Taiwan train ride with pro's and Taipei sightseeing

Day 8 Taiwan: Sound bites, Dining and Ferris Wheels

The press conference (October 21, 2010) at Taipei's Train Station ended with a mass march to the train cars Taiwan had newly renovated with fabulous bicycle accommodations. Each car was equipped with bicycle racks so you can sit in the same space, and keep an eye on your bike. Our media group was invited to join the Rabobank team in their car, as we had requested an opportunity to interview Óscar Freire and/or Robbie Hunter of the Garmin pro team. Óscar is a top sprinter with 3 World Championships, an honor that only a few elite cyclists can share. 

Obligatory groupie shot of blogger - Beverly Garrity and famed racer Óscar Freire

This car had not only the team and it's staff, but our friends - the Taiwan dignitaries that we were again so fortunate to have access to. Taiwan really treated us as VIP's - and I hope we can repay the favor with our outlets back here at home, to spread knowledge of what a fantastic destination this country is! Since the TV cameras of Asian media swarmed our man of the hour, we waited our turn. 


In the mean time - as I mentioned in a previous post -  I didn't waste my time, as I was there between the bike racks and the seats with Erik Dekker.  Dutch like his team sponsor, Erik is now the team manager, and was once a force to be reckoned, an Olympic medal holder, followed by many wins and stage wins in pro tours (in 2000 he was voted the "most aggressive rider").  A charming fellow who hesitated when I asked him how he felt about leaving Colnago Bicycles behind, and moving to Giant Bicycles as their main sponsor and equipment provider. (I explained my query came from my own personal connection with Colnago. See my work/shameless plug here.) He clearly got my question, and his face let us know he missed the famed Italian bike frame with European heart.  He also - realizing the conversation would be an interview, not just sharing words in a sweaty humid car with some Americans - sincerely spoke of Giant Bicycles quality, and responsive and stiff frames. 


The line of the day from him, however, is that after we all exclaimed how darn hot it was in the humid car that made us all sweat like we were sharing a sauna - was that I smelled. I responded with "but good right?!"... and he said he didn't say that. We all had some good laughs, and we could tell they were sad to see us exit at the first stop.

Mark Blacknell, interviews Óscar Freire as Kate LaCroix records the conversation.

"My future plan is to enjoy the present now" - Óscar Freire

Before the train stopped though; there was the headliner to interview, and our very own interviewer from Podium Cafe & Blacknell.net, Mark Blacknell, was already several questions in, before I noticed he snagged a slot between the TV cameras. I snuck up as well to join the party, and just in time for this precious quote when he was asked about his racing future, after they discussed how the tours have many more crashes now. Significantly different than stage races in the past he noted. So his response to questions about his future? "My future plan is to enjoy the present now."

Our brief time with the Rabobank team proved to be informative and candid (including time with our new Taiwan dignitary friends). I think we all wanted to stay, spend more time, and certainly want to return.

We made a quick exit at the first train stop, as we were off to tour Taipei for one more night.  The plan, after that, was to rejoin all the racers on the train on the East Coast (for the Taiwan Cup). They would train down now, we would bus over later.  Or so we thought. Our new girlfriend Megi - had different ideas. 

The nearby Typhoon Megi not only brought rain and high winds, it stranded hundreds where it hit the hardest.  Worse, it brought mud slides and buildings were actually collapsing... exactly where we were supposed to be. The Taiwan Cup had to be cancelled, the racers were stranded less than an hour after we left the train.  They stopped, as the tracks were washed out or blocked.  And most tragic of all, lives were lost elsewhere on the island. The next day when the race was supposed to start, we were planning on a bike path ride to a Buddhist Temple in Hualien. The very temple collapsed, and killed 7.   

We all felt not only deep sorrow for the victims of the natural disaster, but for our new friends trying so hard to promote Taiwan, and have this well organized cycling festival, not be able to come to it's fullest fruition. Not surprisingly, they handled it with grace. Quickly they found new hotels for us (as well as all of the Taiwan Cup riders) and allowed us to see a part of Taiwan we'd not expected to see.


But I get ahead of myself, as we were all still in Taipei, and the news of the race cancellation hadn't even come through yet, as we were about to tour Taipei 101. (Building Wikipedia facts <here>, or official Taipei 101 website <here>), then check into the Grand Victoria Hotel. Dinner at a unique artistic restaurant "The Five-Dime", then a spontaneous rain-defying ride on the Miramar ferris wheel. 

Celebrated as the World's tallest building from 2004-2010, and remains landmark feat in architecture and design, Taipei 101 is both beautiful and symbolic. She boasts the fastest lift at 37 seconds to go from the 1st to 89th floor! I noticed Taiwanese are so aesthetically oriented, that the view from their famous building affected the cityscape below, propelling them to pay attention and decorate rooftops. This was something I was particularly impressed with.  I always wonder why roofs are so poorly neglected, coming from one who loves flying, and seeing the world from above. 

