Cyclist from Spain wins King of the Mountain Challenge

2016/11/01

The fifth annual Taiwan King of the Mountain Challenge began in the early hours of Oct. 28 at Qixingtan Beach in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County as 385 cyclists from 36 countries and territories set out on a grueling 105-kilometer journey.

Spaniard Oscar Pujol Munoz claimed first place. Hindley Jai and Benjamin Dyball, both from Australia, came in second and third, respectively. Taiwan cyclist Fan Yong-yi was the fastest local competitor, finishing 14th with a time of 3 hours, 37 minutes and 35 seconds.

Participants raced along the Pacific coast, then westward into central Taiwan’s Nantou County before ending at Wuling on Mt. Hehuan in Taroko National Park.

Organized by the New Taipei City-based Taiwan Cyclist Federation, the KOM route rises from sea level to 3,275 meters, the highest point of the island’s highway system. The end of the race saw the cyclists push themselves as they traveled up 17- to 27-percent inclines.

The competition has been rated by French magazine Le Cycle as one of the toughest competitions in the world, on par with classic routes through the Alps, according to the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, a KOM sponsor. “This is a must-try challenge among global cycling enthusiasts,” the bureau added.

The race has attracted a number of leading professional cyclists including Omar Fraile from Spain, who won first place in the mountain section of the Vuelta a Espana in 2015 and 2016, as well as British triathlete Emma Pooley, who earned a silver medal in the women’s time trial at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Two of Taiwan’s top cyclists, Feng Chun-kai and Huang Ting-ying, also joined this year’s KOM, which featured a NT$2.41 million (US$75,700) purse and some of the world’s most spectacular canyon views.

The race was one of numerous events taking place during the 2016 Taiwan Cycling Festival running Oct. 2 to Nov. 13. Several of this year’s routes include the cycle path around Nantou’s Sun Moon Lake, chosen last year as one of the world’s 10 best bike trails by travel website CNNGo.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=249072&ctNode=2194&mp=9)