Securing the throne of “King of Climbers” in the Tour de Taiwan is no easy feat, and Feng Jun-kai of the Giant team knew that well. Though he once trailed in points, he never lost faith. The support from local fans and his teammates was his greatest motivation to push forward, and the taunt from Chinese mainland cyclist Wu Nan served as the final push that helped him clinch the three-peat.
The fourth stage of the Tour de Taiwan took place in “historic cultural city” Tainan, featuring one sprint point and two mountain points. As it was the last stage with mountain points, the battle for the “King of Climbers” title intensified. Feng secured six points at the second-category Guan-a-Ling climb and ultimately overturned a 10–12 deficit to beat Wu Nan of Giant-Shimano, setting the first three-peat record in the 26-year history of the Tour de Taiwan. Tasos Matsioudis of the Greek SP team won the stage in 3 hours, 48 minutes and 27 seconds.
“I heard he (Wu Nan) thinks winning the King of Climbers is ‘easy,’ and he’s quite a show-off,” said Feng Jun-kai, unable to tolerate his rival’s arrogance. It wasn’t just about defending his three-peat title as King of Climbers—it was also about safeguarding Taiwan’s pride in individual awards. He said, “Winning the King of Climbers is hard, but beating Wu Nan is easy. No matter what, I can beat him in Taiwan.”
The Tainan stage is known as the toughest of this year’s Tour de Taiwan. After a 120-kilometer trek, riders finally reached the main climbing sections. Before entering Guan-a-Ling, there were still three breakaway riders, who almost claimed the mountain points until they were caught by the peloton in the final kilometer. With strong support from his teammates, Feng seized the opportunity to secure the crucial six points that turned the race around.
“I thought there were still riders ahead and that the points were gone, but my teammates got me into a great position—they never gave up hope, so I gave it my all in response,” said Feng, who only learned he had claimed the King of Climbers title upon crossing the finish line. “Unbelievable. Thanks to my teammates’ help. We’re all local riders—this is Taiwan’s glory.”
Xu Ruide, Feng’s coach who did not join the team this year, said Feng’s growth has been remarkable—not only in technique and mindset, but also in maturity. He learned about the race through online reports. “When I confirmed that Ah Kai had secured the points, I got teary-eyed. Even the best screenwriters couldn’t have scripted this ending,” he said emotionally.