ROAD to TAIWAN KOM TOUR SPRING
RIDE SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING ROADS IN TAIWAN
MARCH 18th - 25th 2025
7 DAYS RIDING
Partnered with the Taiwan Cyclist Federation
REVIEW
‘We booked a Taiwan KOM Challenge tour and had a fantastic time. The weather was amazing, the roads were fantastic, the views stunning! Our guide showed us roads, sights and restaurants that we’d never have found on our own. That local knowledge is invaluable and we could appreciate the care that had gone into the planning of our trip. Fully recommended!’
Tjarco Cuppens, Netherlands / Sports Director at Team Coop - Repsol
__________
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
SPRING ROAD to TAIWAN KOM - ENTRY GUARANTEED
Taiwan KOM Official Jersey & Goodie Bag
Transport from / to Taoyuan Airport
Transport to Taipei from KOM finish line on Race Day
7 nights hotel
Daily Breakfast / 5 Group Dinners
Van Support with Mechanic
Highly Experienced Tour Leader, Guide & Support
Taiwan Insurance (only covers basics: each tour participant must purchase full insurance, in their home country, covering cycling abroad).
OPTIONAL EXTRAS:
Extra nights before or after the tour
Coaching Plans: please contact lee@crankpunk.com for more info
Bike Rental: contact asap.
This is the ideal tour for riders who are looking to discover more of what Taiwan has to offer the adventurous cyclist. This 8-day, 7-night tour is designed to showcase the best cycling that Taiwan has to offer in the north, east and also in the central mountain range.
Over these seven days of cycling we will explore Yangmingshan National Park, just 20km north of Taipei Main Station, and then ride through the beautiful Pingxi and Shifen areas, then to the historic town of Jiufen. We then head to Yilan on the east coast, the start town of the ‘new’ Taiwan KOM Challenge for spring 2025. The traditional KOM route, from Taroko National Park up to Wuling has, due to earthquake and typhoon damage, been deemed too unstable to host the event for the duration of 2025. Therefore, the road from Yilan to Lishan and on to the traditional last 10km to Wuling will feature.
Two days before the event, we will take the opportunity to ride up the first section of the KOM route at a leisurely pace, and then descend back to Yilan. Day 6 offers the opportunity of a light ride or a day off, before we wake up early on Friday to head to the start line of the 2024 Taiwan KOM Challenge!
All in all this tour offers a great opportunity to see first hand why Taiwan is one of the world’s premier cycling destinations and to truly get a taste of the wonderfully abundant nature of the island.
On top of this, we will eat some great food too!
COST: $2960 US per person ($450 single room supplement)
RIDE DATA :
Days Cycling: 7
Distance: 564km
Daily Average: 81km
Level: Challenging
ITINERARY:
DAY 1 / OFFICIAL GREETING & LIGHT RIDE
Tuesday 18th March
Hotel Location: Taipei
Ride Distance: Elevation: 45 km / 129m
Grading: Easy
Meeting Point: Hotel Lobby 11am
Post Ride: Welcome Dinner
Ride Info: Arrival Day and an easy leg-opener ride along the bike path with a stop at the oldest traditional neighbourhood in the city, and also to a local bike shop, then out for our welcome meal.
DAY 2 / YANGMINGSHAN
Wednesday 19th March
Hotel Location: Taipei
Distance: Elevation: 128km / 2197m
Estimated Duration: 5-6 hours
Route: Taipei Hotel - Yangmingshan National Park - Taipei Hotel
Grading: Challenging
Meeting Point: Departure: Hotel Lobby 8am
Post-Ride: Free Time
Ride Info: Yangmingshan remains largely undiscovered by visiting cyclists heading to Taroko Gorge and the Taiwan KOM Challenge but it offers some of the best cycling on the island. This ride provides a great introduction to the delights of cycling in Taiwan: lush jungle, well-paved roads, light traffic, great views on the way up and awesome descents as rewards for all the hard work.
