Cycling Journey – Kaohsiung to Donggang
We started our cycling journey from National University of Kaohsiung to Donggang, 76km in total. This was the first time that we cycled for such a long distance, almost a double of our training in Hong Kong, so we had to make sure that our body and energy were in a good condition, so we made lots of efforts in our breakfast and supplements.
Early in the morning, we went to Julian’s room to take our energy supplements, Champion Blend. The taste of Champion Blend was bad actually, however with the belief that it was good for our body in cycling, we all had it without any thoughts. After that, we had our breakfast, warm up and equipped ourselves.
We had spent more than an hour to make sure that we were familiar with our bike as they were different from those in Hong Kong. We needed to ride on both roads and highways, we were frightened by those lorries and motorbikes passing by. We were serious to our warm up exercises, strictly followed our coach to make sure that we will not get hurt easily.
Originally, we planned 4 resting check-points including a lunch break and tea break so as to make sure that all our teammates had enough energy to ride for such a long distance. We skipped the tea break in order to save more time. We roughly had some refreshment and continue our journey afterwards.
After visiting Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center to see the giant Buddha, we had our lunch nearby. After the lunch break, we went to the bridge and continued the way to our destination, Donggang. However, our team and Julian separated into two parts. We were too frustrated that we could not meet up with Julian. Luckily, all of us arrived the accommodation in Donggang safely.
Research and planning
Throughout the days, we made few mistakes and we had a great improvement for the rest of the tour. The first mistake was our food for breakfast. We all knew that cycling need a lot of energy, we bought milk and bread for our breakfast. However, as we went to supermarket in late night, there was only bread left. Unfortunately, the bread was not good for cycling as it is so oily and our stomach will be too allergic to milkmade products which are not good for cycling. Instead, we should have some plain bread.
Actually, we should check carefully what we should eat and what we should not eat. Make sure that the supermarket was still in business hour when we arrived. If those things got prepared before, we might have a better time management.
Perseverance
To cycle for 76km as we planned, the most important thing was perseverance. When we were riding without seeing the end of the road, all we need was to control our mind that we got a way near towards the destination.
Support from teammates was another issue that made this journey completed. When we were riding up to the hill, some people behind me will shout out “GaYau” loudly. Then I realized that if I ride so slow or stopped in the middle of the slope, all teammates behind me will be affected. I used up all my strength and energy to finish the slope.
Communication
Throughout the journey, we had many minor accidents happened due to bad communication. At first, we were messed up when we were crossing the zebra road. It was extremely dangerous that some motorcars crossed between our bikes. This was not an individual decision that you thought about you continue to cross the road or not, we needed to listen, watched the signal as well as trust from others. Although we were frightened when we first crossed the zebra road, with more practices we got better communication and all things gone well.
Reflection:
The first day of cycling is definitely a big challenge to me as well as our team members. Despite the long distance, hot and dry weather in Taiwan also another big issue and concern. Throughout the journey, I kept an eye on the road signs which provided information that where we were going. However, I kept seeing the same location for more than two hours. Then, I started to regret and thought I will never complete the cycling journey. However, when I thought of my teammates, we sweated and went through the same path. “Once they can do it, I must also do it” that is what I thought and the power of team work. We all knew that without each other support, we cannot finish the journey and we all treasured the experiences we gained.
We did things with team spirit no matter on the road or having breaks outside the road. During breaks, we all shared our drinks and took care of each other. When some people bought Coca-Cola to recharge their sugar in body, some people took water from supporting car to refill our bottle. Everyone did their own part and it showed our team spirit that we all wanted to have a safe and happy journey without any accidents.
Just consider the journey and experiences gained, I have no regret and doubts. However, when I was cycling, I was too focusing on the bike and the road, the only thing I regretted is that I missed those beautiful views passed by. Despite those beautiful views missed, this was an unforgettable journey.