The 2025 Tour de Taiwan opened with a dramatic high-speed circuit race in Taipei City, where Blake Quick of Roojai Insurance delivered a commanding sprint finish to claim Stage 1 victory. The 83.2km course, featuring eight laps of a 10.4km city circuit, brought together 110 riders from 22 teams, including six ProTeams, setting the stage for an exhilarating start to the UCI 2.1 event.

On a cloudy, rainy day with temperatures at 13°C, the peloton took a cautious approach on the opening lap to assess the technical course. Three intermediate sprints, placed at 20.8km, 41.6km, and 62.4km, offered sprint points and time bonuses (3, 2, and 1 seconds) to the first three riders across the line. A decisive four-man breakaway formed before the first sprint(20.8km), featuring Moritz Kretschy (Israel – Premier Tech), Jaka PrimoĹľiÄŤ (Hrinkow Advarics), Kee Zhe Yie (Terengganu Cycling Team), and Andrea D’Amato (JCL Team Ukyo). In a remarkable display of consistency, these four riders maintained their positions across all three intermediate sprints, at one point building a 41-second time gap over the peloton. Even with 10 seconds remaining in the final lap, the breakaway held its ground before the sprinters’ teams ramped up the chase. The peloton made contact with the breakaway inside the final 2km, setting the stage for a fierce bunch sprint. Blake Quick timed his acceleration perfectly, crossing the line in 1:41:11, securing his first victory in Asia. Paul Hennequin (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Itamar Einhorn (Israel – Premier Tech) rounded out the podium, both finishing in the same time. A total of 105 riders finished in the lead group, while three riders rode behind, and two were out of race. The Australian sprinter, who previously rode for Team Jayco AlUla (2023-2024) before transferring to Roojai Insurance in 2025, has shown promise on the Asian circuit, finishing runner-up twice in the Tour de Langkawi. This marks his second participation in the Tour de Taiwan, and his first victory in the region. Quick credited his preparation in Thailand’s humid climate for his strong performance. “Racing in Europe, I know Moritz Kretschy (Israel – Premier Tech) well, so I had a clear plan for the final lap. My teammates executed the lead-out perfectly, which gave me the edge in the sprint,” said Quick after the race.

Despite his success in the flat city circuit, Quick now faces a tougher challenge in Stage 2, where the race transitions to the hilly terrain of Taoyuan City. Featuring steep climbs and technical sections, the stage will be a true test of endurance for the sprinters. With 628.6km of racing ahead, the 2025 Tour de Taiwan promises more action-packed stages, thrilling finishes, and world-class competition, reinforcing its reputation as Asia’s premier UCI road race.

TOUR DE TAIWAN 2025 – STAGE 1 RESULTSStage Classification:

  1. Blake Quick (ROOJAI INSURANCE) – 1:41:11
  2. Paul Hennequin (EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI) – s.t
  3. Itamar Einhorn (ISRAEL – PREMIER TECH) – s.t

Points Classification:

  1. Blake Quick (ROOJAI INSURANCE) – 16 pts
  2. Moritz Kretschy (ISRAEL – PREMIER TECH) – 15 pts
  3. Paul Hennequin (EUSKALTEL-EUSKADI) – 14 pts

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