Taiwan King of the Mountain (KOM) Challenge

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 is an incredible event. It is 105 kilometres, almost all of which is uphill.

It starts close to Hualien on the East coast at the beachfront. It culminates on the Wuling Pass at an 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 and Marianne Vos have raced the event in recent years, so who knows who we’ll be rubbing shoulders with on the start line in 2023?

The KOM Challenge is a terrific chance to take in the culture of amazing Taiwan.

We carefully design our Taiwan KOM Challenge trip and incorporate gentle, guided warm-up rides in the lead-up to the event. 

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.                                                    

Taiwan KOM Challenge schedule

Saturday October 21st

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?

Sunday October 22nd

Today, we’ll ride north from the city to take in a beautiful circuit of Yangmingshan National Park. 

There’s lots of flexibility for riding in the park. We can ride the whole length of the Park but are most likely to ride for around 80 kilometres with about 1200 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.

Monday October 23rd

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.

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.

Tuesday October 24th

Today, we travel by private coach to Hualien, the host town for the Taiwan KOM. The drive is a spectacular 3-hour coastal drive.

On arrival in Hualien, we’ll check into our modern, spacious hotel that hosts the top riders for the event and the pre-race presentations. 

There will be an opportunity for a short, guided ride along the coast in the afternoon.

Wednesday October 25th

Today, we’ll head out for a gently paced ride of around 75 kilometres with about 800 metres of climbing. 

We’ll ride up the first few kilometres of the Taroko Gorge, the Taiwan KOM course itself, enjoying the scenery in a somewhat more relaxed way than we will on Friday.

Thursday October 26th

A relaxed day in anticipation of tomorrow’s exploits. 

A short ride in the morning to enjoy the beach area and keep the legs turning, followed by afternoon registration for the event at our hotel. 

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.

Friday October 27th

Friday is race day! 

An early start as we ride 10 minutes along the flat to the start at Qixingtan Beach. 

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.

Saturday October 28th

Private taxi transfers will take us back to Taipei airport, which is a 3-hour drive. Fly out on late afternoon or evening flights.

Rider level 

The Taiwan KOM Challenge is a tough event and has a cut-off time of 6.5 hours from where the timing of the event starts (18 kilometres into the race). 

The KOM Challenge is an achievable goal for the vast majority of riders who’ve joined us on previous Alpine Cadence trips. 

We 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

Taiwan is a trip that 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

• 7 nights, twin share accommodation in 4-star hotels (3 nights in Taipei and 4 nights in Hualien).
• All breakfasts.
• Transfer 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 polo shirt, backpack, bidon 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 £600, 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, arriving on Saturday provides plenty of time to adjust to the six or seven-hour time difference. 

Arrival on either Friday or Sunday is possible, too.

Let us know when you want to arrive, and we’ll make it work.