DAY 3 / TAIPEI - JIUFEN
Thursday 20th March
Hotel Location: Jiufen
Distance / Elevation: 91 km / 2023m /
Ride Duration / 5-6 hours
Route: Taipei - Pingxi - Jiufen
Grading: Challenging
Meeting Point / Departure: Hotel Lobby 8am
Post-Ride: Dinner
Ride Info: This route features the best cycling that the area south-east of Taipei has to offer, on quiet roads with mostly (note, mostly!) gentle ascents and flowing descents. The area by Fetsui Reservoir is stunning, and then we head to Pingxi and Shifen through deep jungle, accompanied by the hum of the wildlife within as we pedal along. Finally we roll into Jiufen, where we have three BnB’s that we know well and guarantee a comfy bed and a decent breakfast. The evening meal this day is very good too.
DAY 4 / JIUFEN - YILAN - SUAO
Friday 21st March
Hotel Location: Suao
Distance / Elevation: 93km / 687m
Ride Duration / 4 hours
Grading: Easy
Meeting Point / Departure Time: Hotel Lobby 9:00am
Post Ride: Free Time
Ride Info: An easy day to shake the efforts of the previous two days from the legs. We will head up and over the climb from Jiufen - a wonderful 5km climb, with great views to either side on the way up, and then down to the coast, riding through a 2.5km repurposed rail tunnel. Finally it’s a flat run to Su’Ao and our hotel.
DAY 5 / TAIPING - KOM ROUTE RECCE
Saturday 22nd March
Hotel Location: Su’Ao Hotel - KOM Route Recce - Su’Ao Hotel
Distance / Elevation: 60 km / 1492m /
Ride Duration: 4 hours
Route: Taiping - KOM Route - Taiping
Grading: Moderate (Climbing section is 4% average)
Meeting Point / Departure Time: Hotel Lobby 8:00am
Post-Ride: Dinner
Ride Info: Day 5 provides the opportunity to get on the actual Taiwan KOM Challenge 2025 route and see a portion of what is in store on the event day. We will drive out to the start point, gear up, and then head up the hill. Rather than set a firm distance on this ride, we will set a time to turn back and to head to the start point. This way, riders can choose their own pace and also how much climbing they want to do. It’s not only a chance to see the route itself but also to take it all in a far more leisurely pace than that which will be set on the 24th!
DAY 6 / HOTEL - SU’AO - HOTEL / Or OFF
Sunday 23rd March
Hotel Location: Su’ao - Fennliaolin Port - Yilan
Distance / Elevation: 38km / 771m
Ride Duration: 3 hours
Route: Hotel - Fennliaolin - Hotel - Transfer
Grading: Easy
Meeting Point / Departure Time: Hotel Lobby 7:30am
Post-Ride: Group Dinner
Ride Info: This day sees all riders gather at the race hotel to register for the KOM event and receive their numbers and day bags (we will have these for you all, not need to stand in line), and then to attend the Rider Meeting, which will be at 3pm. Each KOM Tour rider has the option of either taking this day off to save the legs for the 24th, or to join us for a stunning climb (go at your own pace!) to this beautiful little port for a coffee, then back by to Suao, and in the van to transfer to the race hotel.
DAY 7 / The TAIWAN KOM CHALLENGE
Monday 24th March
Hotel Location: Taipei / Will be same hotel as Day 1 and 2
Distance / Elevation: 150 km / 4125m
Estimated Duration: 5-7 hrs / Post-Ride: Taipei, Farewell Meal
Grading: Challenging / Hard
Meeting Point / Departure Time: Hotel lobby 5am
Ride Info: Race Day! Some points to note: cut off time is 9hrs, not the usual 6.5hrs. This is because this is the first time this route has been used for a race. Also, though the traditional KOM route’s elevation is stated at 3,275m, this is the height of Wuling and not the actual elevation gained cycling - that is in fact 4,425m - so this route us actually less climbing!
This new route has more descending, and we expect that the average times up the climb will be quicker than in previous KOM events. Also, there is a 10km neutral zone. Yes, it will be a heck of a bike ride, but don’t be too daunted!
On this day we will have support vans and everything will be taken care of. Post-ride, we head back to Taipei for dinner.
DAY 7 / DEPARTURE DAY
Tuesday 25th March
Info: The last day of the tour, where we will arrange transport to the airport. Please inform us of your departure times and flight numbers. For anyone thinking to stay on a few days in Taiwan, please let us know and we will assist you in any way we can.
