This Climb Is 53 Miles Long!

[@gcn]

Would you ever tackle this epic climb? ⛰ Watch Ollie race up this epic climb here 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXiWdKZjrb9kecU

[@texasflood1295]

Do you need anyone to ride the bike back down the mountain?

[@comtoisetienne]

Have to say that the shop at the old tree has been closed for a long time now. There is a long section between a small indigenous town "near" taroko and the gas station "near" the top without any food. The climb is still amazing even is you stay on the first 15km where it is much easier. I saw families with kids riding there

[@gcn]

@@texasflood1295 Hahaha That's the fun bit! 🤣

[@MrTraveller.]

Thanks for covering this. KOM ( King of the Mountain) here in Taiwan 🇹🇼 is a must. Make sure you try all delicious food as well. Cheers from Taiwan 🇹🇼

[@andrewlabat9963]

In a heartbeat, if I could afford to make the trip..

[@philadams9254]

Big fan of this video format. Straight to the point. Well done Ollie and the team

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🙌

[@nilsnils8524]

Taiwan really is on of the most amazing countries to visit!

[@gcn]

Epic views and epic riding 👌 What more could you ask for 🙌

[@nemure]

@@gcn Italian food! I would pick stelvio over this climb

[@GenghisKhanrad]

Haha, I love the slight hesitation @1:55 "capital of the... country". I can hear the weight of your thoughts and applaud you for sticking to facts!

[@MartynCorby]

Guess we won't be seeing GCN China any time soon!

[@nemure]

It would be nice if people before judging cared to research a bit I'm on favour of Taiwan to be a country, don't take me wrong, but they never where. They made a contract, a legal bound with China where they had government independence for a certain amount of time, I don't recall the exact amount. That period expired and Taiwan is not respecting the legal agreement they signed, they are breaking the laws They would need to negotiate with China to make a new one, but Taiwan is just breaking the agreement without trying to negotiate, Involving others in the matter.

[@vilemeister]

​@@nemureyou seem awfully invested in this. So nice of China to demand Taiwan under a treaty while trampling all over the treaty they signed with the UK on Hong Kong.

[@nemure]

@@vilemeister you're the one who is a bit of the track Taiwan was a part of China not so long ago, they made a pact where as I said Taiwan had for a certain amount of time government independence but never was released nor named as a country. Taiwan is the one who broke the terms. China most likely didn't think Taiwan was going to grow this much and as I also said I'm on favour of making Taiwan a country, but they need to follow the rules and makes things right

[@phsu19]

@@nemure come out of your dark hole and go for a ride, it'll lift your spirits! Stelvio, KOM, Taiwan, China, it's all good!

[@waterunderthefridge6058]

I did this on my own in February. Eastern Taiwan is a paradise for road cycling and I'm shocked it's not on the radar of more western cyclists. Endless perfect and mostly empty roads, excellent cycling infrastructure and bike hire systems. I did this climb as well, gradients are manageable but consistent. The best day out on a bike and just nothing else comes close. Cycle Taiwan, you won't regret it

[@Jameslindley123]

Would LOVE to see all the GCN team take on the Taiwan KOM event as a team.

[@handleless85]

The climb up to Wuling can actually be done in three directions, east (Hualien), west (Puli), and north (Yilan). If you are crazy enough, you can do what locals call a "San-Jing Wuling" ride which translates as "three directions to Wuling". You ride up each climb and in between descent twice. You can then upload your ride as an Everesting Roam.

[@paulvoss733]

謝謝您！Taroko Gorge has unparalleled beauty, but the entire East Coast of Taiwan has really amazing riding!

[@Mar.Marz.83]

Hi Ollie! I met you right at the Taiwan KOM event last October! What an amazing experience that was, still hard to realize and believe I participated to such an event. Great video, keep on the good work!

[@gcn]

Thanks for saying hi! He's not so scary after all is he 👀 Do you think you'll head back to that race?

