TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan cyclists overcame yesterday’s equipment failure of two tire blowouts and worked to put lead rider Feng Chun-kai (馮俊凱) near the head of the pack for a fourth-place finish in Taichung.

Feng achieved the second best performance by an Asian rider in the Tour de Taiwan, since recognition by the International Cycling Union (ICU). The previous best accomplishment was Peng Yuan-tang's (彭源堂) second-place finish in 2019, per UDN.

“We can only compete in single stages now as we have a different strategy and don’t need to defend the yellow or blue jersey,” said Feng. The Taiwan team’s focus now is individual stage performances after falling too far behind due to mechanical problems.

Stage 3, dubbed, “Taiwan Romantic Route 3,” started at Hsinchu High Speed Rail Station and ended at Taichung Shigang Visitor Information Center, covering 154.5 kilometers, with two sprint points along the route.

Taiwan’s Sergio Tu (杜志濠) showed fighting spirit throughout the day, trying repeatedly to break through to the front of the race. Tu and Feng were able to eventually infiltrate the lead group and prepare themselves for the final sprint.

With 500 m remaining, Feng found himself jostled out of an ideal sprint position, requiring him to break wide to the right for his final 100 m finish, which earned him fourth place.

Twenty-one-year-old Belgian Tijl De Decker, a rider for Belgian’s Lotto, won Stage 3 with a time of 3:46:18. Dutch rider, Raymond Kreder of Ukyo Racing Team, took third place and retained the yellow jersey as the race leader with a total cumulative race time of 8:25:59.

"I am a sprinter and once fell behind on the last climb today. I was lucky to get back on the downhill area. I tried very hard to get back. Today’s route is very challenging,” said Kreder after the race, per UDN.

On Wednesday (March 15), Stage 4 starts at Nantou County Hall at 9:30 a.m. and covers 165 km, ending at Sun Moon Lake Xiang-Shan Visitor Center.