The Tour de Taiwan Stage Four took place on a sunny day with a perfect temperature of 22 degrees Celsius. The race covered a total distance of 165.57km, making it the longest stage of the five.
The course featured two intermediate sprints and two KOMs, with the race starting at Nantou County Hall and finishing at the scenic Sun Moon Lake, a popular tourist destination in Taiwan and one of the most picturesque cycling routes around the world.
Ten riders broke away immediately at the 3km mark, including local rider Shao Hsuan Lu from Chinese Taipei, the leading group had a time gap of 6:19 at one point. However, the peloton chased them down before the second KOM at the 149km mark.
Many groups attacked the rolling hills with technical descents around Sun Moon Lake, making it a thrilling race.
In the end, it was a bunch sprint to the finish line, with Jeroen Meijers from Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team emerging as the stage winner, crossing the finish line with a time of 4:00:25. Giacomo Ballabio from Global 6 Cycling finished in second place, with Mathijs Paasschens from Lotto Dstny rounding out the top three.
Jeroen Meijers spoke at the post-race conference: “at the end of a tough and competitive race, I couldn’t be happier to have the yellow jersey and green jersey today. Coming off races like the Tour of Oman and Tour de Rwanda this February, my climbing skills has increased a bit, then before traveling to Taiwan I spent time doing virtual mountain training on my smart trainer. It’s a great feeling to see that hard work paid off, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to compete in this race and experience everything Taiwan has offered.”
The Tour de Taiwan has been a closely contested race, with the general classification ranking incredibly close going into the final stage in Kaohsiung City. Jeroen Meijers from Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team currently leads the overall standings with a total time of 12:26:29.
However, Jordi Lopez Caravaca from Equipo Kern Pharma is only one second behind in second place, with Benjamin Prades Reverter from JCL Team UKYO only seven seconds behind the leader.
The final stage covers a distance of 146.44km and is expected to be a challenging and competitive race as riders push themselves to the limit in pursuit of victory.
TOUR de TAIWAN 2023
STAGE RESULTS
- MEIJERS Jeroen (Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team) 4:00:25
- BALLABIO Giacomo (Global 6 Cycling) s.t.
- PAASSCHENS Mathijs (Lotto Dstny) s.t.
Individual General Classification by Time (Yellow Jersey): MEIJERS Jeroen (Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team)
General Individual Classification on Points (Green Jersey): MEIJERS Jeroen (Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team)
The Mountain General Classification (Polka-dot Jersey): AITKEN Jack (ST George Continental Cycling Team)
Best Asian Rider Classification (Blue Jersey): CHAIYASOMBAT Thanakhan (Thailand National Team)
