Rusty Rhinos' Taiwan pedal.360 2026

On Friday 20th March, the day after completing Taiwan pedal.360 2026, we had the privilege of visiting the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) at their Taipei office. We were welcomed by Lee Wei Bo, Director of Public Relations Division and Lin Mon Ping, Head of Social Resources Department and their teams, who shared the breadth of their work, supporting vulnerable children and families both here in Taiwan and across their overseas projects. Hearing about their programmes in person, after riding 1,004km in their name, made everything about this journey feel complete. We shared some of our stories from the road. They listened with warmth and generosity, and extended an open invitation to visit their projects in Taiwan or overseas. It was a truly humbling experience. To everyone who has donated to support TFCF’s Art Therapy for Early Intervention Children project — a huge thank you. Your generosity is what makes this meaningful. Every contribution, large or small, goes directly ...

1,004km. 7,124m of climbing over 10 stages in 12 days. One full circumnavigation, earned entirely on fully loaded 25kg bikes. No trains, no cars, no assistance. All stats powered by determination, fuelled by onigiri and Snickers, navigated and tracked by the Garmin Edge 1050.  A few stand out stats: • 12.4 km/h — avg speed on Stage 6 into relentless headwinds. The hardest day. • 91% — moving efficiency on Stage 7. The reply. • 58.9 km/h — max speed, descent into Yilan on Stage 9. Trip record. • 62h 34m — total time on the bike. Nearly three full days of riding. • 124km in 7h49m — the longest day by distance and time during  Stage 4, Chiayi to Kaohsiung. • 20+ 7-Eleven stops. • 40+ Tea eggs consumed. Alex & Adam  Rusty Rhinos

Stage 10 complete. Luodong Township, Yilan → Taipei. 113km. 894m of climbing. Nine stages of preparation, 891km in the legs, and a finish line waiting in Taipei, sheer determination carried the rest. We respected everything the route could throw at us and it threw plenty. Taiwan kept one final card up its sleeve, headwinds, rain and cold, all three, on the last day, on the final stage home. When the headwinds arrived, Stage 6 trauma came briefly to mind, we laughed and then rode harder. The climbs came and went, every single one completed without stopping, as they have been across all ten stages. No trains, no cars or assistance of any kind throughout the 10 stages. Every kilometre of Taiwan pedal.360 2026 was earned on the bike. On bikes weighing 25kg fully loaded, 12kg bicycle, 11kg of panniers, bottles and gadgets, ridden across 1,004km and 7,124m of climbing. After the first couple of days the weight stopped being something to think about. The bikes became part of us, and not o...

Stage 9 complete. Xincheng, Hualien → Luodong Township, Yilan. 108km. 1,442m of climbing. Its reputation precedes it and we respect that, the tunnels are occasionally terrifying, the trucks are loud and the noise they create inside those echoing narrow mountain passages is something between a howl and a roar. With a prepared mindset, defensive riding and a genuine sense of adventure, the Suhua doesn’t intimidate, it exhilarates.  We wouldn’t have ridden it any other way, the scenery alone with towering cliff faces to our left, the Pacific in every imaginable shade of blue far below to our right is among the finest of the entire route. Anyone considering skipping it should think again. Taiwan also handed us a gift, a truly impressive tunnel network, completed in recent years, effectively gave us a 30% discount on the planned climbing. We accepted graciously and without hesitation. The climbing itself was serious, a Category 1 climb of 5km early on, followed shortly by a Category 2 o...

Stage 8 complete. Ruisui → Xincheng, Hualien. 87km. 393m of climbing. For the first time on this trip, the rain arrived. Not a passing drizzle, enough to require a stop, rain gear on, pannier covers fitted, then back on the road. A brief reminder that Taiwan doesn’t owe us perfect weather, even if it has largely provided it. Shortly after rain proofing, in typical fashion, the rain stopped, however the mountains did not. All day, the peaks have been closing in. The scenery through Hualien county kept building, lush, dramatic, the mountains shifting from backdrop to something altogether more present. They aren’t quite overhead yet but tomorrow they will be. One 7-Eleven stop at 9:30am, on schedule and non-negotiable as always. Otherwise a clean, efficient ride, 17.2km/h overall average, 21.6km/h moving, 80% moving time across 87km. Total time: 5.03 and finished before noon. This left time for Xincheng Old Street. A gentle stroll, some local food, and a peanut wheel cake that did not...

