The big day had arrived…..there’d been lots of build up and anticipation to this day. It had been a goal event for me and one that had motivated me to work hard on my fitness over the previous months. We’d travelled across the globe for a one day race, lots of eggs had gone into this one basket. The time had come at last to let all that fitness and nervous energy spill out onto an incredible road.
As always before a big event I woke up well before my alarm. 5 hours of good sleep wasn’t bad for me, up at 3.30am and into my routine. A moderate breakfast, no need to overeat for a 4 hour effort, into nice fresh new jersey and shorts and feeling good.
I headed out of the hotel with our Alpine Cadence team of riders, Brandon, Glen, Duncan and Wilf with our trusty and enthusiastic cheerleader, Christine, with us too.
No rain, dry roads, fantastic! The forecast was for a few scattered showers but all dry at this point. We rode the 5kms to the start along with a procession of hundreds of riders making the same journey from Hualien City to the beachside start line at Qixingtan. We arrived at 5.15am, start was scheduled for 6 so plenty of time to get organised with final, nervous toilet visits and for us to grab a good place near the front of the assembling peloton.
I positioned myself just behind Jayco Alula riders Simon Yates and Jesus David Peña who were attracting lots of attention on the front row. I was feeling quite relaxed compared to my often anxious pre race state. I was as ready as I could be, just wanted to get on with it now. I was near the front and as we were set off I made my way to the very front to nestle myself right behind the commissaire’s car. He would lead us gently in a neutralised procession for the next 19kms before the race proper would start. Being at the front feels great. Surrounded by the best riders, the ones hungry for the front of the race. It’s also the safest place to be.
We plodded on at a very gently pace, I was hoping for the pre advertised 35km/h in the neutralised section which would serve as nice warm up for the legs. Alas, we plodded at about 25km/h for some reason.
I held my position at the front, just counting down the kilometres and wanting to get on with the real job. With about 1km to go before proper race start I heard a commotion behind. Turns out there had been a crash bringing about 20 riders down including Simon Yates. Glad I was at the very front, the risk of things going wrong get magnified as you get further back, especially when you mix inexperienced amateurs with pros.
I knew exactly where the race started. We went past the gate to the Taroko National Park, over the bridge and then it was game on. I was right at the front. In control. I knew these first few kilometres would be fast and could string out the peloton quickly. I needed to be with the best riders and get the benefit of their slipstreams. Start too far back and there’s always a risk of getting split from those good guys early on.
Into the first of the numerous tunnels on the route. Gentle gradients, so we’re riding fast. 40 km/h and following wheels. A quick glance ahead now and again, all good, I’m where I want to be. No need to look back at this point just concentrate on staying with those first guys. The tunnels are exciting, generally well lit and good tarmac. They are a big part of the character of this race in it’s first half, slicing their way through the flanks of this incredible gorge. They use a lot of glass ‘studs’ in the middle of the roads in Taiwan, a bit like the ‘cat’s eyes’ in the UK. About 30mm high. Hit them straight on a bike and they’re ok. Hit them on a bend or at speed and things could easily go wrong. In a group it’s hard to see them. I was concentrating so hard on keeping away from these nasty little things that could ruin your day in an instant.
The gradient steepens just enough to pull the pace back and the peloton widens across the road. As we bunch up a rider hits me from the right, nearly taking me down. Everyone stays upright but I tell him what I think to his dodgy move and get a quick apology back. A big adrenaline spike flows through me as I realise how quickly things can go wrong.
As the road goes up I glance back on a bend to get an idea of numbers. 10kms into the climb, 75kms to go and our initial 700 riders is already down to about 60. This will be a war of attrition, I’ll get dropped at some point but I anticipate and hope to be in the lead group for lots more time.
