Cyclists competing in the first stage of Tour de Taiwan in Taipei on Sunday. CNA photo March 10, 2024
Taipei, March 10 (CNA) Israel-Premier Tech's Itamar Einhorn outsprinted the chasing peloton to win the first stage of the Tour de Taiwan in Taipei on Sunday.
The 83.2 kilometer opening stage saw 205 cyclists from 38 countries complete eight laps of a near-flat circuit between Taipei City Hall to Jing Fu Men (Taipei East Gate) roundabout.
Einhorn secured the stage victory with a time of one hour, 39 minutes and 13 seconds, with Atsushi Oka of Japan's JCL Team Ukyo winning the blue jersey for best Asian rider.
Feng Chun-kai (馮俊凱) of Utsunomiya Blitzen finished as the best-placed Taiwanese rider in 25th.
Stage two of the 666.64-kilometer Tour de Taiwan will take place in Taoyuan on Monday, continue on to the Romantic Route 3 on Tuesday, before heading to Nantou County on Wednesday.
The final stage of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Asia Tour event will take place in Kaohsiung on Wednesday.
The Chinese Taipei National Team, which represents Taiwan, is also taking part in this year's event.
While national team rider Tu Chih-hao (杜志濠) managed to finish Monday's opener in the upper half of the peloton in 55th place, he and three of his teammates suffered minor injuries after being caught in a crash during the stage's second lap.
National team coach Huang Hsien-hsi (黃顯熙) said he was still hopeful for better results in the coming races.
Other Taiwanese competitors in this year's Tour de Taiwan include Sidi Ali-Unlock's Wang Yin-chih (王胤之) and Wang Yu-kuan (王又寬).
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