Are you tough enough for the Taiwan KOM?

SYDNEY—In the world of cycling sportives, none come any tougher than the Taiwan KOM. Now in its fourth year, the one-day bike race should most probably come with the disclaimer: ‘Rider Beware!’

Boasting more than 200 mountains above 3,000 metres in elevation, the 105-kilometre, non-UCI sanctioned event was infamously labeled one of the world’s top 10 toughest bike races by French magazine Le Cycle. The race starts in the coastal town of Qixingtan near Hualien and rises to Wuling at 3,275 m with gradients peaking at more than 27 per cent toward the summit top at Mount Hehuan – Taiwan’s tallest mountain accessible by road.

Elite male cyclists Simon Clarke (Orica-GreenEdge) and Will Routley (Optum presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies), as well as elite women Tiffany Cromwell (Velocio-SRAM) and Jo Hogan (TIBCO-SVB) have all had a crack with two-time winner John Ebsen (Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec) coming out on top for the $1 million TWD cash prize ($32,000 USD).

This year, the Taiwan KOM has moved up on the calendar by two weeks with an October 30 start time and six-hour cutoff, unlike the all-new ‘Road to the Taiwan KOM’ on July 25, which serves as an ideal introduction to its daunting big brother.

And like always, the Taiwan KOM proudly stands behind its zero-doping policy. Anyone with a previous doping ban is refused entry. The race does not even accommodate those riders rumoured to have past doping indiscretions. Drug testing is mandatory for the top 6 riders with random testing for the remaining field.

Southern Spin has been lucky enough to attend the race for the past two years for the likes of Eurosport, Cyclist Magazine and Canadian Cycling Magazine. This year, fingers are crossed to attend again this year and report on what can only be described as a true ‘bucket list’ event.

So are you tough enough to survive the world’s unofficial King of the Mountain World Championships?

Either way, it’s sure to be an event you won’t soon forget.

Aaron S. Lee | Follow on Twitter

Photo: Daniel Simms