Taiwan KOM Challenge - Can We Complete The World's Hardest Hill Climb?

Two years in the making, Si and Matt take on one of the hardest races in the world, the Taiwan KOM Challenge. 108km of climbing, rising to over 3000m in altitude, against some of the strongest bike riders in the world, including Vincenzo Nibali! This was a truly epic day out on the bike in every single sense of the word.
In association with Taiwan Cyclist Federation, Factor, Lightweight, THM Carbones and Fabric.
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[@ggdd1299]

The funny thing about this race is that Emma Pooley came in at #32 overall.. Winning the female category in the race and beating both Simon Richardson and Matt Stephens by a long time. This race took place before Emma joined GCN.. she is obviously a world-class monster climber!! The overall race was won by Giro de Italia champion Vincenzo Nibali

[@timdick825]

A shame that Emma Pooley was not mentioned in this thread!!!

[@iicray]

Si placed at 58 with 4:11:40. And, do you know? It is 20.7KPH in average and it's a 87KM climb from sea level to 3275M. BTW, Nibali's record is 3:19:54 and 26.1KPH in average. Most of people can't even ride flat 87KM with 26+ KPH in average. They are all great.

[@anthonyhomercycling]

高長瑞 hey it’s you !! I’ve filmed you 2019 ! Hi boss !

[@burakbayram7991]

What is the name of this segment on Strava?

[@burakbayram7991]

@@iicray Thank you 🙏

[@RishabhSharma-lq1id]

True

[@Marco-717]

Probably drugged

[@Krasbin]

I would like to ride the MOK challenge: same route but the other direction.

[@peter_smyth]

Would be more fun having climbed it first (if I could), but I agree.

[@timkri]

Just pass by the comment and here is for your information. There are mainly three routes to the top, none of them can be considered easy and these route each has races every year.... :) - However, cycling up from the west is considered easier than from the north and the east.

[@atai168]

hahaha

[@1980mezza]

@@timkri I have just arrived here in Taichung - Love it.. Your roads are perfectly smooth! Next month I will attempt the Road to KOM Challenge on the 22nd April

[@timkri]

@@1980mezza Welcome to Taichung, April is a perfect season to climb Wuling. Get prepared and have a good ride :)

[@kao93053]

看到你們兩位主持人來台灣參加KOM武嶺挑戰賽，內心非常地感動與高興，謝謝你們喜歡台灣也向世界介紹了這麼精彩的比賽過程，歡迎你們再來！

[@Alex46312]

[@user-cx3uy5rn3r]

I’m glad to hear that 😍

[@leninsyngel]

Si: *a whole lot of talk* Cut to Matt: This is brutal! Cut to Si: *a whole lot of other talk* Cut to Matt: This is brutal!

[@blackdranzer2686]

hahahaahah

[@iknownothing-m8c]

Simon Richardson placed at 58 with a time of 04:11:40.39 Matt Stephens placed at 68 with a time of 04:19:04.69

[@xanovsky]

Dennis Mortensen not all heroes wear capes

[@NielsHeldens]

Da real MVP

[@WaechterDerNacht]

Just for the raltions: Winner: Vincenzo Nibali - 3:19:54.04 Last finisher (cant read his name): 陳敬水 - 6:54:13.48 i wouldnt be able to finish that! Congratulations to everyone that finishes a race like that!!!

[@martimgomes2660]

Jeez! Matt is still incredibly fit! Wasn't expecting that!

[@Daniel-ng8fi]

wow, the fact last place was still sub 7 hours is insane to me.

[@daniellopez9622]

Probably best GCN video I've seen, and the fact that Phil Gaimon is in there just makes it better

[@gcn]

Cheers Daniel. We (unbelievably) enjoyed making it!

[@Timtimzi]

i think this was the peak at GCN's content. Good times.

[@Samuelclark11]

GCN plus my man

[@carljansevanrensburg2440]

Thanks for the video, have been waiting for it. Matt, you're a beast! What a great performance at your age. Don't forget to bring Lasty next year. I live in Taiwan for the last 17 years, and for me it is one of the best places to cycle. I'm close to Hsinchu City, and you only have to go 15 - 25 km to experience real epic climbs. The one climbing near my home is about 1500m over a distance of 28km. Not the Taiwan KOM, but just as brutal and breathtaking. Taiwan is a very affordable and friendly cycling destination. Giant also offer nice tours at an affordable cost. Hope to see you guys next year.

