Cycling Legends Join Tour de France Challenge in Taiwan

TaiwanPlus News

Cycling legends Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome came to Taiwan to join a Tour de France challenger event around central Taiwan's scenic Sun Moon Lake. TaiwanPlus caught up with them to get an idea of what they thought about Taiwan's bikeways.

Transcript

00:00The Tour de France is in Taiwan for the first time ever.

00:09The oldest and most prestigious bike race in the world held a challenger event in a

00:15country known for producing bikes.

00:19And they chose a scenic location for the competition, Sun Moon Lake, considered one of the most

00:25beautiful cycling routes in the world.

00:28And it was high time because, you know, there is a common passion between France and Taiwan.

00:33It's about biking, you know, and Tour de France is a very popular event.

00:38So I think it was really relevant to bring it here in Taiwan.

00:44Racers from nearly three dozen countries signed up for the event.

00:48Both professional and amateur cyclists participated in Saturday's race in central Taiwan.

00:55The challenge was divided into two routes, a shorter 29-kilometer circuit of Sun Moon

01:01Lake made for casual bikers, and a longer 104-kilometer trek into the central mountain

01:07range featuring a 1,500-meter elevation gain.

01:12Both routes have been certified by the Tour de France, which means that the pro cyclists

01:18participating in Saturday's race were here for much more than just a scenic ride.

01:23They were here vying for spots in the actual Tour de France next year.

01:28Two of the world's top cyclists, Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome, rode in the event.

01:35For Cavendish, it was his first time in Taiwan.

01:38It's beautiful, it's hilly, there's some long climbs here, but it was a great place to ride

01:45a bike.

01:46We got here last night and we saw the sunset over the lake and it was one of those sunsets

01:52where I decided to get my phone out and take not just a picture but a video because it

01:57was that beautiful, you know.

01:59Meanwhile, this is Froome's second time in Taiwan, but his first time biking around Sun

02:05Moon Lake.

02:06I didn't really know what to expect, but I just had no idea it was that beautiful, to

02:12be honest.

02:13The scenery, the topography, the roads, I mean it was great.

02:18It was such an enjoyable route this morning.

02:21This is the first time Taiwan is hosting a Tour de France event, but officials are hoping

02:27it will be the first of many.

02:29Regardless, Taiwan's first Tour de France Taiwan Challenge seems to have won the hearts

02:35of two cycling titans and many more.

02:38Andy Hsu and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.

Category

Transcript

Recommended