Stage 7 complete. Taimali, Taitung → Ruisui, Hualien. 117km. 972m of climbing. After Stage 6, we had a point to prove. Stage 7 was the answer. A 6:25am start into light headwinds that gradually eased as the day progressed, almost as if Taiwan was offering a quiet apology for Friday.  What followed was a rock solid ride from start to finish. Strength maintained, speed maintained, no drama. The landscape gave us everything the east coast promised. Lush green mountains, rice fields, long valley stretches with the kind of scenery that makes you forget your legs have already covered several hundred kilometres this week. The encouragement from locals was relentless, more 'Jiayou' shouts than we could count, from cars, scooters, roadside strangers. This island really does get behind its cyclists. Nutrition was handled differently today. A high protein light breakfast before the off, a proper carb and protein stop at 9:30am, and a Snickers at the right moment later in the day tha...

Stage 6 complete. Fangshan Township → Taimali Township, Taitung. 90km. 1,299m of climbing. Stages 1 through 5 introduced us to Taiwan. Stage 6 introduced us to what Taiwan is actually capable of throwing at two cyclists on a Friday morning.  Within the first ten minutes, gusts so strong we could barely move forwards and nearly came off the bikes entirely. A sign, as it turned out, of what the next seven hours had in store. The climbing began to make itself known around 10km, but it was at 18km that it really started to bite, a sustained 5km mountain ascent that carried us from the west coast to the east.  What followed was a long, sweeping descent that made every upward metre feel worthwhile. The Pacific opened up below us, the views were stunning. The wind never relented, for 90% of the ride, headwinds, gusts, constant resistance. The kind that doesn’t show up in the climbing numbers but shows up everywhere else. Overall average speed of 12.4km/h tells that story better than ...

Five stages. 490km. 2,124m of climbing. Our sore seat situation that shall not be dwelt upon but cannot be entirely ignored.  By the numbers, we’re at the halfway point of Taiwan pedal.360 2026. Ten stages, and we’ve completed five. But numbers, as this trip keeps reminding us, only tell part of the story. The 494km ahead is broadly similar to what we’ve covered. The 6,361m of climbing ahead is not. We’ve done 2,124m. We have three times that still to come, concentrated in the east coast stages and the final push back over the mountains to Taipei. Halfway in stages. Somewhere well short of halfway in effort. And yet, the legs are holding up stronger than either of us had any right to expect. We should probably confess at this point that the two months before departure were not, shall we say, characterised by intensive cycling preparation. Generally fit, yes. Trained for back-to-back century rides across Taiwan, not exactly. The West Coast Stages 1 through 5 have taken us down Taiwa...

Stage 4 complete. Chiayi → Kaohsiung. 124km.  Another day that declined to match the plan’s 108km, the legs have stopped being surprised by this. Two mandatory 7-Eleven stops which is expected on such a long stretch.  Average moving speed of 21.7km/h. Overall average of 15.9km/h. Total time: 7:49:37.  350m of climbing, broadly as planned. The warmest day yet, nudging 26°C through agricultural and industrial Taiwan in equal measure.  The final stretch tracking the HSR line into Kaohsiung, intersection after intersection, traffic light after traffic light was a masterclass in patience. We are, apparently, patient people. Alex & Adam  Rusty Rhinos

Stage 3 complete. Changhua → Chiayi. 79km. 215m of climbing. The shortest day on paper, finishing by noon with enough energy left to form an opinion about lunch.  A minor detour of under a kilometre for a bridge closure, one mandatory 7-Eleven stop, and notably, not a single other cyclist spotted all day. Either we’re ahead of the pack, or everyone else knows something we don’t. Average moving speed of 21.3km/h, overall average of 16.0km/h. Max speed of 40.1km/h, a considerably more sensible descent than yesterday’s 57.2km/h, suggesting at least some personal growth on this trip. Chiayi rewarded the early finish. Soup noodles for lunch a traditional restaurant. Then Wenhua Road Night Market where we feasted on grilled skewers from an ornate red cart parked in front of a church, hot and sour noodles, banana pancakes, and a fried cheese baton of frankly alarming proportions. We may have slightly overdone it. We have no regrets. Alex & Adam Rusty Rhinos