Dubbed as the highest-level domestic Merida Cup International Cross-Country Mountain Bike Competition each year, the event kicked off yesterday in Changhua, attracting nearly 300 elite riders from both home and abroad. The organizers invited 41-year-old Norwegian mountain biking queen Dale and CK Feng Chun-Kai to serve as event ambassadors. 2011 U23 World Champion Liki, making his first visit to Taiwan, also competed alongside local riders.
Feng Chun-Kai stated, “I’m really happy to serve as a goodwill ambassador together with Olympic gold medalist and mountain biking queen Dale. With more chances to compete against the world’s top riders, I will definitely work hard to bring glory to Taiwan.”
This year’s Merida Cup Cross-Country Mountain Bike Race attracted many top domestic riders, including 2014 Taiwan Mountain Bike Championship double champion Jiang Sheng-Shan, 2014 National MTB XC Cross-Country Tour Downhill Race second-place finisher Lin Wei-Chih, 2014 China Silk Road Mountain Bike Rally stage winner Ma Rui-Hong, and downhill queen Zhou Pei-Ni.
Liki, a Czech rider known for his technical style, won the elite category with a time of 34 minutes and 55 seconds. After the race, Liki confidently said that riding the best bike on a world-class track made winning the elite category title a natural outcome.
Jiang Sheng-Shan, who finished second in the elite category with a time of 37 minutes and 16 seconds, spoke highly of Liki’s exceptional skills. Known for his strength in downhill racing, Jiang noted that Liki demonstrated world-class ability on climbs and flat terrain.