Mountain classification victor, Chun Kai Feng (Gusto) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
New Lampre-Merida signing Chun Kai Feng won his fifth national Taiwanese road race title in Taitung on Sunday. The 26-year-old will become the first Taiwanese rider to race at WorldTour level in 2015 and will do in the national jersey after victory in the 159km race by 1:56 minutes over En Chieh Liu. Last year Feng won both the road and time trial titles.
Feng previously rode for the ProContinental Champion System Pro Cycling Team in 2013 and raced for the Continental Team Gusto this year, winning the mountains classification at the Tour de Taiwan for the third straight year.
Feng becomes the third national champion for Lampre-Merida in 2015 alongside new signing Tsgabu Grmay (Ethiopia) and Nelson Oliveria (Portugal).
At the announcement of his signing, team manager Brent Copeland explained that expected it to be a season of two halves for Feng.
"The first part of the season will be important for him for getting settled and to adapt himself to the language and the European culture: our team's members are very warm and accepting people, so Feng will have no problem in receiving the necessary support by everybody in the team, especially by the most experienced cyclists," Copeland said.
"During the first half of the year we'll complete the evaluation of his skills and we'll give him the support for what concerns the training programs, aiming to set a race planning that will give Feng the opportunity to exploit in the best way his qualities during the second part of the season."
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