About 2,500 cyclists from 32 countries yesterday joined two Grand Tour cyclists for the first-ever L’Etape du Tour de France in Taiwan.
Seven-time Grand Tour champion Christopher Froome and recently retired all-time great Mark Cavendish, who in July achieved a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win, took center stage in the Tour de France sportive series event in Nantou County.
L’Etape du Tour de France, which was launched in 1993 and is organized by the Paris-based Amaury Sport Organisation, offers participants a glimpse of the Grand Tour experience.
Photo courtesy of the Tourism Administration
The event in Taiwan featured two routes: a 104km and a 29km course.
The 104km route included a yellow jersey competition and two King of the Mountain sections.
The mountain winners earned slots in next year’s L’Etape Championship in France.
Cyclists on the longer route passed cultural landmarks such as Xuanguang Temple, Ita Thao Pier and Shuishe Pier while enjoying the stunning scenery of Sun Moon Lake and the surrounding mountains.
The Sun Moon Lake cycling route has been recognized by CNN as one of the “Top 10 most beautiful cycling routes in the world.”
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
RESILIENT NEW YORK: The Knicks have depended heavily on Jalen Brunson this season, but with his minutes restricted due to five fouls, they needed to show depth The New York Knicks on Sunday overturned a 20-point deficit as they fought back to beat the Indiana Pacers 106-100 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks cut Indiana’s lead to 2-1 in the series and after losing both games at Madison Square Garden in New York they are now right back in the battle for a place in the NBA Finals. Karl-Anthony Towns starred for the Knicks with 24 points — 20 of them in an explosive fourth-quarter performance — and he contributed 15 rebounds as New York recorded their joint-largest comeback in a playoff game.