McCann solos to win in Taiwan opener

Irishman David McCann of the Giant Asia Racing Team took home the victory in the first stage of the Tour de Taiwan. The ride was not exceptionally tough even by his standard, but from nearly missing the race altogether, the day was indeed extraordinary for McCann.

The 37-year-old from Irishman said after the more than four hour ride from Kaoshiung to Chiayi that he almost gave the race a pass.

"I was struggling with a chest infection and I almost did not want to race today but I felt a little better and decided to give it a shot," said McCann, who not only took the stage but also will be in the Tour leader yellow jersey for being at the top of the General Classification .

"The weather was warm today but not as hot as it was in Malaysia. And it being a fast route today with the wind behind us, we were able to come in with a decent time even though there were two climbs on the day.

"I hope that I will be able to maintain my lead in the next few days with the help of my teammates."

Starting off from the World Games Stadium in Kaohsiung, the peloton did not immediately jump into action with the first breakaway occurring at just after the first climb outside Lingkuo which was won by Taiwan's Feng Chun Kai from the Action Cycling team.

The 20-man breakaway did not work in tandem to build the lead and not soon after was caught by the peloton as they head into the second climb at Nanhua.

With Malaysia's Rizuan Zainal coming in second at the first climb and then taking the second one at Nanhua, he will start tomorrow's stage two in the Red Polka Dot jersey of the King of the Mountain.

"I had a good work programme at the Tour de Langkawi (in Malaysia) and that probably gave me the push for the climb," added the 24-year-old, who finished 75th overall in the GC and also 5th overall in the KOM at the Tour de Langkawi.

"I was confident for the climb and I hope that I can pick up more points in the next several days."

The sprinter's green jersey was led by McCann based on points at the finish .

Following a second breakaway by ten riders heading into Wusanto Reservoir, the peloton just seem to lose steam as they allowed the frontrunners an easy ride to the finish.

What made the win more spectacular for McCann, who had struggled somewhat in Langkawi barely a week ago, was the fact that he had ridden into Alishan all by himself in the last 5km.

"Thank god that we are not going up Alishan and with this year's race devoid of any serious mountain climb, I have a fair chance of keeping the GC all the way to the end," added McCann.

The best ranked Asian rider is Cheung King Wei, who ended the day on fifth in the GC.

"The weather is very hot and the course was a lot harder than I expected. And because we are not allowed to use race radio, I had to make the decision whether to keep with the team or just go in the front," added King Wei, who came in with the second group of riders.

"But the race today was fantastic as it did not end in a bunch finish."

Stage Two tomorrow will be played out in the county of Chiayi with the peloton completing a course of some 137km in and around several famous landmarks.

The race will begin in Chiayi City Hall before passing the Lantan Scenic Resort, the Budai Salt Mountain and on to Yu Chia Nan Haomeiliao Nature Preeserve to finish at the Singang Fongtian Temple.

And while it might be a rest day for the climber, the peloton however will face three sprints along the way - two near the Chiayi County Hall and another at the Fongtan Temple.