The 2017 Taiwan Cycling Festival has officially kicked off! Five major themed events challenge you to cycle across the entire island

▲The 2017 Taiwan Cycling Festival has officially kicked off, with the King of the Mountain (KOM) Challenge hailed as one of the world’s 10 toughest cycling events. (File photo / Provided by the Chinese Taipei Cycling Association)

Reported by Lai Wen-hsuan / Taipei

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Tourism Bureau has been organizing the Taiwan Cycling Festival since 2011, which has built a solid reputation internationally in recent years. In addition to continuing the four flagship events — the “Taiwan King of the Mountain (KOM) Challenge,” “Ride Formosa 900,” “Sun Moon Lake Come!Bikeday,” and “OK Taiwan – Taichung Cycling Carnival” — the 2017 edition introduces a new activity called “Light Up Taiwan: Extreme Point Slow Travel,” inviting cyclists to visit four extreme-point lighthouses and enjoy the surrounding cultural and coastal scenery.

[2017 Taiwan Cycling Festival: Schedule of Five Major Flagship Events]

Taiwan King of the Mountain (KOM) Challenge:10/20
Ride Formosa 900:11/4-11/12
Sun Moon Lake Come!Bikeday:11/11-11/12
OK Taiwan – Taichung Cycling Carnival:9/23-11/26
Light Up Taiwan: Extreme Point Slow Travel:6/1-12/31

▲The 2017 Taiwan Cycling Festival has officially launched, with annual ambassador Annie Chang inviting everyone to “ride” and have fun in Taiwan. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Bureau)

This year’s festival has specially invited actress Annie Chang to be the annual ambassador, officially kicking off the event’s peak period on the 19th. The Tourism Bureau stated that the Taiwan Cycling Festival has received an enthusiastic response from both domestic and international cyclists in recent years. This year, it collaborates with more county and city governments as well as civilian cycling groups and related organizations to host diverse and unique cycling events. Among them, the Taiwan King of the Mountain (KOM) Challenge, which has drawn attention from top cyclists and media worldwide, has been recognized as one of the world’s 10 toughest cycling events.

This year, the festival has invited Australian cyclist Cadel Evans, a four-time Grand Tour winner (Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, and World Championships) — one of only five riders in cycling history to achieve this feat — to participate in the KOM Challenge, highlighting the event’s growing international recognition. To promote gender equality, this year offers equal prize money for male and female participants, encouraging elite female cyclists from around the world to take on the challenge of climbing Wuling.

▲The King of the Mountain (KOM) Challenge is hailed as one of the world’s 10 toughest cycling events. (File photo / Provided by the Chinese Taipei Cycling Association)

Ride Formosa 900 has introduced electric-assist bike tours around Taiwan for the first time this year, making the dream of completing a bike circumnavigation more achievable. In addition to cycling, the itinerary also includes connections via high-speed rail, trains, and buses, allowing participants to appreciate Taiwan’s beauty from different perspectives.

The Sun Moon Lake cycling route was once selected by travel search website Skyscanner as one of the world’s eight most beautiful bike routes. The “Sun Moon Lake Come!Bikeday” event features local delicacies at its rest stops, giving international visitors a taste of Taiwan’s local cuisine. The event has also added a new route from Sun Moon Lake to Yushan (Tataka), spanning approximately 80 kilometers.

The “OK Taiwan – Taichung Cycling Carnival” combines three events: the “Giant Cup Carnival,” “Taichung Ride Tour,” and “Era Cycling Festival.” In addition to promoting low-carbon tourism, it also showcases Taiwan’s world-class bicycle industry to a wider audience.

▲The 2017 Taiwan Cycling Festival has officially launched, featuring five major flagship events this year. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Bureau)

“Light Up Taiwan: Extreme Point Slow Travel” is the newly added fifth flagship event of this year. It targets the four extreme-point lighthouses located in the east, west, south, and north of Taiwan’s main island, organizing cycling challenges of varying difficulty levels. It also integrates practical travel information such as food, accommodation, sightseeing, shopping, and transportation, along with recommended cycling routes, and introduces a “Light Up Taiwan Activity” handbook certification. By biking to the extreme-point lighthouses and collecting commemorative stamps, visitors can get closer to Taiwan.

Annual ambassador Annie Chang said that Taiwan’s cycling paths are well-developed, and you can ride anytime in casual clothes while enjoying the beautiful sceneries around Taiwan and tasting local cuisine. The 2017 Taiwan Cycling Festival will hold a series of diverse cycling events across the country, inviting everyone to “ride” and have fun in Taiwan.