i’ve been away for a couple of days to Hualien on Taiwan’s east coast, climbing some parts of the famous Wuling mountain. i was there with former teammate Yin Chi Wang to do a photo-shoot with some Japanese journalists. this is one epic, not to mention stunning, climb.

here below is part of a report i wrote on the climb after completing the Taiwan KOM Challenge 2 years ago. this year’s event will be held on November 9th, entries opening soon, watch this space for more on that.

‘Itʼs a 90km beast of an event that lives in central Taiwan, and goes from a sleepy, cosy little town by the name of Hualien, meanders through the magnificent Taroko Gorge amidst and sometimes through enormous slabs of ancient rock so delightful that they entice riders, even mid-race, to let out gasps of wonder, and up and up and up to the summit, all 3,275 meters of it.

With an average of 7% for the first 104km the speed there is quite high, but it’s the last 8km that knock you out. 17% average with pitches up to 27.8%. In the closing kilometers the air is thin and the life is sucked from your bones.’

*all shots taken with an iPhone 5 and the Optrix waterproof camera-case