65kms to go and I’m feeling good. The pace has settled. Group is down to maybe 50 riders. All content not to push too hard at this point. Yates and Peña rejoin the group after issues further back. I look around for old people! For me a big objective is to do well in my age category of 55 years and over. I won my over 50 category in my last Taiwan KOM and I’m hungry to win again. It’s hard to tell how old a rider is in their bike kit and helmet on. They all look pretty fit and young! The bib numbers tell the story though. Everyone in my age category has a bib number in the 900’s, with all the younger age categories having smaller numbers. I drop back a bit in the group to have a look at who I’m with, lots of small bib numbers, no oldies, looking good for me at the moment. I might have got rid of my rivals already!
About this time I start to get a few comments from nearby riders. ‘Good riding’ ‘Hope I can still ride like you in 30 years’. Nice! I feel really old now! But proud too. I’m feeling very conspicuous with my race number of 910 among all the low numbers. I might as well have a sign on me saying ‘I’m the old bloke trying to crash the youngsters’ party’. Happy to stand out for the right reasons though.
About 55kms to go and things start to kick off a bit. The road is narrow and winding, hugging the cliffs but not too steep. Our group gets strung out. Some riders are losing touch with the wheels they follow. It’s not just fitness levels that are taking hold here but bike handling skills too as some riders take better lines through this tricky but exciting section. I chase Simon Yates as I figure he’s as good as any to chase! He seems eager to move up and not get caught out by any splits. It’s a good move for me. I’m just strong enough to hang on and I can ride my bike well enough to go with the great trajectories that I’m being shown by Yates and the other good guys. Over the course of a fast and hard 2kms I manage to follow Yates and get the right side of a distinct split. I look back and there’s no one in sight, I’ve made the latest selection and now in a lead group of about 25/30 riders. The pace remains firm but I’m ok. I feel so pleased with myself that I spotted the moves in time and that I’d got the ability to go with it.
50kms to go and I’m still there. I now know for sure that I’m the only rider of my age in the group and as each kilometre passes I’m probably extending my lead over all the others by a good margin. Now it’s all about managing my effort and making a decision as to how long I hang in there with the very best guys. The majority of riders in this group are going to beat me to the top by a long way, that’s a given. How long do I stay on this train though and when should I get off and do my own thing?
The decision making gets easier. The pace hots up and I’m struggling. I need to let go and I’m relieved to see a few other riders dropping off with me. The 20 or so best riders in the race sail on up the road as I’m jettisoned into a group of 5. I’ve lost touch with the leading riders a little earlier than in previous editions of this race but I’m still happy. I’m in a good place and, importantly, I’ve still got riders to ride with. A lot of this climb has easy gradients and it’s crucial to have company and wheels to follow.
40kms remaining and we pass through the feed station at Xinbaiyang. I get a water bottle handed up to me without needing to stop. It’s a relief as I’d already just about finished the 2 bottles I’d started with. 1600m altitude now, still 1900m of climbing remaining in the final 40kms and the steep stuff all packed into the final stages.
The next section continues to ride steadily through the forest and I’m content to just hang in there with the others in my group. I’m reluctant to work on the front and happy to follow. My earlier efforts to get me to this place are taking their toll. I can feel a hint of cramp in my quads. It’s hard to stand now, and when I do my quads don’t like being shortened. I grab my cramp solution from my back pocket, a tiny bottle of very unpleasant pickle juice. I get it in me and it seems to help.
30kms left now and up to 2000m. From now the gradients will be tougher and the importance of being in a group will diminish as the drafting benefits at slower speeds start to disappear. About 6 riders are approaching from behind. They’ve bridged over to us and I’m just hoping there are no oldies in there! It’s all relative youngsters including Ollie Bridgewood, GCN presenter who is doing the KOM event for the first time. Our swollen group soldiers on, 5kms of 6% gradients and then we’d get a short descent to look forward to. Great to get over the top of this section with these guys and then the final section to the finish would be every man to his own.
Through the dim and narrow tunnel just before the descent, aim for the light at the end and ride hard and straight. I get annoyed by a couple of riders in front of me dabbing on brakes without need. Out of the tunnel and into 5kms of descending. It’s foggy now and I’m glad I know the road and have a reminder of the shape of the road on my head unit display. I start near the back of the 10 riders who start the descent together. There’s some bad riding ahead of me, some poor line choices and excessive braking and I’m relieved to get past some of these guys who clearly don’t have a lot of experience of riding on high mountain roads.
