I cycled 625 miles around Taiwan without ANY training – that’s how I got further

“I cried tears of joy because I actually did it.”

So says Riley Yen, a novice cyclist who completed a 1,006-kilometer bike ride (the equivalent of nearly 24 marathons) around Taiwan.

Despite never owning a bike or cycling for more than 30 minutes at a time, it only took him 12 days in total, one of which was a ‘rest day’.

The 21-year-old, from California, US, charted his journey with posts on his Instagram account @rileyyentaking his 47,600 followers with him.

He told MailOnline Travel: ‘I just went there thinking that whatever happens, I’ll figure it out.’

Riley cycled for 11 days and only took one day of rest. He had never owned a bicycle and had never cycled for more than 30 minutes at a time before starting his journey

Before starting his two-wheel adventure, Riley had just graduated from the University of Southern California a job as a health care consultant in New York was lined up for later this year.

After graduating early, he decided to use the extra time – and money he had left – to travel around Asia.

“I had done everything I was ‘supposed to do,’ from going to college, getting a job and getting healthy,” he said. ‘I wanted to do something, not because I have to, but because I am curious about it. Satisfying childish curiosity.’

Riley had reached Japan when he came up with the idea of ​​cycling around Taiwan.

He then traveled to the island, bought a bicycle for $130 (£103) and headed to Taiwan Cycling Route No.1 in February.

The route starts and ends in the capital Taipei and loops around the island, with some parts running along the coast.

Riley completed it in an impressive 12 days by cycling up to 12 hours every day, taking just one day off on day nine of the trip and staying in hotels along the way.

When asked if he has ever veered off course, he replied: “Yes. For the most part I followed that, but I did go to Tainan, which is off the route.’

Riley said he wanted to complete the journey to ‘satisfy a childish curiosity’

Riley said, “I just went in thinking that whatever happens, I’m going to figure it out.” Overcoming the physical pain was one of the most difficult parts for the novice cyclist

The 21-year-old, from California, charted his journey with posts on his Instagram account @rileyyen, taking his 47,600 followers with him. Before starting his two-wheel adventure, Riley had just graduated from the University of Southern California

Riley said overcoming the “physical pain” was a difficult part of the journey.

“The most painful parts were my hands and my buttocks because my bike had no variations in the handles and was not assembled correctly,” he added. ‘I also had a bag on my back instead of strapped to the bike.

‘My hands were constantly numb and I couldn’t use chopsticks for a week.’

He also had an encounter with Mother Nature on day eight, which he described as the most difficult day.

“I ran into a storm with almost no energy and four hours to go as I approached nighttime,” he said.

And the hardest psychological part, he said, was posting “well-edited videos and interacting with my viewers — not just one day, but every day.”

Riley revealed that his hands were “constantly numb” during the ride and that he “couldn’t use chopsticks for a week” afterward

Has he ever almost given up? “Every day,” he said. Why didn’t he? He explained, “I said I would finish it, so I have to do it.”

And he claimed he has no regrets.

For the most part, Taiwan is very bike-friendly, according to Riley. But he explained that he had to skip two small sections in the east of the island and take the train because it was “illegal for bicycles or too dangerous due to large trucks and falling rocks from the mountainside.”

Some of the best sights he saw were farmlands in eastern Taiwan, including Taichung and Hualien, and the beaches in Kaohsiung and Checheng, in southern Taiwan.

LEFT: Riley’s bicycle is pictured next to the Xiluo Bridge in Changhua County. RIGHT: The cyclist said some of the best sights he saw were the farmlands on the eastern side of Taiwan

What’s next for Riley? He said: ‘I’m now doing 30 mile runs and scaling up my clothing brand. Kaede Gardens.’

Although he said he would “love” to continue cycling, Riley has no more long trips planned.

However, he said Japan “would be really fun” to cycle around, as would Taiwan’s mountains.

For more from Riley, visit him on Instagram at www.instagram.com/rileyyen/YouTube on www.youtube.com/@rileyyen and TikTok bee www.tiktok.com/@rileyyen.