[@gzbike]

Having completed the Taiwan KOM challenge 2 times this is the most Epic cycling event that I can think of. Being able to ride with the best Pro riders in the world, an absolute stunning scenery and overcome extreme suffering on the last sections of the climb makes this one that needs to be on any cyclists bucket list. There are 3 events a year. 2 in spring and summer allow for a longer cut off of 9.5 hours and the fall event is the elite race with 6.5 hours cut off. 2018 Taiwan KOM... here I come again.

[@user-lr8lf5iq5x]

good

[@grantwallace1882]

Many congratulations, guys. Yes, I recommend Taiwan to everyone and anyone. Beautiful people, amazing country.

[@Mar.Marz.83]

I cannot still believe I will attempt the 2023 Taiwan KOM challenge next week, on October 27th. I'm so thrilled and excited 😍

[@gearknobz]

Ollie is probably doing it as well

[@sbjf]

how did it go? :)

[@Mar.Marz.83]

@@sbjf, great, amazing experience! I made it to the top in 6h 15', but still super happy I could complete it

[@sbjf]

​@@Mar.Marz.83congrats :)

[@user-sr9yp5zy8w]

Hey, welcome to Taiwan ! I'm a 15 years old rider, I come from Taipei. Nice to heard you guys had a nice experience here, make sure to come back soon!!!

[@gcn]

Cheers William, keep it up!

[@ymj4256]

讚喔

[@1houroflove186]

WIlliam, I wish I was 16. Make sure you do what you're interested in. I didn't. I did what my FATHER wanted me to do. I hated it. Do what you want to do and the money will come along with your happiness.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

Looked up the results. Nibali won in 3:19, Cadel Evans finished 10th at 3:38. Emma Jane Pooley was the top finishing woman at 3:52. Simon was 58th, at 4:11, and Matt 68th at 4:19. Very respectable times from the GCN lads. A total of 430 people finished. 43 of them over the age of 50.

[@Vokunos]

Emma is a beast

[@stewartboyd3128]

all on water n baguettes!!!!

[@jackysham9113]

The mountains in Taiwan are just so gorgeous to ride in.

[@numberonealcove]

Phil: "The course... it goes uphill" Matt: "We should write that down, Si."

[@tafarimakkonen6738]

My arm pits were sweating watching you guys attack this. Major Props! Just added this to my Cycling Bucket List. Thanks everyone at GCN!

[@gcn]

Good luck Tafari!

[@unchangingtask]

This is an amazing account of your trip. The route of Taiwan KOM is in my bucket list of must-dos...

[@ava071003]

很棒耶!還有搭配中文字幕，超貼心! 很開心又有外國人喜歡上台灣了(超厲害的啦!竟然騎得上去，god~

[@致良知]

聽到上坡在上坡又上坡還是上坡..太強了.

[@djtoman6875]

無論是人或風景，台灣沒有什麼可以不喜歡的。哇愛呆丸！

[@yanzhuozhoo]

环法环意环西三冠王 Vincenzo Nibali 都去了，他拿了第一，3时19分54秒。如果这项赛事得到推广，以后肯定有更多出名的车手来，好希望哪天天空车队能来

[@renfengqq]

@@yanzhuozhoo 但天空不贊助了........

[@fixiex5evo244]

well, perhaps correction needed or I gotta fix my hearing. Why I heard "Thailand" when they should say "TAIWAN". 😂 Though they pronounce Taipei correctly :)

Finally, what we were waiting for! :D

[@brown2666]

This looked just effing epic!!!!. I have no vocabulary to explain how insanely awesome this looked and must have been to ride

[@morty499]

Love the video! You should participate in more unique races and challenges, it's enjoyable to watch!

[@gcn]

Cheers Morten!

[@demetricehill2982]

.

[@Nonelogic]

I’m looking forward to take on the challenge! As a citizen of Taiwan, this is one of the challenges that we should complete in our life time. I’ll be looking for the GCN when I attend, hope to keep up, which is another challenge. Great video!

[@nihowdy1]

Taiwan is a country, thank you.

