Kaohsiung Stage: A 146 km Southern Taiwan Tour from Fo Guang Shan to the Main Stadium

From the Sacred Grounds of a Monastery to the Finish at a Sports Shrine

If you had to pick one route that best represents the scenery of southern Taiwan, the Kaohsiung stage of the Tour de Taiwan would definitely be at the top of the list.

Route Preview: The Southern Scenery Across 11 Districts

Starting from the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Dashu District, this 146.44 km route winds like a ribbon, connecting the mountains and the sea of Kaohsiung:

Dashu → Qishan (the hometown of bananas) → Meinong (a Hakka town) → Liugui (the land of hot springs) → Jiaxian (taro ice cream!) → Shanlin → Yanchao (mud volcanoes) → Dashe → Nanzi → Zuoying → National Stadium (finish)

For the riders, these 11 districts represent 11 different kinds of pain. For the spectators, it’s a free sightseeing tour of Kaohsiung.

The Tough Design of Three Climbs and Three Sprints

With three climbs and three sprint points, the design of this route gives every type of rider a chance to shine. Climbers grab points on the hills, sprinters fight for seconds on the flats, and all-rounders watch from the shadows, quietly building their advantage.

Grisel’s Perfect Timing

Lotto-Intermarche controlled the pace of the race all day, setting up a perfect lead-out train for Matys Grisel before the finish.

In the final sprint in front of the National Stadium, Grisel launched his attack with impeccable timing:

1. Matys Grisel (Lotto-Intermarche) — 3:06:28
2. Paul Hennequin (Euskaltel-Euskadi) — same time
3. Yoshiki Terada (JCL Team Ukyo) — same time

With an average speed exceeding 47 km/h, teamwork became the decisive factor on the flat, windy roads of this high-speed race.

Another Crash in the Final 3 Kilometers

Yes, it happened again in the final 3 kilometers. Another crash.

This is already the third pre-finish crash in five stages. The danger of a high-speed bunch sprint was highlighted once more—when over 70 riders are squeezed onto a road just a few meters wide at nearly 60 km/h, any slight touch can trigger a chain reaction.

Fortunately, the UCI’s 3 km rule came into effect once again, and the affected riders were given the same time as the main peloton.

A 19-Year-Old’s Battle

Taiwan’s youngest participant, Huang Wei-Cheng (19), faced leg cramps during this stage, but gritted his teeth to stay with the main peloton, ultimately finishing in 39th place—the best result among Taiwanese riders in this stage.

At 19, in his first Tour de Taiwan, he managed to hold onto the peloton despite cramping—this kind of resilience gives us great hope for the future of Taiwanese cycling.

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• Kaohsiung Dashu to Fo Guang Shan Route: A Complete Guide to Riding Through Southern Temple Culture