over the course of 175km in the saddle we ll drop right back down to sea-level and the town of Jiaoxi. We ll pass through lush forests, cycle past apple orchards and tea plantafons, ride through the vast Lanyang river valley and end in the rice paddies of Jiaoxi. Our final day on the road promises to be somewhat more gentle, but we sfll have 75km to cover to get back to the bright lights of Taipei. There are also two 500m high summits to scale, so the hard work isn t quite over yet! The final descent into the city is spectacular and you ll arrive in town by mid-avernoon so if you ve got to dash off back home then by all means do, but why not sfck around for the evening and celebrate with a tradifonal hotpot dinner at one of Taipei s most famous local restaurants? A support vehicle will follow your every pedal, keeping you hydrated, well fed and in high spirits during the big climbs. But despite this, our route is seriously tough and should only be experience by experienced and most importantly, very fit cyclists that have trained sufficiently to spend a whole day in the saddle climbing uphill. Dates The tour will run from 6th - 10th March, 2018, with the first day of riding taking place on the 14th. We ll be deparfng Taipei for Hualien early in the morning on the 14th so you ll need to arrive into Taipei the day before, where we ll also hold a full tour briefing and set up everyone with their bikes and kit. See the full ifnerary below for more details.

3 Flights and Insurance Although we are more than happy to recommend flight opfons, we are not able to offer flights as part of the tour package. You ll need to arrive at the latest by the evening before the first day of riding, when we ll hold a full tour briefing. No visa is required by UK, EU, US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand nafonals for up to 30 days in the country. If you hold a passport from a different country or need more informafon, visit the Taiwanese Bureau of Consular Affairs website It is a condifon of the tour that you must hold adequate travel insurance to cover you in case of any accidents. By parfcipafng in the tour it is understood that you accept all responsibility for your health and any accidents that may occur. Bringing your own bicycle Although we can provide you with excellent rental bikes, direct from Taiwan s premium bike manufacturer, Giant, we understand that some people may wish to bring their own. There is no problem with this whatsoever, as long as you let us know in advance. We cannot, however, accept any responsibility for any loss or damage to personal bikes, so would highly recommend obtaining bike insurance if you plan to bring your own. Food Taiwan is world renowned for its food. An incredible blend of Indigenous, Chinese and Japanese flavours, we know that you ll find it a real highlight of your trip. Breakfast, cycling snacks, lunch and water are included in the cost of the trip. We will also provide you with some local recommendafons for dinner in the evening, as well as organising a few trips to night markets to really get a taste of authenfc Taiwanese street food. If you have any special dietary requirements we will do our utmost to accommodate, however, please do let us know in advance. Cost The total cost of 5 nights accommodafon, breakfast and lunch, local guide/ride leader, support vehicle, and internal transport will be 1399pp. Giant TCR Advanced bike hire is available for the trip through Pedal Taiwan, for an addifonal cost of 150pp. Singles are more than welcome, however, unless you are willing to share a twin room, there will be a single-room supplement of 200. A 500 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your place on the trip, which will be subtracted from the total cost when the final balance is due 4 weeks before the start of the trip.

4 Day 1: Start: Hualien Finish: Hualien Distance: 60km Total climb: 600m Our warm up day will begin with a scenic train ride from Taipei to our start point in the east coast city of Hualien. You ll meet the support vehicle at the station where you ll jump straight on to the bike for a 60km spin around the city. We ll head Birst up to the picturesque Liyu Lake where we ll take a dip if the weather is good, before heading east towards the coast and the Birst steep climb of the tour up to a stunning viewpoint overlooking the PaciBic. Then spend the evening relaxing, preparing for the days of cycling ahead and fuelling up on some of Hualien s world famous food from its buzzing night market.

5 Day 2: Start: Hualien Finish: Qingjing Farm Distance: 130km Total climb: 4000m Alarms will be set early for our huge day of climbing through the amazing Taroko Gorge. As we wheel out of town the Birst 20km is a Blat warm up for what is to come 80km of climbing, winding up through the gorge before the busloads of tourists arrive. We ll pass over stunning bridges, through tunnels and on some spectacular stretches of tarmac as we climb ever higher. We ll stop frequently to refuel, take on water and simply to admire the views. After 65km there s a quick descent to take you to the base of the Binal climb 1000m of high altitude climbing over 18km on one of the world s most stunning roads. At the top we ll regroup and head down together to our accommodation for the night at Qingjing Farm, on the western slopes of the mountains and famed for its amazing views.

6 Day 3: Start: Qingjing Farm Finish: Jiaoxi Distance: 176km Total climb: 2050m Another early start will see us hit the road as soon as possible after all there s 176km and another 2000m of climbing to go! We re climbing again from the get-go as we ascend what we Blew down the day before. We ll reach Wuling Pass again and begin to drop rapidly downhill towards the apple orchards and tea plantations of Lishan. After stopping in the hillside town there are a couple of short climbs before an exhilarating 800m descent into the farming town of Nanshan. From here we ll speed down the Lanyang River valley to our destination of the night Jiaoxi. If time allows we can head to the local hot springs for a soothing soak before we head out for a hearty meal to refuel after another long day in the saddle.

7 Day 4: Start: Jiaoxi Finish: Taipei Distance: 80km Total climb: 1500m After two huge days on the road, Day 4 is a bit more leisurely in comparison. But that being said the day starts with a steady 12km climb out of Yilan County and into New Taipei City County. The rolling road takes us through the forested Pinglin District to the Binal major climb of the tour, a sharp ascent up to our high point for the day of 600m. Some sections approach 18% so this really is a Binal sting in the tail! Once at the summit it is downhill all the way into Taipei, where we ll Binish our ride along the cycle path that runs along the bank of the Tamsui River. We ll arrive into town around midafternoon so feel free to catch an evening Blight home, or stick around with us and we ll head out for dinner at a famous Taipei hotpot restaurant.