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Everything You Need to Know
Ciao, this week's issue is brought to you from the sunny coast of Italy. It just so happens that cycling is a big thing here. This week we will talk about one of the toughest bike race in the world the Taiwan KOM
King of the Mountain
The Taiwan KOM challenge is touted to be the hardest hill climb bicycle race in the world. What makes it so hard is that it includes 3500m of uphill climbing over the 105km course. This race is not UCI accredited therefore anyone of reasonable fitness can enter the race. You do not need to be a professional cyclist to join.
The Route
The race is held in Taiwan, starting in Qixingtan Beach, Hualien（七星潭，花莲） and finishes at the Wuling Pass（武嶺） What makes this race so hard is not only the sheer volume of climbing required but also the gradients of the climb. The highest gradient in this race comes at Km 97.6 with a staggering 27.3%. This means for every 100m horizontal distance the altitude rises 25m. Although anyone can enter the competition, there is a 6.5 hour cut off time. Officials are stationed at certain parts of the course to notify racers to stop racing when they are not on track to make the cut.
Past Winners
There have been 10 editions of this race which originated in 2012. Danish rider John Ebsen was the most recent winner of the men's race and he also holds the most wins,winning the race 4 times. The women's race was won by Canadian Marg Fedyna and the most number of wins are shared by Fedyna, Emma Pooley of Great Britain and Eri Yonamine of Japan with 2 wins each.
The Tour de France might be one of the most well known and gruelling race due to its schedule but for a one day race the Taiwan KOM claims the crown for being one of the toughest.
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