“Why on earth am I putting myself through this again?” I found myself thinking three weeks ago when I was 100km into the Road to Taiwan KOM cycling event, a sportive version of the famous Taiwan KOM Challenge.
 
The 5km-to-go sign had just appeared when I’d thought (or perhaps was just helplessly hoping) I was only 2km from the finish line at Wuling Pass atop the mighty Mount Hehuan. I’d been there before in November 2015 and the painful memory of that occasion came pouring back into my consciousness from the dark place where it had been safely hidden.
 
However, in most tough cycling rides or races, pain is only temporary, and sure enough, when 35 minutes later – yes, it took me over half an hour to complete those final 5km, which includes 1km of downhill! – I climbed off my bike at the end of our sport’s longest “hill” climb, the all-over ache was gone, replaced by endorphins flooding my brain as I basked in the glory of accomplishment, my eyes feasting in one of the wonders of the cycling world.

Click on this link to find out why Flat Spoke Media's Alan Grant believes the Taiwan KOM Challenge or its sister sportive events should be on every cyclist's bucket list.

Junaidi Hashim (Team Awano Treknology3) survived a late charge from Anthony Brown (Cannasia) to retain his OCBC Cycle Singapore National Mountain Bike Cross Country Championships in a thrilling race at the Chesnut Nature Park yesterday. Tsalina Phang (Attitudebikes) was crowned the women’s champion after a dominating performance.

Perfect conditions greeted Singapore’s mountain bikers as they flocked to the new Chesnut North venue to race and/or spectate on a cracker of a course carved out by the team at race organisers DirTraction. A rare week of no rain meant the trails were bone dry and the racers took advantage by tearing round the roughly 3km course. The circuit was heavy on single track, some parts fast and flowing, others bits more technical, and the inclusion of a section of the gravity downhill course just after the start/finish line provided thrills and spills throughout the morning.

It was a very good day out for Team Awano with rising stars Riyadh Hakim (third, Men's Elite) and Arfan Faisal (first, Juniors) adding to their mentor's glory.

Click on this link or go to www.secondwindmagazine.com to read the full report, including a post-race interview with Junaidi.

Sitting here at Singapore's Changi Airport en route to Taiwan, the excitement is building as I contemplate my return to the Taroko Gorge, Mt Hehuan and the Wuling pass. I've been lucky enough to be invited by the Taiwan Tourism Board and the Taiwan Cyclist Federation to join a group of journalists on a week-long cycling tour that takes in not just the Road to Taiwan KOM, but also a visit to the famous Sun Moon Lake and a trip to Matsu Island, which lies just off the coast of mainland China.

First up is this Saturday's Road to Taiwan KOM, a sportif version of the annual Taiwan KOM Challenge, which sees some of the world's best cyclists tackle the world's biggest "hill climb" race – think 3,275 metres in a single climb! I took part in the 2015 Taiwan KOM Challenge and to whet my appetite I just re-read my account of that day. Here it is below and look out for lots of posts from what promises to be a fantastic week of cycling.

Click on this link to read "Taiwan KOM Challenge – epic as advertised"