The 2026 edition of the Taiwan KOM event is going to be stunning! A celebration of the 15th anniversary of this amazing event and a welcome return to the iconic Taroko Gorge/Wuling route. This year’s event will involve extra events in the host town of Hualien in the lead up to the big day.
Our tour is designed to take in the very best riding that Taiwan can offer as well as enjoying it’s culture and hospitality to the max. We will start with 3 nights in Taipei to enjoy the fantastic riding around the northern coast of Taiwan as well as indulging in the diverse sights, sounds and tastes of the vibrant city of Taipei. The second part of the tour will be based in Hualien, on Taiwan’s spectacular east coast. Hualien will host the main KOM event as well as other associated events in the lead up to the big day.
About the Taiwan KOM Challenge
The Taiwan KOM Challenge has rapidly gained stature in recent years as perhaps the toughest one-day cycling event in the world.
Taiwan’s KOM Challenge for 2026 is an incredible event. 105 kilometres long, most of which is uphill!
Starting on the East coast of Taiwan near the town of Hualien, the event will culminate on the Wuling Pass at a lofty altitude of 3275 metres.
Professionals, elite riders and keen amateurs all start together in this unique and exciting event.
The likes of Vincenzo Nibali, Cadel Evans, Laurens Ten Dam, Marianne Vos and Simon Yates have raced the event in recent years, so who knows who we’ll be rubbing shoulders with on the start line in 2026?
The KOM Challenge is a terrific chance to take in the culture of amazing Taiwan.
We carefully design our Taiwan KOM Challenge tour to incorporate spectacular warm up rides in the lead-up to the event. This means that riders will experience much of the best riding in Taiwan before doing the event itself.
There’ll be lots of time to take in the sights, with high-quality hospitality and accommodation.
Entry to the Taiwan KOM Challenge is guaranteed and included in the trip price.
Check out GCN’s video of the Ollie Bridgewood’s experience of the 2023 Taiwan KOM:
Taiwan KOM Challenge schedule
Monday 26th October 2026
Arrive at Taipei international airport (TPE) at any time to suit.
A 30-minute taxi ride will bring you to our Taipei Hotel.
You will have a chance to adjust to time differences, and what better way to counter jet lag than a short ride along Taipei’s riverside bike paths?
Tuesday 27th October
Today, we’ll ride north from the city to take in a beautiful circuit of Yangmingshan National Park. Magnificent sea views to look forward to and riding through a steaming, volcanic area. This ride will be around 80 kilometres with about 1400 metres of climbing.
The evening will include a chance to visit Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest buildings and an obligatory visit to eat in one of Taipei’s amazing night markets.
Wednesday 28th October
More beautiful riding in the area to the north of Taipei.
We’ll enjoy some spectacular riding along the north coast and most likely culminate with the stiff climb up to Mount Datun to give the legs a sample of what to expect later in the week. This ride will be approximately 90kms and includes 1500m of climbing.
In the afternoon and evening, we’ll take in more cultural sights; the Grand Hotel Taipei and the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall are likely visits on our agenda.
Thursday 29th October
Today we travel to Hualien on the East Coast of Taiwan. In the afternoon there will be the chance of a short local ride.
Friday 30th October
A chance to ride the first part of the KOM course. When we race on Monday it will be difficult to fully appreciate the full grandeur of the amazing Taroko Gorge, so this will be a great opportunity to enjoy the scenery at a leisurely pace.
Saturday 31st October
A chance to participate in the spectacular Taiwan Pacific Cup event. A 122km ride that takes riders south along the Pacific before turning inland for a summit finish on the ‘Sixty Stones Mountain’
Sunday 1st November
A relaxed day in anticipation of tomorrow’s exploits.
A short ride in the morning to enjoy the local area and keep the legs turning, followed by afternoon registration for the KOM event at the event headquarters.
Plenty of local scenic riding is available for those who want more kilometres.
Still, we’ll encourage you to take it easy in anticipation of what’s ahead of us tomorrow.
In the afternoon, we’ll collect our race numbers and pack.
Then we’ll join all the participants for the official race presentation, where the pro riders are introduced.
The race commissaire will brief us on the details of the event.
Monday 2nd November
Race day! .
A massive ride from Hualien to Wuling. 3500m of climbing to look forward to!
There are no separate start pens, just line up next to who you want.
After the event, we will have the chance to eat and recover at the top, followed by taxi transport back to our hotel for riders and their bikes.
A post-race dinner at our hotel will complete this memorable day.
Tuesday 3rd November
Private taxi transfers will take us back to Taipei airport, which is a 3 hour drive. Fly out anytime from late afternoon onwards.
Rider level
The Taiwan KOM Challenge is a tough event and has an official cut-off time of 6.5 hours for the timed section (85kms)
The KOM Challenge is an achievable goal for the vast majority of riders who’ve joined us on previous Alpine Cadence trips.
We’ve attended this event 5 times now and all our riders have successfully reached the top on each occasion. We will only encourage you to join us if we’re confident you ride at a level that will mean you finish comfortably within the time.
Drop us a line so that we can discuss and reassure you.
For a detailed insight on preparing and participating, look at the blog post that details John Thomas’ experience of the Taiwan KOM Challenge Race Day.
Non-riders
This Taiwan trip is well suited to non-riding partners or friends of riders in the event.
On the event day, there is the opportunity to participate in a ‘spectator tour’; a non-rider gets to watch the event and greet their partners or friends at the finish.
Contact us, we can quote you a special non-rider price for this trip.
What we include
- 8 nights, twin share accommodation in 4-star hotels (3 nights in Taipei and 5 nights in Hualien).
- All breakfasts.
- Forward transfer of luggage from Taipei to Hualien, end-of-race transport, and transfer from Hualien to Taipei on the final day. Guided rides on each of the days leading up to the event.
- Guided visits in Taipei and Hualien to notable tourist and cultural attractions
- Guaranteed entry to the Taiwan KOM Challenge event.
- Taiwan KOM race pack including T shirt, backpack, bidon, sunglasses etc.
- Ever present a qualified cycling coach to assist with all aspects of the trip and preparation for the event.
- Online coaching service in the months leading up to the event.
- Post-race dinner in our hotel.
What we don’t include
- Flights.
- Lunches/dinners.
- Insurance.
- Taxi from TPE airport (approx £25).
Please contact us to find out more or to make a booking.
Travel information
There is a vast choice of reasonably priced flights to get you to Taiwan.
Return fares from Europe start at around £800, and travellers from other continents will find cheaper flights than this.
Generally, long-haul flights will transport your bike as part of your standard luggage allowance, typically 30 kilograms.
There is plenty of flexibility on this trip for different arrival/departure days/times if necessary.
For those riders travelling from Europe or the Americas, arriving on the Monday provides plenty of time to adjust to the time difference.
Arrival on either October 25th or 27th is possible, too.
Let us know when you want to arrive, and we’ll make it work.