Joan’s FXT – A Serene and Majestic Road Movie (Part Two)
Before dawn the beach was already packed with contestants and their support teams. They had turbulent seas to face; it was high tide and had been raining for days prior. Even with the extra five minutes extended by the organizers, Joan barely made it back to shore just two minutes left before the cut-off time, despite all of her training.
“This year’s current is very strong, at many points I was fighting just to not be swept backwards.”
The moment she arrived ashore her sister Jennifer said, “I almost burst into tears.”
Joan may not have snatched those extra five minutes, but perhaps without the additional swim training, she may not have made T1 at all.
Continuous days of bad weather had cleared up suddenly for race day, and bright sun shone down on the 180-kilometer cycling course. The route passed through Ruigang, Guangfong, Binhai, and the Central Cross-Island provincial highways. Binhai is a flat and long road, the kind Joan dislikes, so her strategy was to simply maintain a decent speed. After the mountain roads began however, she perked up, enjoying the gradual climb from low to high altitude, watching lush green undergrowth turn to delicate pine needles as pedaling became smoother. In Taroko the gorge walls towered over Joan’s small but commanding figure, and then past 1000 meters in altitude, thick fog turned her into merely a shadow.
Because of her slower swim time, Joan barely took any longer support stops on the cycling route. Still, battling against nature is always more difficult than we could ever imagine, and Joan was eliminated at just five kilometers away from the T2 checkpoint.
Driving alongside her documenting the race and her previous training was like watching a long road movie turned into real life, its open ending inducing complicated, mixed emotions. Although Joan was our main character, each one of us took something away from the experience.
“Oh! I passed the cut-off time!” are Joan’s first words off her bike. Then she smiles calmly, “Now I can rest.” Everyone laughs.
We drove to Wuling together, winding up the dark mountains in near-zero temperatures, occasionally passing by a runner lighting up the lonely road with their small headlamp. Later everyone sat around the dinner table discussing the day’s excitements, support team exhausted as well.
Joan suddenly asks, “Hey, does anybody want to go for a jog at 6am tomorrow? I have to make up for missing today’s run.”
Real riding and real living, that’s what Joan embodies so effortlessly.
DARE to be Unique
Joan’s bike is from Taiwanese brand DARE.
Five years ago, before Joan moved to Taipei, she worked as an event planner at a department store. For the last event of the year, she needed to find a sponsor. Preferring to work with smaller brands, Joan’s research led her to DARE Bikes, a bicycle factory recently launching their own brand. Although they didn’t have many followers yet, the brand seemed low-profile and well managed, with streamlined and refined designs. So Joan invited DARE to participate, and that’s how we were introduced to each other.
Photography: Javier Leon
A few months later, Joan left the department store to start a new job at a media company in Taipei. She joined several cycling club events, eventually falling in love with the cycling lifestyle. In the mornings she would carry her bike with her on the train to Taipei, go for a night ride after work, and then take the train back to Taoyuan with bike in tow. At this point, her bike was from a different brand.
Another two years passed and DARE, still the low-profile company, reached out to Joan. She only had 500 followers on Instagram, but DARE wrote, “We love the atmosphere you’ve created around cycling. If we gift you a bike, would you get us some exposure?”
She wrote back, “Sure!” And that was that.
“If DARE was described as a person, I think we’d be quite similar. We’re both not the type to show off, and we’re persistent about our values.” Instead of seeking approval from others, look to improve yourself, for yourself.
“DARE bikes are light, capable, and feel great to pedal. Their quality is absolutely on par with the big brands, but without the same price tag. What’s more, DARE puts effort into the smallest details. Each of their color options is inspired by a theme, such as glaciers or grasslands, and enhanced by color contrast or abstracted elements and decals, breaking away from the stereotypical “sporty” look of race bikes. After I received their bike, DARE mechanics also consistently reached out to see if my riding experience was optimal. DARE’s dedication to every aspect of their products is the defining spirit of their brand.”
Much later she would find out that other cyclists at events never remembered her for her looks, but as “the girl who rides DARE.” You are what you bike!
“DARE’s designs are meticulous down to the smallest details, things you might not even notice. But it’s this persistence that brings new ideas to the industry. Bikes don’t have to look aggressive, they can look elegant. Bikes for women don’t need to be pink- mine is a black design with decals inspired by strong female figures. DARE imbues professional race bikes with these meaningful, storytelling designs. I’ve also heard DARE brought up as an example of how transitioning from OEM to brand should be done.”
A great bike gave Joan even more enthusiasm for racing, and through that, opportunities to meet new friends. In these three years, her Instagram follower count has grown to over ten thousand, and she’s even challenged FXT. During the same year, DARE-sponsored cycling team Uno-X prepared to enter the highest level of global competition, becoming the third Taiwanese brand to do so after Giant and Merida.
DARE has grown immensely together with Joan on this long journey, as friends.
Text: Gill Li / Photography: Jack Lin / Film: Jon Hsi / Translation: Saras Kalwani
