A Hero’s Journey: Moving Forward Together | COMOSS 2026 Autumn Cycling Tour Around Nantou
From Houli to Sun Moon Lake, four days and more than 160 kilometers on the road became more than a physical challenge. It was a journey of connection, partnership, teamwork, and shared growth
This autumn, COMOSS once again took to the road for our annual cycling event, themed “A Hero’s Journey: Moving Forward Together through Challenge and Connection – Cycling Around Nantou.”Starting in Houli, Taichung, the route continued through Fengyuan, Wufeng, Caotun, Zhongxing New Village, Mingjian, Jiji, Shuili, and finally reached Sun Moon Lake.
Over four days, we cycled through city streets, dedicated bike paths, rural roads, and demanding mountain climbs. Along the way, we also visited long-time business partners, social welfare organizations, and local cultural landmarks.
This journey once again brought to life the spirit that COMOSS continues to embrace:
Link. Challenge. Fun.
Connecting, taking on challenges, and finding joy in moving forward together.
It All Starts with a Bicycle: Building Connections through “Link”
Our first stop was RIKULAU, a Taiwanese bicycle brand based in Houli, Taichung.For COMOSS, RIKULAU is more than a bicycle company. It is also a valued long-term partner that shares our belief in Link, Challenge, and Fun.
The bicycles used throughout this year’s cycling journey were also provided through RIKULAU, accompanying our team all the way from Taichung to Nantou.
During the visit, the COMOSS team had the opportunity to learn more about bicycle design, materials, and manufacturing, with a particular focus on RIKULAU’s distinctive titanium frame craftsmanship.
Titanium offers an exceptional combination of light weight, strength, corrosion resistance, and riding comfort. However, producing a high-quality titanium frame requires extensive expertise in material control, welding techniques, frame geometry, and manufacturing precision.
For the COMOSS team, which has long been engaged in industrial manufacturing and precision connectivity solutions, the visit was more than simply a factory tour. It became an exchange between two different fields of advanced manufacturing.
A bicycle may look simple from the outside, but behind every finished frame lies the integration of materials, engineering, manufacturing, quality, and user needs.
The same is true of a strong partnership.
Every connection matters.
Riding with Maria Foundation Youth: Turning Cycling into a Journey We Share
If cycling is a hero’s journey, then the true meaning of that journey is not about how fast one person can ride.It is about whether we are willing to move forward together.
This year, COMOSS once again joined young riders from the Maria Social Welfare Foundation for part of the journey.
Through its cycling club, the foundation has long encouraged young participants to step beyond familiar environments, develop physical endurance, build confidence, and gain valuable life experiences through cycling.
As part of this year’s program, the COMOSS team also visited the Maria Foundation’s Taichung facility. The staff of the foundation personally introduced the organization’s environment, services, and long-term mission, giving participants a deeper understanding of the care, education, and sustained support required behind the scenes.
When the COMOSS team and the foundation’s young riders returned to their bicycles, they were no longer simply participants in the same event.
They became cycling partners.
Some riders moved faster, while others needed more time.
Some led from the front, while others stayed behind to provide support.
The real meaning of “moving forward together” is simple:
No one has to complete the journey alone.
This Year’s “Challenge”: More than Distance
During last year’s autumn cycling event, the COMOSS team completed approximately 180 kilometers.This year, we set a different goal.
Rather than focusing only on total distance, the route introduced more elevation changes and demanding climbs. On certain days, participants rode approximately 50 kilometers, with total elevation gains exceeding 1,000 meters.
For many team members, this presented a serious test of physical endurance, pacing, and determination.
On a long climb, the hardest moment is often not whether your legs can keep moving.
It is whether you are willing to keep pedaling after fatigue has already set in.
Some riders adjusted their rhythm on the climbs. Others encouraged one another at rest stops. Some quietly stayed beside teammates through the toughest sections.
Every pause to wait for someone, every look back to make sure the group was together, and every word of encouragement became a direct expression of teamwork.
This is also what Challenge means to COMOSS.
Challenge is not about proving that you are stronger than someone else.
It is about continuing forward when the road becomes difficult, while also helping the people beside you move forward as well.
From Cities to Mountains: Rediscovering the Land from the Saddle
The four-day cycling route connected many distinctive landscapes and cultural sites across Taichung and Nantou.The journey included the Dajia River steel truss bridge, Han River cycling paths, the Imperial Sugar Factory Taichung Office, Guangfu New Village, the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan, Zhongxing New Village, Lantian Academy, Jiji Green Tunnel, Jiji Weir, Mingxin Academy, Military History Park, Shuili, and finally Sun Moon Lake.
Cycling creates a very different experience from traveling by car or bus.
The pace becomes slower.
You begin to feel the gradients, the direction of the wind, the sunlight, and temperature changes.
You also see streets, communities, farmland, and mountain landscapes from a much closer perspective.
Every section of the route gradually changes from a line on a map into a memory we have actually lived through.
Ending at Sun Moon Lake: Keeping the “Fun” in the Journey
On the final day, the team arrived at Sun Moon Lake.Some participants continued with a ride around the lake, passing iconic landmarks including the Nine Frogs Stack, Wenwu Temple, Shuishe Dam, and Xiangshan Visitor Center.
Others began the day even earlier, heading onto the water for a sunrise Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) experience.
Before sunrise, participants gathered at Ita Thao Pier.
After safety instructions, technique demonstrations, and practice sessions, the group paddled out onto the lake.
Seen from the surface of the water, the familiar scenery of Sun Moon Lake took on an entirely different character.
After every challenge, there should also be room to enjoy the journey.
That is the spirit of Fun.
Work can be professional. Challenges can be taken seriously. But a strong team should still be able to laugh together, try something new together, and create shared memories along the way.
Link. Challenge. Fun. More than a Slogan
For COMOSS, promoting an active corporate culture is not simply about organizing an event.Sports have a way of teaching many of the same lessons that matter in our daily work.
No one can maintain the same speed forever, so we learn to adjust our pace.
Long-distance journeys cannot be completed through an early sprint alone, so we learn endurance.
When the road turns uphill, progress comes from continuing one pedal stroke at a time.
And when an entire group wants to reach the finish line together, success depends on waiting, supporting, and trusting one another.
From our partnership with RIKULAU to riding alongside young cyclists from the Maria Social Welfare Foundation, from flat urban routes to climbs exceeding 1,000 meters of elevation gain, and from city streets to the mountains and waters of Nantou, these four days gave us far more than kilometers.
Link brings different people together
Challenge helps us discover what we are capable of
Fun makes the journey worth sharing
A hero’s journey is never just the story of one person.The real journey begins when a group of people chooses to move forward together, support one another through every challenge, build stronger connections along the way, and eventually reach a place farther than any one of them had imagined.
