Tai Lake Trip #2: My 'Avoid-Like-the-Plague' List & Epic Rant!
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Hello, fellow cycling enthusiasts! I would like to share my experiences of riding around the Taihu Lake Avenue with you. Taihu is that huge lake you've heard about!
First Attempt (Ending in Failure):
- The entire length of the Taihu Lake Avenue is about 260 kilometers, and I gave up halfway on my first try because it was too physically demanding for me.
- Starting my trip at 9 am from Suzhou (a well-known city famous for its waterways), I got lost numerous times, eventually reaching the city of Yixing (known for its ceramics) as night fell.
- Caution about Yixing!
- There were too many big trucks and narrow roads in that area, which made me feel really tense while cycling.
- On the bicycle lane of the Wuxi city section (essentially a path shared by bikes and pedestrians), there were lots of pebbles that kept bouncing me off balance and made my head feel like shaking excessively!
- Night Riding Alert!
- Tree shadows dimmed the light emitted by road lighting, making it impossible to see potholes on the road at night.
- Solution: Choose familiar terrain or well-lit sections for night cycling, or use high-intensity bike lamps.
- My bike lamp, unfortunately, broke down due to all of these movements. Lesson learned: the type of clamp on a Garmin bike lamp can easily come loose; it's better to use a GoPro-type interface instead.
Second Attempt (Success at Last):
- At last, I managed to see this through!
- I took to heart the lessons learned from my first attempt; starting early and scheduling part of my night ride to be in the Suzhou section made a huge difference since the terrain was favorable; flat surfaces and minimal big potholes with plenty of streetlights. Nighttime riding was more comforting for me.
- Caution about Huzhou to Changxing路段: Especially when cycling near the river, there are countless small flying bugs. With my sunscreen constantly melting and sticking onto my skin with sweat, they ended up crawling into my glasses frames, covering my face, making me incredibly uncomfortable.
- Tips to Relieve Discomfort: Wear protective cycling eyewear or masks that can effectively block flies and cottony fluff, such as loess from spring.
- Unpleasant incident in Wuxi (also applicable to suburban areas): I chose suburban routes this time, thinking it might be better, only to find five tourist attractions along the way with full parking lots—bicycle lanes were simply unusable.
- Riders Beware of Dangers: I didn't want to be suddenly hit by car doors that open just like that (super dangerous!), so I had to cycle cautiously along the edge of car lanes.
- Prevention Method: Maintain a safe distance from parked cars and keep alert about any human activity inside them.
- But those vehicles weren’t stationary either; they kept moving around aimlessly, trying to find parking spaces, completely exhausting me.
- In addition, suburban areas had continuous big inclines, one after another! Downhill wasn't any smoother either, as car lanes were thoroughly clogged while bicycle lanes were used as parking lots.
- Be cautious about the North Taihu region: At Taihu's northern side, even though this was supposed to be a bike lane, cars have taken over it, filled with camping enthusiasts.
- Particular vigilance required:
- Sudden appearance of children!
- People crossing the road, looking at their phones instead of the road!
- Some people even blocking the last bit of passable space by walking closely together, creating huge inconveniences!
- Dealing with It: Slow down when approaching crowded areas, remain vigilant at all times, and ring before attempting to pass if necessary.
- Particular vigilance required:
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I only dare to tackle the short loop. If I attempted the long one, I probably wouldn't even make it home!
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For a first-timer, just finishing is pretty impressive! You can try the long loop next time.
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Safely completed the race on the first day of the Qingming holiday!
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That's some serious speed!
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Some of those climbs in Wuxi casually hit gradients of 6% or more. Talk about a leg burner!
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Wuxi has no hills. (This is likely sarcastic or referring to a different part/experience)
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My second time cycling around Taihu Lake!
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So fast!
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There was this asphalt bump next to the riverbank; when I rode over it, I seriously thought my front fork was going to snap.
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Haha, I know that feeling! You hit some weird pothole when you're not paying attention and just pray you don't get a flat.
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If you encounter illegally parked cars blocking the bike lane, it's better to ride in the middle of the vehicle lane. Sticking too close to the edge is dangerous: you have to watch out for car doors opening suddenly ('dooring'), and also for cars whizzing by too close on your left.
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Yeah, but if the vehicle lane is really narrow, you can't. Then if you ride in the middle, cars behind you just keep honking.
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What app is this?
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Taihu Lake has such beautiful scenery. Why does everyone try to finish it all in one day? Wouldn't it be nicer to take two days, enjoy the views from the lakeside bike paths during the day?
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Did the short loop too. My heart rate monitor wasn't accurate; the strap died in the last 100km.
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The scenery along the Wuxi section of Taihu Lake is great, but those climbs... I'd see a hill and just sigh. The blue bike lane was full of parked cars, and the two vehicle lanes next to it were also incredibly congested. Glad I finished safely without a flat tire.
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Got a flat tire and broke a spoke in the last 2km in Yixing. I really thought I could avoid any mishaps.