The Tour de Taiwan cycling race kicks off this Saturday, with riders sampling local delicacies before the competition

By Li Xinyi, reporting

After more than 30 years of effort, the 2012 International Tour de Taiwan was rated by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) as superior to Japan and South Korea, upgrading it to a 2.1-level race, on par with Italy, France, Spain, and for the first time inviting world-class Tour de France professional teams to compete in Taiwan. The seven-day event, held from March 10 to 16, took place across seven cities in northern, central, and southern Taiwan. A total of 95 riders from 19 teams representing 22 countries participated in this international cycling competition. To promote Taiwan’s tourism, the event specially incorporated local night market cuisine and hosted a Tour de Taiwan Food Banquet today, inviting teams from around the world to sample the dishes.

The Tour de Taiwan Food Banquet featured ten popular Taiwanese street foods: oyster omelet, soup dumplings, oyster vermicelli with intestine, stinky tofu, pork rice, rice balls, zongzi, danzai noodles, beef noodle soup, and bubble tea. Kristian House, a rider from the Sharpen Eagle Professional Team who was visiting Taiwan for the first time, mentioned that he had cycled along the northern coast and found Taiwan’s cycling environment very clean. Among the foods prepared, he and his teammates especially loved the rice balls and soup dumplings. Another Sharpen Eagle Professional Team rider, Downing Dean, was so fond of Taiwan’s bubble tea that he learned how to make it on-site from a beverage vendor—and succeeded on his first try.

The International Tour de Taiwan opens this Saturday, starting in Taipei City. The route includes: New Taipei City Government to Linsenbi Recreation Area, Taoyuan County Government to Jiaobanshan Characteristic Business District, Taichung City Hall to Metropolitan Park, Baguashan Giant Buddha in Changhua, Tainan City Government to Guanziling Scenic Area, and the final leg in Kaohsiung’s Love River.

2012 Tour de Taiwan Official Website: www.tourdetaiwan.org.tw

● Related Reading: Aspiring to be an Asian cycling city, Kaohsiung builds its second bicycle bridge

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