[@stuartmcgill5065]

Great video, Ollie. Thanks for showing us around Taiwan 🙂

[@gcn]

Our pleasure! If you ever come remember to pack your climbing legs 👌

[@jvogel431]

Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. I would love to see Ollie follow the same route that Phil Gaimon did recently to re-claim his KOM. Simply amazing climb and it might be the longest, hardest climb in the world!

[@1269Dondude]

My friend and I are training to climb this. Gonna get acclimated in CO and do pikes peak

[@gangstreG123]

Or even Haleakala!

[@veganpotterthevegan]

​@@1269Dondude never done Mauna Kea but Pikes isn't that hard for a good climber. Of course, everything can be hard if you pedal hard enough. But it's not really gonna do much to prepare you for Mauna Kea. *Pikes is significantly easier than it used to be now that it's paved too.

[@1269Dondude]

@@veganpotterthevegan you completely missed the point. It’s only to see how I do at high elevation and to acclimate. The climb starts at 2860meters

[@veganpotterthevegan]

@1269Dondude yeah, the point is that it's not going to help you that much. You'd benefit the most from sleeping at the top, then riding down and doing probably 3 laps to come close to mimicking Mauna Kea. You also need to stay there for a couple weeks, then ride Mauna Kea with very little time at sea level. Otherwise it's a huge waste of time as preparation...of course, big climbs are always fun and never a waste. I'm only referring to the benefits of this trip to acclimate for Mauna Kea

[@volkervoit]

I raced the Taiwan KOM in 2018, absolutely stunning Experience and after the Mauna Kea on Haiwaii, my seocnd most favorite climb in the world. Definitley should be on every cyclists bucket list.

[@gcn]

It's a great event isn't it! What is it about the Hawaii climb that you love so much?

[@volkervoit]

@@gcn The epicness of it, the scenery riding through so many climate and vegetation zones is amazing, from lush greenery to mars like landscapes on the top, the challenge of riding an up to 23% steep 8km long dirt section on 3500m elevation and the feeling to be one of the highest cyclists in the world when arriving at 4200m elevation.

[@ishyr]

Awesome to see GCN return to Taiwan & showcase why Taiwan is one of the bucket list cycling destinations in the world!! Let's see the presenters try some of the night market food next time!! 😁

[@denisegan4934]

More content like this! Travel guide slash biking video. More please!!! Love to see this because it’s so hard to understand how to bike in foreign places when you don’t know the area or the customs.

[@BasMeeuws]

I love Taiwan. You can cycle everywhere. Also great loops around Taipei.

[@cedshred1676]

Great video! Taiwan is indeed a fantastic place to visit. In addition to biking, I’ve gone surfing, scuba diving, hiking, and paragliding in Taiwan. If you’re in Hualien, The Ginsman is a cocktail bar worth visiting.

[@gcn]

Sounds like you need to kick off cycling too?

[@jameskan8]

I’ve not cycled the KOM but done alot of cycling out there and it’s a cycling paradise, ride up mountains though the jungle, rice fields or by the pacific coast and the road surfaces are top notch 😊

[@gcn]

Amazing riding right! How often do you ride there?

[@jameskan8]

I go once a year for a few weeks as have in laws there, so I take a bike and go explore, last time I did a bike touring adventure down east side of island from one end to other, hotels are really affordable if on a budget 😊

[@mattszrejter6785]

Thanks GCN! I love this inspirational series. Keep them coming!

[@gcn]

Great to hear you feel inspired!🙌 Would you ever take on this climb?

[@juancarlosgallon6202]

There's a new competitor located in Colombia, it's a newly asphalted road that goes from 300 meters above sea level to 4162 meters above sea level. The distance from the port is 89.9 km and the positive elevation gain achieved is 4182 meters. It's called Alto del Sifón, located at the base of the Nevado del Ruiz. This new route has just surpassed Alto de Letras, previously acclaimed as the highest and longest pass in the world.

