34 Nations, 21 Teams, 177 Riders: An Analysis of the Most Star-Studded International Field in Tour de Taiwan History

UN Cycling Congress Held in Taiwan

34 countries, 21 teams, 177 riders—the 2026 Tour de Taiwan has been described as “the most star-studded lineup in history,” and that is no exaggeration.

Team Tier Distribution

Team Profiles

European Powerhouses

Lotto-Intermarche (Belgium)

• Tier: WorldTeam
• Key riders: Matthew Fox (Australia), Matys Grisel (France)
• Results: 2 stage wins, mid-race yellow jersey
• One-line verdict: “We came to gain experience, and just happened to take two stage wins along the way”

Euskaltel-Euskadi (Basque Country/Spain)

• Tier: ProTeam
• Key riders: Jordi Lopez, Paul Hennequin
• Results: 1 stage win, 3rd overall, green jersey, team classification winner
• One-line verdict: “127 UCI points—worth every cent of the airfare”

Equipo Kern Pharma (Spain)

• Tier: ProTeam
• Highlight: Features Taiwanese rider Ho Yen-Yi
• One-line verdict: “Bringing the Taiwanese son-in-law back home”

Burgos-BH (Spain)

• Tier: ProTeam
• Key riders: Lorenzo Quartucci (Italy)
• Results: 5th overall

Unibet Tietema Rockets (Belgium)

• Key riders: Davide Bomboi, Lander Loockx
• Results: Polka dot jersey (King of the Mountains), runner-up on Stage 5

Hrinkow Advarics (Austria)

• Key riders: Josef Dirnbauer, Jaka Primozic
• Results: 3rd in team classification

Asian Powerhouses

JCL Team Ukyo (Japan)

• Key riders: Andrea D’Amato (Italy), Yoshiki Terada (Japan)
• Highlight: Although a Japanese team, the roster features riders from multiple countries
• Results: Multiple top-three stage finishes

KINAN Racing Team (Japan)

• Key riders: Yuma Koishi, Lucas Carstensen
• Results: Blue jersey (Best Asian), 2nd in team classification

Aisan Racing Team (Japan)

• Key riders: Yuhi Todome, George Matsui
• Results: Led the mountains classification for multiple days

Terengganu Cycling Team (Malaysia)

• Key riders: Adne van Engelen
• Highlight: One of Southeast Asia’s strongest teams

Victoria Sports Pro Cycling (Philippines)

• Key riders: Jeroen Meijers, Ismael Jr. Grospe, Jude Francisco
• Highlight: The standard-bearer of Philippine cycling
• Standout: Meijers claimed two sprint prime wins at the Pingtung stage

Roojai Insurance Winspace (Thailand)

• Members: Li Ting-Wei (Taiwan), Jaebin Yun (South Korea)
• Highlight: A multinational Asian team

Solution Tech-NIPPO-Rali (Italy/Japan)

• Key riders: Dusan Rajovic (Serbia)
• Results: 2 stage wins (most individual stage victories)

Chinese Taipei National Team

• 5 national team members
• Best result: Chang Yu-Cheng, 18th on Stage 1

National Representation Breakdown

Riders from 34 countries gathered in Taiwan, including:

The Road to Internationalization for the Tour de Taiwan

From a regional event dominated by Asian teams in its early years to a UCI 2.1-ranked race attracting WorldTeams today, the Tour de Taiwan’s internationalization has been nothing short of impressive.

The “most star-studded lineup in history” for 2026 is not just a marketing slogan—it is the strongest proof of Taiwan’s growing influence in the international cycling arena.

Related Reading

• Tour de Taiwan History: The Evolution from a Domestic Invitational to UCI 2.1
• 2026 Tour de Taiwan Full Preview: 23 International Teams and Five Stages Analyzed
• Tour de Taiwan vs. Tour de France: What Separates Taiwan’s Road Race from the World’s Highest Stage?
• The Dream Team of the Tour de Taiwan: If You Could Pick 8 Riders from 177 to Form a Squad