#iflyeva

Day 1 ride: 45 mile ride that took 8 hours. 13k climb. 12k descent. 18k climb. Long waits/rest stops while we wait for the last rider to get there. The ability levels are mostly beginner. There are more riders wearing Crocs and Nikes then there are wearing cycling shoes. One person said before today the furthest he's ever ride is 16 miles. The climbs we did went through the most beautiful landscapes Ive ever scene. After I told the tour guide how amazing it al was, He said, "just wait, you havent seen how beutiful our island is yet." On the 13k descent, as it was getting dark, it also started raining heavy. Made for some tense descending, but the group took it slow and we did well, although one person went down. Nothing too bad. Ill elaborate n post more vids and pics when I have time. Going to dinner now.

Day 1 Food: fried tea leafs and tea boiled eggs. Both delicious!

SO, WHAT'S GOING ON? I was randomly selected by the Taiwanese government for a 9-day cycling trip throughout the island of Taiwan. (Is this real life?) For the next week and a half, my only responsibility is to ride my bike, take photos and report my experience back on social media.

WHY TAIWAN? Many of the largest bike manufacturers in the world call Taiwan home, making it a titan of the cycling industry. However, the island's appeal as a tourist, and specifically a riding destination is largely overlooked-- something the Taiwanese government hopes to change.

They've sponsored riders from all over the globe to come experience the island on two wheels and spread the word about their trip. I was one of two southern California cyclists selected for the journey.

SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? Given Taiwan's reputation for scams and the completely unlikelihood that something like this could be real, I was understandably skeptical about applying to begin with. Nonetheless, I thought "what the hell" and submitted an application during my lunch break over a cup of burnt brown office water. I figured little negative could come out of applying on the off-chance that this was, actually, the opportunity of a lifetime.

Three days later, I received a response claiming I was elected to participate. Still skeptical, I played along with cautious hope that I'd actually stumbled into a goldmine of an opportunity.

Over the next month and a half, what had initially seemed some elaborate scam to steal my identity developed into a legitimate trip. The Taiwanese government booked my flight-- something I verified with LAX-- and, a few weeks later, my Taiwanese contact in Los Angeles followed up with hotel reservations, which I also carefully researched in order to confirm. At this point, somewhere mid-October, I finally decided to consider the entire affair plausible, and took time off of work in preparation for the trip.

Fast forward to now: I'm about to disembark for Taiwan on a cycling trip completely paid for by the Taiwanese Tourism Bureau, and they're really hooking it up. It seems like I'll want for nothing, between hotel, flight, personal drivers, food, an allowance, bicycle rental, and the list goes on. The year 2015 has been a series of milestones in my life... and I intend to make the most of it with this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

I'll keep you updated on my journey on Instagram, Facebook, Strava, and this Tumblr blog.