Vincenzo Nibali to join Cadel Evans for gruelling 105km, 3,275-metre hill climb in Taiwan

Vincenzo Nibali at the 2017 Giro d'Italia

(Image credit: Yuzuru Sunada)

published 13 October 2017

Vincenzo Nibali is set to finish his year with one last hill-climb test, joining fellow Tour de France winner Cadel Evans in the Taiwan KOM Challenge on Friday, October 20.

Italian Nibali and Australian Evans will tackle the 105-kilometre hill climb, rising to 3,275 metres from the coast to the mountainous interior of Taiwan.

Recent Il Lombardia winner Nibali will be taking part alongside his brother Antonio, Bahrain-Merida team-mate Feng Chun-Kai, and a few thousand amateur riders. Also present will be American former-pro-turned-Strava-KOM-hunter Phil Gaimon.

Watch: How to master a long climb

As for the course itself, well that puts even the Vuelta's huge summit finish to Sierra Nevada in the shade with both its length and steepness.

Starting off at a steady gradient of three to four per cent, the climb gets steeper and steeper as the road goes higher and the air gets thinner for the riders.

Cruelly the steepest section is saved for the very end, with a long section at more than 20 per cent and a maximum gradient of 27 per cent after nearly 100km of climbing.

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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.