[@mindy_cycling]

The beautiful scenery is wonderful. I’m watching the first video today. amazing !!

[@DiegoAndrade-ig1qs]

Nice video GCN I'm a very fan of your channel, I'm from Bolivia and here is a really hard climb, it's a 65km, starts at 1300 meters in altitude and it finishes at 4600 meters above sea level on the Andes Mountains. It's called Yolosa la Cumbre. We've had many good cyclists from around the globe including Oscar Soliz winner of the Colombian RCN classic, Tinker Juarez and so on.

[@kajet666]

I just wanna say - I had a blast watching this video, and it's the ballsiest thing GCN presenters have done since Matt tried to ride CX.

[@FlatSpinMan]

It’s really interesting seeing the guys take on challenges like these. Love this kind of material. That must have been incredibly tough.

[@davidsalt3477]

Been waiting for this, love watching the guys ride and talk about epic rides. I know I never will but would love to do this. Chapeau to you both.

[@Gkuljian]

Now I know why my friend moved to Taiwan.

[@jerryavalos9610]

I've seen video's of riders completing KOM and being emotional at the end. Can't imagine something would be that difficult, lots of respect for people that even attempt this. I believe the key to completing KOM is to be a lean as you possibly can, train as hard as possible, have the appropriate gearing (at least a 1:1 ratio), and eat and drink appropriately, especially stay hydrated because that is the key right there. Dehydration raises the fatigue level like crazy.

[@stinkerseb595]

Next level production by GCN, awesome!

[@SwedishHouseFifa]

Do it next year as well but please bring Lasty!

[@liambarber9036]

Not hard enough for Lasty, he is only released on the Steep climbs.

[@NielsHeldens]

On a fixie

[@markp353]

Agree, bring Lasty. Great effort guys. Great vid

[@gcn]

cracking idea!

[@Fidasaind]

How about on a 20kg steel bike. Maybe be nice and give him a 1x. Of course that chain ring would have to be reasonable. You couldn't go soft and give him a 46, 48 or 50. And 53 is evil. So a 52 :p And an 11/25 cassette.

[@SwedishHouseFifa]

12:25 That was so hard that even baby face Si looks kinda old!

[@swedgephd]

Probably dropped a few pounds.

[@liamsmith1571]

Looked like Bill Nye

[@dougharvey9766]

Great work guys, and Matt you must be super proud of your time and you really kept that young pup honest : )

[@TheWaxChainFanClub]

Incredible. Just incredible. Well done lads.

[@trdi]

This was great content. Matt is a beast, great time. Were there any separate age categories, he must be superb in his age category?

[@gcn]

He is superb all round!

[@mlee6136]

Si was emotional at the finish you can see that, It’s that hard!

[@reddiver7293]

Gnarly climbing! Well done lads! Congratulations to all who finished.

[@dominationstipps701]

2:53 ... his childish look/face ... Had to laugh THAT hard. I really respect you guys!🤙

[@steezymtb5876]

I really wanted to see coach Phil lecture Matt for letting a guy pass him on the final stretch.. 😂 😂

[@user-fc7lg4ld8t]

Time to come back and ride KOM again

[@dustinwht]

Best video by GCN to date! More content like this please!!! 👏👏👏👏😄🙌

[@gcn]

Cheers Dustin 👊

[@robbchastain3036]

Congrats, Matt and Si, on your fine performances and thanks for showing us this epic event. And I am already looking forward to seeing how you fare next year. Will Matt close the gap on Si? Will Lasty show up? How many mineral waters would Dan need to summit? And Chocolate Voice, he should be there, too.

[@blockhax6146]

The Phil Gaimon bit is gold - pitty that Nibali brought a team of 14 riders to reel in anyone that got passed him

[@SuperMonkeyboy1977]

Love this video. Totally inspired. Actually ordered GCN gear to support you guys. But next year Dan and Lasty need to do this ride because I gotta see them suffer! And awesome sunglasses Matt.

[@gcn]

Cheers buddy! You'll get extra Watts from that 👌

[@woolfel]

thanks for doing Taiwan KOM challenge. One day I plan to do it.

[@jeremys8360]

Who else is loving the new editing style of gcn

[@gcn]

Cheers Jeremy, it means a lot!

