This post is a follow up of an ICRT interview with Damion Potter, the Deputy Director of the Trade and Cultural Office in Taiwan, about his participation in the Formosa 900, a bike ride around the island sponsored by Giant.

Damion sent us some photos and is keeping a diary during his trip around Taiwan. Here are some highlights and a rundown of the events:

Day 1: 434 cyclists gathered at City Hall early in the morning to mark the opening of the Formosa 900, with Transportation Minister Yeh Kuang-shih, CEO of Giant Manufacturing Tony Lo and other officials giving speeches before the cyclists embarked on their first trip from Taipei to Hsinchu, a 90 kilometer stretch.

Day 2: Met with wind and rain for much of the morning, cyclists then rode 125 kilometers from Hsinchu to Lukang, located in Changhua county, pedaling from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm with visits on the way to wind farms and the Giant bike facilities. Potter notes despite his sore knees that the mountains, oceans and rivers are beautiful, the food delicious and his team members welcoming, explaining to him – the only Westerner – the different traditions, culture, history and society.

Day 3: On the shortest ride of the trip, Potter and other cyclists rode 74 kilometers from Lukang to Chiayi in sunny weather, making stops in some historic parts of Taiwan.Participants also rode over the longest bridge in Taiwan, which is over two kilometers, and are looking forward to the 125 kilometers trip to Kaohsiung the next day.


Day 5: With mountains on the left and the Pacific Ocean on the right, cyclists rode 105 kilometers from Kaohsiung to Kenting, the southern tip of Taiwan. After 535 kilometer, the journey north will begin the day after, up some mountains to get to the stunningly beautiful, rugged east coast.

Day 6: Cyclists rode 118 kilometers from Kenting to Taitung on Taiwan’s east coast in what Potter describes as a “brutal and beautiful” ride, climbing 40 kilometers straight with headwind of between 20 and 35 kilometers per hour.

Day 7: With a total of 770 kilometers pedaled, Potter and others continued 121 kilometers froM Taitung to the south of Hualian, carried by some of what Potter calls the most stunning scenery in Taiwan.

Potter completed the 920 kilometer Formosa 900 at around 4:30 pm on November 16, 2014 and described it as an “amazing experience – discovering parts of this beautiful island, meeting wonderful people, stretching myself physically, raising some money for children in need and increasing the profile of the UK Office in Taiwan.”

 

Potter will be doing a follow up interview with DJ Terry on the Morning Show once he completes the event.