Five-Dime restaurant was designed by Hsieh Li-Hsiang with every nook and cranny either sprayed concrete - or collected items of oversized bolts or eye-hooks to rusty metal and mosaics, or driftwood and ceramics - all organically arranged.  I'd never seen so many dishes on one table. This made the ceramic artist in me very happy. The food was amazing, even the limited number that were vegetarian (as I was eating) were outstanding. It was during this dinner that we found out that the train filled with professional cyclists never made it to Hualien.  Rather, it only made it another 45min down the tracks (from where we departed) before stranding all its passengers. 

After hearing the news that the Taiwan Cup was cancelled, and the road was out, we knew our plans would be changing soon as well. No longer could we bus down to Hualien with the roads out.  Typhoon Megi had spoken.  So our amazing guide John was busy making alternative plans, soon we would find out, to get us to another stunning location on the island. 

In the meantime, since the night markets were closed (because of the rain) we thought it was a fine time to see if the 70 meter high ferris wheel was in operation.  And yes, my friends, it was. Nobody else was brave (stupid?) enough to go up in it, but four of us piled into bucket with a clear floor, and went for the almost 20 minute spin above the Miramar mall.  We were laughing the entire time, at the fact that we likely - in a typhoon - ought to not be there. But if you look at the history so far, we were being taken care of - and somehow, a safe and good energy surrounded our group, be it Taiwanese good luck, or just dumb luck, we were having a blast, still, even thought all our clothing was soaking wet.

Next stop: factory visits to SASO's carbon manufacturing and Giant Bicycles' high-end bike frame facility, then to Sun Moon Lake!

Day 8 (Taipei): Palais de Chine to Train Station Press Conference

5 Stars not getting old. Me... getting old.

The Palais de Chine’s suites had a similar design to other hotels in which we stayed. There was a bathroom "studio", often with a clear glass surround, creating a light and space illusion of being larger than they were. Lighting in general was dim here, though, setting a mood that felt ‘Old World’. The desk faced the sink, a two sided apothecary-style long mirror, mounted ceiling-to-counter acted as a ritzy room divider. The round tub in the corner had a creative pass-thru window to the shower, which was floor to ceiling stone tile (bringing to mind the quarries that must be thriving in nearby mountain ranges). Of course, I needed to test the tub. In a crammed time line, you started to learn that power naps apply to “power tubs” or “power blogging” or “power relaxation time”. If you had 10 minutes to relax, you’d best do it! 

Palais de Chine hotel suite, office and bathroom

Trying out the shower, I reached up to adjust the shower head and WHAM. My upper thoracic back muscles finally gave into the daily diagonal weight of my messenger back and pulling my suitcase down another hallway and into another elevator. Feeling old and crippled, I wondered how I would manage the heavily scheduled day of press conferences, trains, and buses. I just barely resisted a sleep-deprived panic attack, I think. My new comrades, thankfully, were up to the challenge.  They were willing to cart my overstuffed suitcase down the hallway, taking the burden of excess bags off my shoulders. It was true gift - the unwavering care and willingness to kick in and help the elder in the group (me!) and still laugh and make fun of me simultaneously. Again, I realize how lucky I am, and how I couldn't do this alone!

We met in the rather glamorous breakfast buffet area.  It was full of tables surrounded by small thin men, mostly European looking, some Asian.  Soon I was feeling like a groupie, trying to cleverly take a picture of the Rabobank table with Óscar Freire. In fact, his wife had to walk around me to enter for their turn at the breakfast spread of eggs, fruit, breads and unknowns we were getting to know. Now, for those of you that have been fans of the Tour de France, or any professional cycling, you know this was kid-in-the-candy-store material. I became a giggling little girl (with a stupid back problem, and could barely carry the big heavy plate of food with one hand due to my new ailment), but still a little girl with the phenomenon of blood leaving the brain and speaking muscles, to the silly brain dead babbling, can’t form-a-sentence blushing muscles.

Mark Villegas in crowded Palais 

lobby, kindly manning my bags, 

while pro team-people watching.

The frenzy that followed the breakfast was comical. There were hoards of cyclists trying to fit into a limited number of elevators, cramming in not only themselves, but their bike boxes and luggage. During this mass chaos, we somehow found ourselves consistently in the same place as most of the Giant Asia Team, including one smiling Iranian pro rider - Daryo. An adorable, lean, taller than average for a pro - and entertaining (he wanted to hang with us (having some smitten eyes for a certain tall lean athletic girl in our group, likely), and it was a blast to see him throughout the rest of our trip in random situations and hotels). 


We all awaited our guides (or their managers) to lead us to our buses that would take us to attend the same press conference in a train station a short trip away.  The lower lobby was a gridlock of bike boxes and luggage.  It was pouring outside, so the space was filled by riders trying to stay dry.  Imagine all this in the small ground-floor space, and now add a life size sculpture of a horse.  It was hilarious. 

