Bicycle Mountain King: Olympic Gold Medalists to Take on the Challenge

The main event of Taiwan’s Cycling Festival, the Taiwan KOM Challenge – King of the Mountain, will kick off this Friday at Qixingtan on the Pacific coast in Hualien. Over 200 world-class cyclists will tackle the grueling 105-kilometer route that climbs from sea level to an altitude of 3,275 meters. Liu Xilin, Deputy Director of the Tourism Bureau, said that the final 10 kilometers of Taiwan’s KOM Challenge feature gradients ranging from 17 to 27 degrees, earning it the nickname “Road to Heaven.” It has also been ranked among the world’s top ten toughest races by Le Cycle, France’s best-selling cycling magazine. This year, the event will see its first-ever participation by an Olympic gold medalist.

Liu Xilin said that this year’s KOM Challenge will host over 200 world-class cyclists, more than triple the 79 participants when the event first began, marking a tenfold increase in international recognition. The field this year includes top riders such as Spain’s Omar Fraile, the newly crowned King of the Mountains in the Vuelta a España, and Danish cyclist Lasse Norman Hansen, who won the gold medal in the men’s omnium at the 2012 London Olympics. Hansen is confirmed to take on the KOM, marking the first time an active Olympic gold medalist will compete in the event.

The Tourism Bureau noted that the KOM not only draws international elites but also sees a strong turnout from domestic riders. These include Fan Yongyi, known as “Taiwan’s strongest ever amateur cyclist,” who achieved back-to-back victories at the Taroko International Mountain Race and ranked 7th overall and 3rd domestically in last year’s KOM Challenge. Also participating is Feng Junkai, Taiwan’s first rider to join a WorldTour professional cycling team. He claimed three consecutive titles in the King of the Mountains category at the 2023 Tour de Taiwan and ranked 5th overall and 1st domestically in the KOM Challenge last year.

Additionally, Chang Wei-?, who claimed victory in the 2015 Taiwan KOM Challenge Experience Ride with a time of 4 hours and 55 minutes, is also a highly anticipated contender.

Organizers stated that the KOM has built an outstanding international reputation. It has been ranked by Le Cycle as one of the world’s ten most challenging races, on par with events in the European Alps. At 6:30 AM this Friday, 412 cyclists from 32 countries and regions will gather at Qixingtan in Hualien to compete.