Taiwan’s Top 100 climbs and routes for riders who want more.
Location: Hsinchu Distance: 35km Elevation Gain: 1,500m For any cyclists living in the Hsinchu or Taoyuan areas, this climb needs no introduction. Road #60 to the Yulao Lookout is one of the most popular training climbs on the island. With a peak elevation of 1460m,…
Location: Pingtung Distance: 30km Elevation Gain: 1,600m The rider should be aware that the following is actually two different rides. From the bottom, it’s approx 17km ascent to the village of Jiufawan. (This is a historically significant village of slate houses that has guesthouse options)…
Location: Taitung Distance: 22km Elevation Gain: 1,400m As the name Daylily Mountain (金針山) suggests, this area is known for the lilies which cover the hillside during the Spring and Summer. Visitors from all over Taiwan come to see the white lilies which bloom from April…
Location: Nantou Distance: Each climb 9-12km Elevation Gain: 600-800m In this post, I’d like to discuss the various climbs leading up to Sun Moon Lake, focusing on four popular routes that cyclists often take. Two of these routes start in Puli, while the other two…
Location: Chiayi/Tainan/Kaohsiung Distance: 170km Elevation Gain: 1,900m Provincial Highway 3 is one of the longest roads in Taiwan and is 435km end to end. It starts in Taipei and ends in Pingtung. Also known as the Inner-Mountain Highway the road travels through mountainous towns in Western Taiwan. Doing the road from…
Location: Kaohsiung (Qishan)/Tainan/Kaohsiung Distance: 117km Elevation Gain: 1,000m Provincial Highway No. 3 is one of the longest roads in Taiwan and is 435km end to end. It starts in Taipei and ends in Pingtung. Also known as the Inner-Mountain Highway the road travels through mountainous towns in Western Taiwan. Doing the…
Location: Taipei/ New Taipei Distance: 145km Elevation Gain: 3,400m Buddha’s Hand, The Palm of Tathagata, The Taipei Hand ride…regardless of what you call it, this is a massive effort and over recent years has become a rite of passage for any cyclist living in Taiwan.…
Location: Hualien/Yilan Distance: 108km Elevation Gain: 1,200m The Su-Hua Highway is arguably the best section of coast road in Taiwan. Although not a continuous climb there is enough ascent in it to justify its inclusion in our series of the Top 100 Climbs of Taiwan.…
Location: Chiayi Distance: 25km Elevation Gain: 900m The Stelvio Pass, Alpe d’Huez, Sa Calobra, Trollstigen…These are what most cyclists would talk about when discussing roads famous for hairpin turns. Ask a Taiwan cyclist, they would think of the Meishan 36 Bends. Similar to Alpe d’Huez,…
Location: New Taipei Distance: 13km Elevation Gain: 900m In this post, I’m going to talk about a climb in Northern Taiwan. The name of this climb is Balaka. It is definitely a well-known climb that a lot of people who live in Taipei will undoubtedly…