The train station press conference was staged perfectly - well organized in the same fashion of the Cycling Festival’s Opening Ceremony. The pomp and circumstance included lots of high-volume music (some of which we unfortunately recognized from elevators & dentist's offices back home). Humorous love songs to us, but played with international enthusiasm.  The stage had a huge projection screen as a backdrop, with a row of bicycles on stationary trainers in front. 


Our clever and well-spoken MC ran the show again, helping translate and making sure to include us English-speaking media.  He did an excellent job of marketing Taiwan and made clear their mission to promote cycling and tourism. Having the Taiwanese government, the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer (Giant), and Giant's founder’s “Cycling Lifestyle Foundation” all working together, you can see how in another year, this will be much larger, more publicized, and on it’s way to becoming a serious cycling destination. It was nice to be here at its birth, and nice to see the coordinated effort.

I milled about trying to get another chance to speak with King Lui, having a colleague in common (a friend that was for a good long stint, Giant Bicycle’s General Manager here in the States - Jay Townley).  I wanted Mr. Lui to know that I passed along greetings from our mutual friend. The next thing you know... I had him in my sights, with Vicky (current Giant President and his daughter) and translator nearby. I handed him my business card, even though we attempted to speak at the Opening Ceremony before. This was an uninterrupted, less formal moment, and I cherish it. He repeated Jay Townley’s name, and I think we could call our moment a conversation. Success!

This video will give you a taste of the atmosphere at the Press Conference.

The press conference was set up with the teams arriving in groups. Mostly all athletes were seated on the right, with media and spectators on the left. A wedding-like arrangement, even down to the special dignitaries in the front row. On the right, we had almost the same lineup as we’d seen in Taitung. This included the Transportation and Communications Minister, the Mayor of Taichung, head of Taiwan's Tourism Bureau, and King Lui.  On the left were representatives from 4 of the major sponsors: Cathay Life, Shimano, SRAM, and Giant. The funniest moment came when the MC - who clearly didn’t know all the details of pro cycling - was describing the classic pro tour jerseys these guests of honor were wearing.  For example the representative from Cathay Life was introduced as wearing “YELLOW! The Champions Jersey!”, but then the MC introduced the SRAM rep as “wearing the green Jersey! That means something!”  I didn’t hide my laughter. (For those in my reading audience that don’t know, green usually indicates the points leader in a stage race.)

The same message was spoken over and over with enthusiasm - that Taiwan is, can be, and hopes to be a destination for both world class pro cyclists and recreational touring cyclists.  This remained the theme of an interview with Óscar Freire.  Friere also gamely - along with the Taiwan dignitaries - rode one of the  bikes on trainers, in front of a screen featuring Taiwan's scenic highlights.  All while giving the universal - and repeated with joy - Formosa Thumbs Up! Óscar was always ready with a cute smile, followed all instructions, and patiently awaited for his responses to be translated. 


Friere (and his Rabobank team) are sponsored by Giant Bicycles, clearly the headliner for the event.  He was genuine in his appreciation for the country’s hospitality, and complimented its potential in joining the pro circuit. He was a real pro: he knew he was the big name they needed to get eyebrows raised, and clearly wasn’t his first press conference. 

Teams pose with Sponsors and Dignitaries (photo by Mark Blacknell)

For the final photo op, I placed myself right up front with fellow media photographers. We were quite tickled while the MC designated a direction for the teams to look to afford the best opportunity for media to get a great shot.  The MC would pick out a person as a landmark, and instruct the riders to look in that direct. Something like “Everybody now look left towards the gentleman in the bright red shirt, now look center... and now look right, towards the girl with the iPhone 4 (in case you wondered... that was me). It was cheesy, yet well orchestrated, creating the ultimate PR moment.  I truly feel the organized fashion and united front to make this successful, will exponentially grow the event, and soon I won’t be allowed as VIP media.  Rather, somebody like Phil Liggett or Paul Sherwen will be the invited media, and I will have to resort to internet streaming of the event, or watching it on Versus.

The event was on a schedule, so it closed after each team posed with all the platform guests. All the teams were shuffled through the station and boarded the trains.  The cars were newly fashioned with excellent bike capacity - right in the same car you sat - and were scheduled to head down the eastern shore in 2 hours, to the start location of the Taiwan Cup Race. (or so they thought, because Typhoon Megi had other plans). We boarded with the teams, getting a chance to film and interview them.  Since we had our own agenda for the rest of the day, we exited at the first stop, about 10 minutes down the tracks. 

Le VC La Pomme Marseille Team. 

Chatted with the New Zealand chap in front.

He was just selected to go pro, and 

excited to train in Europe, but not 

to be away from his girlfriend. 

Robbie Hunter and I steal a moment during 

the photo frenzy. Lighting was terrible for my 

inferior photography equipment. 

Next entry: my 10 minutes on the train with the pro’s, and how I didn’t waste them; how our group of 5 spent the rainy Taipei day and night. 

Óscar Freire's wife in background, Bev Garrity
and Erik Dekker at press conference before
heading to the trains