TOP DOMESTIC CYCLIST Mark Dowling is the sole Irish competitor in a race this Friday believed to be the most lucrative one-day event in cycling.
The Taiwan KOM Challenge is an annual race of relatively short length (105 kilometres) but one known for its high altitude, high dropout rate and freezing temperatures.
The 27-year-old Meath man was 10th last year and came away from that disgusted as he felt he had the legs on the day to push for the win.
The guy who did win, John Ebsen from Denmark was awarded a cheque for €30,000 and a top professional contract, so needless to say Dowling is eyeing those same prizes.
Dowling, the son of well-known former Irish boxer Mick, said the biggest challenge is the length of the climb up to the finish and not the kilometres preceding the start of the climb.
Indeed, at 3,300 metres above sea level the temperatures plummet, altitude sickness becomes a huge factor, as do the 27% pitches.
The weather too is something Dowling needs to be ready for.
“If it is going to be rainy, it can be quite cold and the temperature can play a bigger part. It would require more energy [to climb].
“Some of the biggest things I learned last year was proper clothing, proper hydration and pacing properly throughout the race, because you paid dearly with the efforts you make in the last 10km to 13km of the race,” Dowling said.
The summit is over three times higher than Carrauntoohill and is slightly higher than the iconic Alpe d’Huez in the French Alps.
In the past, the race has been graced by the presence of ProTour riders such as 2013 Criterium International KOM winner Jeremy Roy and 2010 Tour de France climbers’ classification winner Anthony Charteau.
This year the field for the race is a formidable one, with Olympic gold medalist Lasse Norman Hansen joining more than 500 cyclists from around the world on the start-line.
Spaniard Omar Fraile, who won the mountains classification at the Vuelta a Espana last month, is also competing in the race for the first time.