[@melibaut]

I like this format and would be interested in more videos! Great job😊

[@rensvandenberg8367]

I climbed this mountain from Puli, a town in the west of Taiwan. From here it,s only 55 km and 3000 highmeters. And yes altitude is a big thing! At +2700 I thought I am almost there, but I underestimated the altitude, especially above 3000 you feel it, a 7% section feels then like 10%... I did the first part of the KOM climb, and that,s one of the most beautiful parts as well. Anyway Taiwan is a beautiful country with super friendly locals. In the 6 weeks I bikepacked trough Taiwan I got 10 times more support from the locals then when I bikepacked 9 months in Europe...

[@gcn]

50km is still one long climb 🗻Great to hear you had a good experience though, it's often the people that make a trip so good 🙌

[@karimi_sinaa]

Nice video, come to iran, Deylaman KOM ,40 km climb, 2k elevation, my favorite😍

[@AGENDA_1938]

this kind of informative travel guide is much better than the usual "story" for the purpose of a story. 👍

[@cb6866]

Thanks Dr O and crew....quite a place !

[@gcn]

It really is epic 🤯

[@cb6866]

Appreciate the ride along. The places you go are amazing , and the rides you do are incredible enough , but the humor , and general tone of your stuff is why I watch. Thanks again

[@geoffwhite3664]

I did it in 2015, the reduced amount of oxygen was killer as Ollie says. It brought me to a standstill more than once. I made it back down safely, but finished in the dark, an hour after sunset. What a ride!

[@HoldenAdventures]

Great content! Building the bucket list!! Would be cool to include info about renting bikes on this type video - is it easy with lots of places or nope better pack your own bike :-)

[@waynebond5771]

Great video. Would love to see GCN to the Haleakala climb on Maui

[@gcn]

We would love to go climb it too 👌

[@MrYorrik]

Absolutely brilliant video, just wow on so many different levels.

[@gcn]

Thanks for commenting! We hope it inspires you to get riding 🙌

[@MrYorrik]

@@gcn On that note, actually, a big sincere thank you to GCN as a whole. My motivation waxes and wanes but there’s always something interesting, inspirational, and/or entertaining on GCN to top up my motivation reserves.

[@cyndytri]

Great video! I love these travel episodes. Come to Colorado and ride the Triple Bypass!

[@dmallo]

As a biologist, I find the transition of climates (and associated biomes) you experience as you gain elevation in such prominent mountains in warmer climates fascinating. I missed a more in-depth description of this phenomenon in your video about Mt Lemmon (and the audio guide developed by UoA, "Mt. Lemmon Science Tour," that makes it easier to appreciate). I love these epic climb videos!

[@gcn]

Great to hear you are enjoying these videos 🙌 such a great point about the geology of the climbs! Maybe we should find a cycling geologist to go climbing with us 🎥

[@BentSpokes]

I'd suggest the Haleakala climb from Paia on Maui, done it once great memories of a great climb.

[@n22pdf]

Ollie looking super stream lined.. when you turning pro 😉 beautiful ride dude well done.. Pete 🚴🏻👍😃

[@MrVizzle]

Much respect for calling it country not province! Hope you will not backtrack on it.

[@user-fr3bi9go7f]

China is great

[@nemure]

Don't bring here politic bullshit

[@ecvent0r]

Felt like he hesitated for a second though

[@MrVizzle]

@@ecvent0r me to, but he overcome his fear, one moment to become the hero

[@ScotChef]

​@@nemure don't bring here bad grammar lol and sshh the adults are talking. 👍🏻

[@palicar]

I love these travel guide videos. I’ve been curious about some epic climbs and rides in Scotland.

[@gcn]

Nice thinking! Any climbs in mind? 🤔

[@palicar]

@@gcn not sure. I bet there’s a Strava segment called Stairway to Haggus

[@CastleKnight7]

How about the Bealach na Ba?

[@melvynkuan764]

Great content. Good to see different perspectives

[@emilrux]

Superb video, on the spot, informative, no BS. I wish everybody who reads this to one day do the climb!

