Taiwan KOM Challenge
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The Taiwan KOM Challenge is a one-day road cycling race held annually in Taiwan. Created in 2012, the event is recognized as one of the most difficult cycling races in the world due having nearly 3500m of climbing over a 105 kilometer course. Vincenzo Nibali, the 2017 winner, holds the record for the fastest time, with a time of 3:19:54.
Route
The route starts in the coastal eastern city of Hualien at around sea level, heads north on Highway 9, and turns left into Highway 8, where it enters Tarako National Park, which is a deep gorge. The route gradually gains elevation as it goes westwards, ultimately ending above the clouds in Wuling, near Mt Heuhansan, which at 3275m (10,744 ft) is the highest paved road in Taiwan. Because of the significant increase in elevation, altitude sickness is a concern as well as the sudden change in temperature and weather.
Winners
Men
| Year | Winner | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Denmark John Ebsen | France Peter Pouly | Republic of Ireland David McCann |
| 2013 | Iran Rahim Ememi | Iran Amir Zargari | Taiwan Wang Yin-chih |
| 2014 | Denmark John Ebsen | Hong Kong Ronald Yeung | Laos Ariya Phounsavath |
| 2015 | France Damien Monier | Denmark John Ebsen | Republic of Ireland Mark Dowling |
| 2016 | Spain Óscar Pujol | Australia Jai Hindley | Australia Ben Dyball |
| 2017 | Italy Vincenzo Nibali | Spain Óscar Pujol | Denmark John Ebsen |
| 2018 | Denmark John Ebsen | Australia Ben Dyball | France Damien Monier |
| 2019 | Denmark Anthon Charmig | Australia Ben Dyball | Italy Pierpaolo Ficara |
| 2020 | Denmark John Ebsen | Bulgaria Christian Trenchev | Taiwan Huang Guan-Lin |
| 2021 | Taiwan Feng Chun-kai | Taiwan Lu Shao-hsuan | Taiwan Huang Kuan-lin |
| 2022 | Denmark John Ebsen | Taiwan Huang Kuan-lin | Taiwan Lu Shao-hsuan |
| 2023 | Australia Ben Dyball | Colombia Jesús David Peña | Japan Sohei Kaneko |
| 2024 | Race cancelled due to risk of landslides. |
Women
| Year | Winner | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Japan Eri Yonamine | Australia Tiffany Cromwell | Taiwan Lian Yin Yi Ch |
| 2014 | Canada Marg Fedyna | Taiwan Qin Xin | Taiwan Guo Nian Wen |
| 2015 | Japan Eri Yonamine | Canada Marg Fedyna | Taiwan Tseng Hsiao-chia |
| 2016 | United Kingdom Emma Pooley | Japan Yumiko Goda | Taiwan Cheung Zi Yin |
| 2017 | United Kingdom Emma Pooley | United Kingdom Hayley Simmonds | United Kingdom Emily-Grace Collinge |
| 2018 | Australia Lucy Kennedy | United Kingdom Emma Pooley | France Edwige Pitel |
| 2019 | South Africa Ashleigh Moolman | Netherlands Marianne Vos | New Zealand Kate McIlroy |
| 2020 | Taiwan Kuo Chia-chi | Taiwan Chen Zih-yin | Switzerland Sandra Boesiger |
| 2021 | Taiwan Zeng Ke-xin | Taiwan Wang Hsin-hui | Taiwan Chen Tzi-yin |
| 2022 | Taiwan Chiu Xen-xin | Taiwan Cheng Shi-xuan | Taiwan Wang Xin-hui |
| 2023 | Japan Shoko Kashiki | Japan Tsubasa Makise | Taiwan Hsu Shu-wei |
| 2024 | Race cancelled due to risk of landslides. |
See also
External links
- at Cycling Archives (archived, or )