[@LoscoeLad]

maybe why it took a bit longer to come out? great video though

[@nickbea3443]

10:25 despite a world of pain, Si still managed to get the product placement in. A true pro!

[@sth6027]

This was really entertaining and inspiring to watch. Can't wait for next season to do some crazy stuff uphill :)

[@DimitrisDimitrakakis]

Amazing, just amazing. Watched from start to finish! Felt like I was there with you guys climbing that crazy elevation. Wow!

[@TheMartin128]

We need the GCN directeur Sportif in more videos!

[@3dr1ch]

The meeting at the start cracks me up! Si struggling to keep it together! 😂😂😂

[@MishMash95]

Fantastic video! Was really looking forward to this one :D

[@gcn]

Cheers MishMash!

[@ajmulla92]

Really enjoyed this guys! I live in Taiwan and cycle everywhere! Would love for you to come back soon and maybe do an island tour!

[@txr8565]

Taiwan is such a beautiful country!

[@MntRprznt]

Taiwan is not a country.

[@jefftseng7352]

yes Taiwan is a beautiful country.

[@kolydia4091]

Taiwan is definitely a country! Go Taiwan!

[@chenghanli2541]

No, there're also cities in taiwan

[@unoleung6686]

Republic of China

[@leftymadrid]

Ouch, ouch, oh the pain, the burning sensation, simply incredible really. I would need to train for 2 years for that one!!! Nice, nice job guys!

[@ironmantooltime]

Good job gents, put Taiwan on my bucket list! 😁

[@gcn]

Yes! Good luck!

[@lastsurvivor6406]

ironman tooltime Don't forget doi intanon climb in thailand bro

[@christinatuquero9568]

ironman tooltime hahaha

[@oddeinaraurbakken5916]

@@lastsurvivor6406 Both great climbs! Wuling gets you by the volume and amount of time you climb, Doi Inthanon gets0 you cause it's really steep for a long long time. I will do both again, but not with 34 - 28 gearing....

[@pauldjerassi620]

Epic what a climb wow the best scenery on a climb ever ,thank you for the video what a day lads what a day.

[@gcn]

Cheers Paul!

[@alsmn]

Oh my god, the gradient is amazing !

[@kreechapuphaiboon4886]

I like the bits there at 1.40-2.30 "we are here to win" that was hilarious 😂

[@wootenbasset8631]

Matt sure looked like he was giving it all he had. Si however, was still able to speak. Though he had the fastest GCN presenter time. I’d give the best sufferer award to Matt.

[@ChrissibabyUK]

Honestly, you‘re superhuman. It‘s so motivating watching you cycling the world. Thank you.

[@samuriel6081]

Beauty of Taiwan ❤

[@hieroraven]

Watch this and Phil's vid - absolutely brilliant! Combined, some of the most brilliant coverage of both vlogs - Phil's and GCN. Love it.

[@geekotron]

Phil Gaimon needs to be part of GCN in some ways. Make it happen!

[@echtogammut]

He could be their American Stig, who takes bikes out for an evaluation ride. Currently GCN doesn't review bikes, so this could be a new segment.

[@NielsHeldens]

Best idea I have seen in a while. MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!

[@davonpointer2310]

Agreed! Phil's so funny, an absolute legend!

[@samsanders3150]

yeah that needs to happen

[@ponderingfox]

hear hear!

[@julen2380]

Thanks ever so much! I was very much looking forward to this video and it didn't disappoint. Incredible achievement! Major thumbs-up!

[@tarmacsurfers]

Those views.......WOW. When done lads!

[@angelchao4716]

Great video! Beautiful mountains! This is my favorite place in TAIWAN! It’s a very difficult challenge, you guys are awesome!

[@CyclingSport-ev7xx]

You live in Taiwan?

[@ricardocuevas1030]

I rode this climb with a mountain bike. So tired!! I hope soon I can make it again with a road bike! Taiwan is great for cycling!

[@ericpmoss]

That initial segment was gold. "I wish I could help you."

[@LMFAO317]

Hello from Taiwan!! 👋🏽

[@boyorider]

thanks for sharing the gorgeous scenery of Taiwan, you guys are lucky that there was no rain at this years' challenge.