[@gcn]

Have you done the climb? 🤯

[@36sportsawall]

I love my giant bicycle and along with that I have developed pride for how important Taiwan is

[@gcn]

Amazing place to ride your bike 🙌

[@hectorgomez5476]

Come to Colombia, Alto de Letras, it is a hard 82k climb and crosses three thermal floors.

[@gcn]

Say no more! ✈

[@hectorgomez5476]

If one day you decide to come to Colombia to do the climb, write to me and I will accompany you since I have never done it and I want to go. My name is Héctor Gómez. Greetings from beautiful Colombia.

[@gcn]

@@hectorgomez5476 If your in the area you should go give it a try, what's holding you back?

[@hectorgomez5476]

@@gcn I'm going to go up in October. Welcome if you want to come join me.

[@joanestradag]

There's also the recently paved Alto del Sifón which goes slightly above 4000ms. I'm expecting to go this year!

[@darrylearnshaw7102]

Anyone else thinking what I’m thinking? Andrew Feather attempt on this for the KOM!

[@julianallen515]

I'm doing this with a group from work in October. Trying not to focus on it too much as I am doing the arts-Roubaix sportive in a couple of weeks and it's a very different challenge.

[@peteT269]

Looks great. Maybe you can do a series on lesser known climbs in general? Ones not featured in major bike races. My favourite climb last year was up a tiny dead end road in the Swiss alps to a place called Alpe Galm (2200m). Tiny, steep single track road most of the way. Barely anyone there and insane views. The Col Collective does a great job of this.

[@gcn]

Oooo that's a great idea! 💡 Any other climbs you can think of?

[@IfNotNowWhen_WhenIfNotNow]

Ollie! You have gotten so fit! Way to go!

[@ak19910716]

I was there last week. Taroko is very gorgeous. I took the bus for some little hikes here and there but I think it would be pretty neat to rent a bike instead, since the hiking trails themselves are quite easy but spread too far apart and waiting for buses is really boring.

[@gcn]

Must have been a great place to go hiking? 🚶Heading back with the bike next time then?

[@johnanderson7508]

Come ride THE BROADMOOR CYCLE TO THE SUMMIT. This is a race up Pikes Peak in Colorado USA.

[@stephenauckly]

Great video, thanks Ollie!

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed it Stephen 🙌Would you ever take on this climb? 🗻

[@stephenauckly]

@@gcn I would! A great challenge towards the top it sounds like. Also looks like a great place to visit.

[@scottjones9362]

Good episode Ollie👍

[@user-yx1qk4sk5t]

Taiwan Tourism Administration should get the top 10 climbers from the UCI world teams AND Andrew Feather to compete for a 1 million usd winner take all Taiwan KOM special.

[@BudzCyclist]

nice seeing you in person during the race kit claiming Ollie.

[@adamsolomon9353]

cool series, keep it up

[@gcn]

Any other climbs you would like us to cover? 👀

[@adamsolomon9353]

Mt. Evans (my backyard) @@gcn

[@9090Glenn]

GO OLLIE GO !!!!

[@jasonlimbh79]

That's a very epic climb for cyclists. GCN can come to Malaysia to try our Cameron Highland climb. Although is not epic as Wulin, but is still have wonderful nature view & cold weather to ride on.

[@KelvinSuddith]

Here to add another comment for the Mauna Kea climb! Good history there for cycling in the last couple years, plus it’s been a climb for the locals for years. Plus, you can enjoy the beaches. Respect the locals though, it is their island/land first

[@khunlongpete]

arica-putre chili, 176 km 5165 meter climbing, 510 descending midway. U can continue offroad to over 5000, another 320 meters.There's a lot more climbs sea level to border with 5000 altimeters.

[@michaelnee3692]

Planning to go later this year

[@gcn]

Enjoy!

