Qidu hills

七堵 hills (Keelung)

Because of this Garmin GPS, I've been starting to ride again for the first time in two years. I don't think I rode at all last year, and any riding was all on flat, off-road riverside bikeways.

Unfortunately, due to age and alcohol intake, I'm a lot weaker now than I was even 4 years ago and hills are killing me. I just can't tackle them the way I used to and I wonder if I'll be able to even challenge more serious climbs.

But I've been testing myself on lesser climbs. The climbs in Cidu, east of Taipei and a part of Keelung district, I knew were probably manageable. Although before the GPS, I never got a feel for the routes because the previous times I went there, there was always some issue that never allowed me to discover a definite route through the hills. 

Now it all makes sense, and there is a definite main course through the ride, and with variations that can take me into Keelung or other routes to complete the same climbs. With a maximum height of 858 feet, it should be a very manageable climb, and after the first cursory moments of suffering, I did manage it just fine.

And the GPS has been awesome in keeping me on course. Already several times I've started in the wrong direction and then noticed it only because of the GPS and was able to turn around and not get lost.