[@RedFleur7]

Let's why TCR&SCULTURA very popular in Taiwan, we ride uphill everyday.

[@arthurgumbochuma9730]

Such a beautiful country

[@anthonyhomercycling]

watch my channel and subscribe, very easy.. i cover taiwan cycling BTW. thank you in advance

[@SwedishHouseFifa]

Imagine the Taiwan KOM Challenge on zwift haha!

[@alaminkadir9543]

SwedishHouseFifa imagine doing it on a mountain bike Not because they’re bad because they are generally more heavier

[@tomdarrington]

I can, I'd be sat on a bike in my house with a few fans.

[@CycOp]

This rout is already uploaded onto Rouvy. With an indoor trainer, I am working on elevation attempted in one setting ( now around 5K ft. or 1.7KM). Hopefully within a year or two I will feel ready to do the actual climb.

[@TheSamwhyte]

The meeting with Phil had me in stitches!

[@JieChan]

My country Taiwan 我的國家 臺灣 is a beautiful country

[@bhumiriady]

@Global Cycling Network It's so spectacular and epic... Chapeau to Matt and Simon!

[@gcn]

Thanks Omaris!

[@bhumiriady]

@Global Cycling Network Anytime! (^_-) I highly appreciate your gratitude.

[@jamesd5241]

phil gaimon is a beast. We need a serious Si vs Gaimon challenge because we know Si isnt a slouch ethier!

[@christianmatheron6444]

Gaimon can ride at over 6 watts per for an hour. No contest.

[@lewisdonovan5375]

IBE some say Si can do it for ever

[@eliesaba8746]

Can’t stop admiring Matt’s bike. What a beauty!!

[@ZekeValentin]

Good one! Now, I can't wait for Phil Gaimon's video on it. He finished 6th BTW, some 9min behind Nibali, quite impressive.

[@MeganBennettAu]

Fantastic video! Well done Si & Matt! Would love to see more videos like this on the channel.

[@takeitoutdoors4828]

Matt competed as Elite, but he was technically 47 at the time. Had he participated in the masters 40, he'd have placed 10th.

[@robertrice1689]

Great video. I’d love to see the GCN crew do more epic rides like this.

[@darthchin888]

would be epic if GCN can do another Taiwan KOM challenge, maybe 2023?

[@DrewWithington]

Great attitude and great altitude! Just started watching your channel and so cool to have presenters who can both ride bikes and communicate.

[@shawn238]

Looked epic. Still a ride I have to do. I don't think I will do it in a race just yet. As I only live 4 hours from there it is something I should of done a long time ago. Well done. Inspired!

[@Froot99]

Finally! I have been waiting on this video for ages!

[@xGshikamaru]

Haha for once Si missing clipping in, you could tell that this was hard ;)

[@6F2]

Great vid gents, been looking forward to that.

[@NewbArchitect]

Phil is freaking philarious.

[@danielmagana5125]

You both are monsters on the road! Cheers from NYC

[@steviegriffin3513]

Love the Phil Gaimon cameo!

[@eraserlaser]

Thanks for showing us this challenge, this is now penciled in my bucket list...looks amazing

[@SR-fm1ft]

Just waiting for durianrider to chime in with: spin to win, ctfu and a rant about MTB cranks....just wait for it.

[@christianlugo9624]

Durianrider or no Durianrider, it's obvious that they needed easier gears for this ride, you shouldn't ever have to grind up a hill, cycling should be fun.

[@ericoschmitt]

Adding to previous comment, we should still have triples available. I'm still riding it.

[@ishyr]

Been waiting for this episode!! My all time fav episode!! I've driven thru the area and it's simply amazing, need to work on my FTP so someday I can finish the challenge also!! Thanks to Si & Matt for racing the event & showing us what it's like . Would love to see the whole GoPro feed with the cycling computer data!! I think this should become an annual GCN presenter race where all the GCN presenters go & the winner is crowned the Wattage Bazooka King for the year!! :-) I bet someone will finish under 4 hours at that point.... ;-) Well done guys!! Can't wait to see another future episode from Taiwan again!!

[@SPREURO]

Surprised Phil had a beer in front of him and not a cookie. GCN should do a how to get a KOM with Phil.

[@earthlife3431]

cycling plus talking. A lot of power needed. Salute!