[@larryvaught3053]

Why in the world did you Not include ride footage?? I'm sure the majority of your viewers would have loved to see Ollie ride to the top. Maybe not even during the organized race, just on a seperate day when you won't have to put up with the masses! You could still include all the Tr avel Channel info also, as that is Very stimulating ! I do want to see Ollie climb that beast though! Cheers to all for a Very Good Video!!😎

[@Bob_Shy_132]

Wow! That's a ride!

[@kristiefunnekotter5139]

Sadly the road through the gorge is closed for the foreseeable future due to the big quake that hit Hualien last week. There are still two other routes to get to the summit though - one from Puli with stunning views of high peaks the entire way. The other is the route from Yilan/Lishan that covers a wide variety of landscapes and joins the final bit of the KOM route from Dayuling that should remain open while the gorge road is fixed. Don’t cancel your trips - just adjust them. The climbs are still massive and spectacular.

[@neozes]

Why make this just a 8min clip? This deserves much longer attention.

[@user-dq8ii7ce4b]

Taiwan KOM is spectacular.

[@gcn]

Really is 👌Have you ever done the race ⛰

[@jefuteerx0216]

There's Letras another climb very similar in Colombia, nice video

[@gcn]

We'll add it to the list! 🙌

[@michaelre7556]

Very cool. Would be nice to see some climbs in Canada.

[@gcn]

which climbs do you recommend? Cheers 👍

[@ScottColbourne]

Plenty of big mountains, but I'll nominate Dirty Little Chelwood on Gabriola Island in Snuneymuxw First Nation Territory off Vancouver Island. It's only 400 metres, but is loose gravel with a 90 degree turn around a boulder at almost 29 per cent grade -- dirty! @@gcn

[@GurkanGencc]

The world's longest asphalt road climb is in Peru. It starts at an altitude of 500m, ends at 5000m and is 93 km. I also have GPS records. Non-stop climbing.

[@VineetGairola21]

Cycling isn't just about reaching the top; it's about embracing the climb and conquering every ascent along the way.

[@gcn]

This this this! It's all about the ride 👌

[@johnb5482]

Colorado - Mt Evans and Pike’s Peak

[@babbleboyquito]

Try out the climbs here in the Philippines!

[@Neilz911]

Did that climb a few weeks ago, did rent a Bike at giant hualien and cycled Up with my wife, later we decendet that one, the decent could be steeper IT was pretty slow. The only Bike available was a giant fast Road 🙈

[@andypierce6593]

Summer is brutally hot. Taiwan is a great country for riding though. This isn’t the only massive climb. In Yilan I saw groups of local riders going sea level to about 2k meters, and did a little tour myself

[@jkwest2009]

More of these travelogue-type vids! More, damn you...MORE! 😜

[@gcn]

What can we say... we're lucky to travel so much and we want to bring you along with us 👀

[@csiebester]

You guys should do Pikes Peak in Colorado. The climb would be tough just based on the topography, but the altitude makes it killer.

[@OscarBikes]

Alto de Letras in Colombia 81.3 km long. You guys should show case this one.

[@chrisrowse5216]

Will you be taking Feather for a visit?

[@gerardochaparro1639]

So Ollie would be attempting 'Alto de Letras' in Colombia? 😯 Would be very interesting compare it with Si's numbers when he wen there!

[@uknowbass]

Glad you clarified the location of the Taiwan KOM 😂

[@izi941]

Do some gravel climbs as well. Many famous climbs can be made even better/higher with even better views with gravel “extensions” on top (Stelvio and Alp d’Huez for example)

[@gcn]

Nice thinking! Some of those gravel extras can be brutal 😬

[@narakdk]

where to rent a bike and how much does it cost? Thanks

[@DoNuT_1985]

I did 20-30 km climbs and that's a fun workout but 85 km is bonkers. 3,5% average isn't massive but unless you have MTB gearing, ascents will always push you in higher zones than flat riding would and that for 5 hours going to over 3000 meters isn't your average weekend ride. However, 2 hours descending sounds like a fun reward.

