The International Tour de Taiwan cycling race kicks off tomorrow with five exciting stages over five days, featuring 188 riders from 23 teams across 32 countries. As Taiwan’s top cyclist, Feng Chun-kai is not only gunning for a fourth straight King of the Mountains title this year but has also set himself the goal of finishing in the top three in at least one stage to keep himself motivated.
The Tour de Taiwan is seeking to upgrade its status from a 2.1-level to a 2.HC-level event under the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) this year. The race will take place over five stages: Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Changhua County, the KOM Mountain Stage, and the Taiwan Tourism Cup. Among these, the KOM Mountain Stage — which runs from Sun Moon Lake to Tatachia in Yushan National Park and ends in Alishan — is the most challenging.
Feng, who rides for the WorldTour team Merida-Bianchi, said he has carefully studied the route of each stage in preparation for this year’s Tour de Taiwan, paying special attention to the toughest section, Tatachia. He believes the KOM Mountain Stage will be a crucial leg in the battle for the overall leader’s yellow jersey.
“Although my performance at the recent Asian Championships in Thailand wasn’t great, I’ve gradually regained my form after some rest. I’ve also done a lot of climbing training for this race,” Feng said. “I think the biggest challenge to my bid for a fourth King of the Mountains title will come from the Iranian team. I’ll try to gain as many points as possible and fight hard for the mountain points.”
Wu Bohong, last year’s best Asian rider in the Taipei City stage and wearer of the blue jersey, agrees with Feng that the KOM Mountain Stage is the toughest. “But I managed to lose 5 kilograms through diet control and have stepped up my sprint training. My goal this year is still the yellow jersey.”