Wuling Pass | Taiwan | 3458 metres in altitude | 87.72 kilometres | KOM 4:33:23 hrs.
The Wuling Pass promises a unique experience. From the start on the coast, the ascent is almost non-stop - only a short intermediate section allows for a brief recovery. As if that wasn't enough, the last few kilometres include ramps with gradients of up to 27 percent. The landscape ranges from green rainforest to the menacing rocky landscape of the marble and granite mountains. For a long time, the route runs along steep slopes through the Taroko Gorge. Landslides have repeatedly destroyed the road in recent years. Special feature: The Taiwan KOM Challenge is a separate event. No other mountain race in the world covers so many metres in altitude in one go.
Daniel Carruthers (50), Rotorua | New Zealand | Segment 2713347*
You can own a KOM even if you're not the fastest: Carruthers set the record in 2012 when he took part in the Taiwan KOM Challenge hill climb. The following year, the starting location was moved - so he was able to maintain his record on this forgotten segment. Carruthers is a deaf athlete and had taken part in the Deaf Tour of Formosa in 2012. After seven days of stage racing, he was already exhausted, but he didn't want to miss out on the start of the mountain race that took place directly afterwards. In other races, he has problems communicating with his fellow riders, but his handicap did not affect this mountain race: "In the Taiwan KOM Challenge, most people suffer and are not in the mood to talk - so my deafness had no effect on my ability to race in this race." He was only able to ride in the slipstream for the very first few kilometres. "The difficulty of this climb is that it goes on for ages." And he still remembers how tough the finale was: "The last three kilometres are torture. You can see a rider right in front of you, but he's minutes away - that's how steep it was up to the pass."
*Because there are sometimes several segments on a climb, we mention the number of the segment (example: 9387933 means www.strava.com/segments/9387933). We have taken the altitude information for all segments from Strava, even if it is imprecise
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