[@___Bebo___]

I did it on a rental Giant TCR without training for climbing at all riding only fixed gear, it's not that hard if you ride a lot. To be fair I was using a 34 tooth MTB cassette though, if you have MTB gearing it's easy.

[@DoNuT_1985]

@@___Bebo___ What I said, gearing might chew you up, but even on 1:1 ratio it'll be 5-6 hour ride. I dunno, other than the numbers it doesn't look as appealing to me, actually...

[@Ultra300min]

welcome to Taiwan, if you stay long enough , you'll find some other funny things everywhere, hope you can visit again

[@gcn]

Do you do much riding in the area?

[@Ultra300min]

@gcn The trail of KOM is in the east of Taiwan , I used to ride in the north, which has easy way before injuries. And also I train by GCN films before

[@小智-n7e]

In fact, the earthquake on 4/3 destroyed the road from Hualien to Wuling. Now we can't enjoy any pleasure in the KOM challenge until they finish fixing the road, but it needs to take many months...

[@graham2954]

I've driven from Taichung to Hualien through the gorge and it was exhausting.

[@gcn]

Hahahah imagine cycling it 🤣

[@twraia]

Bring the entire GCN team to beat Nibali's record in the next KOM challenge for a GNC Special!

[@gerbamv]

Hi pal, when are you coming to Colombia? Here there are several climbing routes that will make you explode.

[@Realciderreviews]

What’s the world’s longest continuous climb? As in no little down hill bits. Maybe Hawaii or somewhere in the Andes?

[@bikeanddogtripsvirtualcycling]

two routes you should enjoy Timmelsjoch / Passo Rombo + Oetztal Glacier Road Distance 68.04 km Elev Gain 3,463 m and Pico del Veleta over Güejar Sierra Distance 52.61 km Elev Gain 2,867 m (highest paved road in Europe - most of the route is around 8 to 9 % - bar a steep part from 15km to 18km. you pass through a small cobbled village and apart from being on a dual carriageway from 22 to 40km it is pretty rough gravel and loose stone the higher to get. --------------- did the zoncalon and angliru last night on rouvy. terrible idea. finished at 2am

[@timcarnes3467]

fact check. Gorges that dwarf the Grand Canyon? Ollie have you seen the Grand Canyon?

[@davidhenner9367]

I was going to make the same exact comment. The width of the Grand Canyon is wider than ALL of Taiwan. It might be possible to be deeper but not in the dramatic way the Grand Canyon drops.

[@CoachTeufel13]

How many times have you all made a video about this climb/race?! This is like #3

[@gangstreG123]

Wait until you see the catalogue of bike washing videos...

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

How did this climb compare to riding with Matthew up Mount Lemmon?

[@optic_8478]

I’d like to see a video about Norikura in the japanese alps.

[@damu6678]

Will GCN ever film in 4K?

[@bonneharkema2458]

Not after yesterday please but I'm totally in for a 85 km long drop though! :)

[@dahappychappy]

more of the climb would be good

[@glennicol1361]

So far I only did Yangmingshan next time will go to Hualien.

[@songofyesterday]

Ollie got top 20 last time he went right? Hope he gets top ten this time 📣

[@iansingleton]

I'd love to ride this! My bucket list is actually a dumper truck list! Is it expensive to fly out there?

[@DG-tf9rp]

All the top Pro tour riders should do this race and the end of the year. Just think Pog, Kuss Jonas, Wout, Etc.. Fighting it out. World Champ jersey to the winner?

[@Shadowboost]

It is my life goal to climb this

[@JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ1234]

they dwarf the Grand Canyon? I have been to both places, and I don't know how anyone can say that.

[@iansingleton]

Ps. Great film as always! 👍

[@gcn]

🫡 Do you expect anything less?

[@pakelly99]

This event would be right up Andrew Feather's street frankly.

[@XR4turbo]

When is Ollie gonna climb mauna kea?

[@Welther47]

Thanks to rouvy I found out that Taiwan is awesom for riding.