Taiwanese Cyclists on the International Stage: Feng Chun-Kai, Huang Ting-Yin, and the New Generation's Challenges

Introduction: Taiwanese Riders’ International Road

For most Taiwanese cycling fans, the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España feel like distant European events, and the question we keep coming back to is — “Are there any Taiwanese riders on the international stage?”

The answer is yes, and more actively than you might think. In 2025, Taiwanese cyclists kept building results across multiple races in Asia and even Europe. While no one has yet secured a regular seat on a full WorldTour season roster, the new generation is closing in step by step.

This article surveys three representative groups of riders: the perennial number-one man Feng Chun-Kai (馮俊凱), the top woman Huang Ting-Yin (黃亭茵), and the rising generation of women riders — tracing Taiwanese cycling’s international trajectory.

Feng Chun-Kai: Taiwan’s Forever Number One

Career Milestones

Feng Chun-Kai (馮俊凱) was born in Taian Township, Miaoli County, and is Taiwan’s first male road cyclist to reach the WorldTour:

2025 Tour de Taiwan: Top Asian Rider on the Taipei Stage

The 2025 International Cycling Tour of Taiwan featured 23 international teams. Feng Chun-Kai rode for Japan’s Utsunomiya Blitzen and finished 10th overall on the Taipei stage (Stage 1 criterium), the top result among Asian riders.

This marked his 16th career start at the Tour de Taiwan, and it’s the best statement he could make to Taiwanese fans — “I’m still here, and I can still compete.”

What Taiwan’s Number One Means

Feng Chun-Kai’s significance goes beyond results. When he joined Lampre-Merida in 2014, he broke the stereotype that “a Taiwanese rider could never make the WorldTour.” During his time at Bahrain, he rode in the second and third groups of Monument races (Milano-Sanremo, Il Lombardia) multiple times. He never reached the podium, but he proved that an Asian rider could survive at Europe’s top level.

For the new generation, he is the one who “climbed onto the giants’ shoulders first, so everyone else could be seen.”

Huang Ting-Yin: From Track Cycling to Criterium Queen

Huang Ting-Yin (黃亭茵) is currently Taiwan’s top representative in women’s road and criterium racing:

Key Achievements

• Bronze in the women’s team pursuit at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games
• Bronze in the women’s Omnium at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games
• Multiple track cycling medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (held in 2023)
• Winner of the women’s elite category at the 2024 Taipei Speed On Criterium (won via a solo breakaway)

Crowned at the 2024 Taipei Speed On Criterium

At the 2024 Taipei Speed On Criterium’s women’s elite category, Huang Ting-Yin rode a solo breakaway all the way to the finish line, cementing her status as Taiwan’s current top female criterium rider. Her explosive power, cornering skills, and tactical judgment are all Asian-class level.

Moving into Coaching and Promotion

In recent years, alongside continuing to compete, Huang Ting-Yin has also taken up grassroots promotion and coaching work. This is a vital piece of Taiwan’s women’s cycling scene — retired riders don’t disappear, they pass their experience on to the next generation.

The Rise of the New Generation

Men’s Field: Who Is the Next Feng Chun-Kai?

The most promising names right now:

• Liao Wei-Liang: A mainstay of the national U23 squad, has competed in Europe’s Nations Cup
• Chen Chien-Liang: Strong in track racing, has medaled at the Asian Championships
• Wu Yi-Wei: Had a brief stint with Lampre-Merida, now mainly competes in Asia

Their shared challenge — how to break through the ceiling from “Asian champion” to “regular WorldTour competitor.”

Women’s Field: A Traditional Strength in Track Racing

Taiwanese women’s track cycling has long been an Asian powerhouse (see the Asian Games and World Championships results of riders like Huang Ting-Yin and Hsiao Mei-Yu). Recent up-and-comers include:

• Ma Yu-Fang: Multiple medals at the Asian Championships in women’s team pursuit and individual pursuit
• Lin Pei-Hsuan: A rising U23 star expected to be a mainstay over the next 3-5 years

Three Structural Challenges Facing Taiwanese Riders

Challenge One: Training Environment vs. Europe

• Lack of high-altitude training bases: European riders can go to Tenerife or Andorra, while Asian riders are limited to places like Qinghai or Hehuanshan, with far weaker logistical support
• Team training resources: WorldTour teams have nutritionists, sports psychologists, physiotherapists, and riding-position analysts; Taiwan’s top teams can only offer a fraction of that

Challenge Two: International Exposure

Making a WorldTour team takes more than just being strong — you also need European team coaches and agents to actually see you. Part of the reason Feng Chun-Kai caught Lampre’s attention back then was that Merida sponsored the team and had a Taiwanese connection. Without that kind of link today, it’s harder for riders to get noticed.

Challenge Three: An Unstable Career Path

Being a professional cyclist in Taiwan can mean earning less than an average office worker, with no WorldTour-level guaranteed contracts. Many riders with real potential leave competitive cycling right after graduating from university because of financial pressure. This is a problem the entire Taiwanese cycling community needs to solve systemically.

What Can Taiwanese Cycling Fans Do?

1. Follow domestic races: The Taiwan Cycling League (OCUP), the National Championships, and the Tour de Taiwan are all direct opportunities to support homegrown riders
2. Follow riders on Strava and social media: Many Taiwanese professional riders have public Strava and Instagram accounts — follow their training and race updates
3. Support team sponsors: Buying Taiwanese brands like Merida and Giant indirectly supports the team ecosystem
4. Watch broadcasts of Taiwanese races: The Tour de Taiwan and the Speed On Criterium now both have online broadcasts — watching a race means more than buying a jersey

Conclusion: Hope Lies in the Next Generation

Feng Chun-Kai, at 34, is still racing. Huang Ting-Yin keeps contributing on the track. Together they’ve thoroughly answered the question of whether Taiwanese riders “can” make it onto the international stage — the answer is yes, they can.

The next question is — “When will the next WorldTour rider from Taiwan appear?”

That question can’t be answered by riders alone — it requires long-term investment from the entire cycling community: the coaching system, sponsors, broadcasters, and grassroots promotion. But at the very least, Taiwan’s riders have never stopped chasing their dream, and that in itself is the most moving part of this story.

Next time you see Feng Chun-Kai in the Utsunomiya Blitzen red jersey at the Tour de Taiwan, give him an extra round of applause — it carries the weight of 15 years built up by Taiwanese cycling.

Related Reading

• Taiwanese Riders’ International Road Racing Journey: The Reality and Dreams of Asian Riders in European Racing
• Taiwan’s Cycling Stars: Breakthroughs and Achievements by Taiwanese Riders on the International Stage
• Feng Chun-Kai’s 17th Tour de Taiwan: 17 Years of Riding from Teenager to Legend
• Stories of Taiwan’s Outstanding Cyclists: Taiwanese Riders on the International Stage