Descent safely done. 15km of this race remaining and about 1000m of climbing to endure. Through the Dayuling feed station where I grab more water on the go. Our group has disintegrated as everyone finds their own level and my only companion on the road is now Ollie Bridgewood. I’ve followed his exploits a bit on GCN and seeing his best times up a few famous climbs I knew that I’d be a similar level to him. Sure enough, I find myself with him for the next stretch. He has his own cameraman and rider recording his adventures and he utters a few words to them now and again as part of the upcoming report that will be broadcast soon about the event. ‘What time do you reckon we’ll get?’ he asked me. When I said probably under 4 hours he seemed relieved. That would have him faster than his GCN presenter colleagues, Simon Richardson and Matt Stephens had managed in 2017, so I suspect he was eager to beat their times.
10kms to go now and about 800m to scale. On the face of it not too scary stats but this climb is tough and rampy. Brutal sections of close to 20% gradients making me seriously question my decision to stick with my 29 tooth cassette on the back when I clearly needed more. For those most brutal ramps I took an even more tenuous route than the winding road, zig zagging to iron out the gradients wherever I could. The steeper sections took their toll on Ollie and I pulled away from him.
A fast looking rider approaches from behind, destined to catch me quickly. Please be young! Have I misjudged my whole effort and been caught by an old bloke who’s paced his day better than I? As he gets near me I’m relieved to see he’s a good 30 years younger than me and I wish him well as he sails on past me.
With about 5kms to go an enthusiastic spectator shouts ‘26th!’ to me. That was good to hear. I’d finished 25th in 2019 and I’d be happy with another result like that. I glanced at my watch and did the maths. I was still on course for another sub 4 hour ride. It was hurting. I was tired and I just wanted it over now. I had a young rider about a minute ahead of me and Ollie about a minute behind and was content to finish like that. Maybe if there was an old bloke up the road I’d have found the energy and motivation to push a bit harder but right now I was physically and emotionally spent. I just wanted the next 15 minutes to be gone and to be at the finish getting my medal and rest. With 2.5kms to go there’s a short, fast descent which leads into the final pitch to the finish.
Lots of noisy support now at the side of the road and I sail around the right hander at the end of the descent trying to preserve some momentum into the last tough climb. The final 1.4km to the finish is hard. Rising 160m and unrelenting. I can clearly see the finish line above me, I can hear the commentator enthusiastically greeting those finishing ahead of me. It all seems so close yet it’ll take me another painful 8 minutes to get there. I know I won’t catch the guy ahead of me and I know I won’t be caught behind, it’s just a case of getting to the end. I’m counting down every metre and as I enter the last 300m the support from the crowds helps me muster extra energy and at least I start riding straight now, I can’t zig zag in front of all these people! Over the line and the job’s done.
In the moments after I finish I feel much more emotional than I expected. This has meant more than I’d realised. It’s been my last and biggest challenge of the year and to perform well after so much physical and emotional preparation feels so good. I’m enjoying the moment and feeling proud.
I finished 25th overall out of a field of 767 riders, the same position I’d finished the last time I was here in 2019. I won my age category by quite a margin in the end, would you believe that another John Thomas from the Philippines came in second to me after another 36 minutes. My time of 3 hours 55 mins was a bit slower than previous editions but it still felt good to be in the sub 4 hour club.
Brandon, Glen and Duncan from our Alpine Cadence team had all finished safely as I enjoyed my moments on the podium and the spoils of my efforts. Wilf finished soon after, so completing a successful day for all our team.
Once again for me Taiwan has delivered a fantastic experience. A fascinating and beautiful place and a totally unique and challenging cycling event. The opportunity to battle and genuinely race with world class pro cyclists is amazing and we cannot wait to do it all again in 2024.
Full results are available here: 成績紀錄-2023 臺灣自行車登山王挑戰 (cyclist.org.tw)
For more information on all our cycling adventures go to : www.alpinecadence.com