Belgian road racing cyclist Jasper Philipsen is to take part in the second edition of the Tour de France-certified L’Etape Sun Moon Lake cycling event in October, the Tourism Administration said yesterday.
Philipsen, who won three stages in last year’s Tour de France when riding for Alpecin-Deceuninck, is to travel to Taiwan for the L’Etape series event held at Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan on Oct. 18, the tourism promotion agency told a press event.
The Belgian cyclist is one of the fastest sprinters on the circuit after winning the green jersey in the overall points competition at the Tour de France in 2023 and finishing second last year.
Photo: AFP
Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said at a news conference in Taipei that Taiwan has built about 5,000km of cycle paths across the country as part of post COVID-19 pandemic efforts to promote low-carbon tourism.
Hiking trails and railway tours are also part of such efforts, Chou said.
First held in the Pyrenees between France and Spain in 1993, the L’Etape series’ Web site describes the Tour de France-certified event as “a sporting challenge” and “a tourist adventure.”
The Sun Moon Lake stop of the L’Etape series in October includes two race divisions in terms of length for each gender — 104km and 29km — with registration open until June 27, the event Web site said.
The 104km group is further divided into a “Race” group and a challenge group, with the winner in the Race group to receive a Tour de France yellow jersey, a trophy and qualification to participate in next year’s L’Etape France Championship in France.
In addition, if a Taiwanese cyclist wins the men’s or women’s race, they will receive NT$100,000, the Tourism Administration said in a news release.
The participant with the quickest combined time for the two King of the Mountain (KOM) climbing sections in the men’s and women’s groups in the 104km group race will also qualify for next year’s championships and receive a Tour de France KOM polka dot jersey.
In the inaugural Sun Moon Lake event in November last year, four-time Tour de France champion and two-time Olympic medalist Chris Froome of the UK won the race, while his fellow British cyclist Mark Cavendish also took part in the race as a guest of the event.
Last year’s event at Sun Moon Lake was part of the 33rd edition of the L’Etape series, with the championships scheduled for July 20.
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