Benjamin Giraud (Team La Pomme Marseille 13) get airborne over the line (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The jersey winners are interviewed (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Team Novo Nordisk (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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A puzzled Di Gregorio (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The Taiwanese tifosi (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Hello (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Team Novo Nordisk (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Noting the parcours (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Musettes ready for the riders (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Czech team Bauknecht - Author (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Greek road champion Ioannis Tamouridis is back at SP Tableware (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Fabian Schnaidt (Team Vorarlberg) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Wouter Wippert getting ready to go (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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La Pomme Marseille 13 (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Team Gusto (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Finding the right camera angel (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The jersey winners on the podium (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Smiles from Japanese national team (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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At the startline (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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2014 Tour de Taiwan winner, Remy Di Gregorio (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The points winner, Fabian Schnaidt (Team Vorarlberg) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Parkhotel Valkenburg CT (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Team classification winners Parkhotel Valkenburg CT (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Enjoying a moment prerace (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The heat got to one Drapac rider (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Time to cool down for Synergy BAku (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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La Pomme Marseille 13 had a good Tour de Taiwan (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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A Team Stölting rider gulps down some water (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Synergy Baku cooling down (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Post-race cola for Remy (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Team Vorarlberg (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The start line for Stage 5 (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Mountain classification victor, Chun Kai Feng (Gusto) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Cam Wurf (Cannondale) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Joonas Henttala (Novo Nordisk) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Azeri champion Samir Jabrayilov (Synergy Baku Cycling Project) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Remy Di Gregorio knows he has the win in the back (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Fabian Schnaidt celebrates winning the stage (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The bunch crosses the line (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Checking the gap back to the peloton (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Joonas Henttala (Team Novo Nordisk) leads the break (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Checking the race is going ok (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Ioannis Tamouridis (SP Tableawre) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Samir Jabrayilov (Synergy Baku Cycling Project) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The peloton on one of the laps around Stage 5 (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The convoy (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Decked out in blue (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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La Pomme Marseille controlling affairs (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Remy Di Gregorio (La Pomme Marseille) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Novo Nordisk at the back of the bunch (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Fabian Schnaidt (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Stage winner Fabian Schnaidt (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Feed time (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Team Gusto (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Tabriz Shahrdari Ranking driving the peloton (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Taiwan (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Remy Di Gregorio (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Champagne time (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Remy Di Gregorio in the yellow jersey (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Remy Di Gregorio is the 2014 Tour de Taiwan champion (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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abian Schnaidt (Team Vorarlberg) in the green jersey (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The polka dotted Chun Kai Feng (Gusto) (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The riders out on course (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Blue jersey winner (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Here is your prize (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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The break building their lead (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
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Team Stölting on the front of the bunch (Image credit: Tour de Taiwan 2014 / Sonoko Tanaka)
Frenchman Rémy Di Gregorio (La Pomme Marseille) has won the 26th Tour de Taiwan, while Germany's Fabian Schnaidt from Vorarlberg out-sprinted his team-mate Benjamin Giraud in a tight finish in the "Terrific Taiwan" fifth and last stage at Dapeng Bay.
A photo-finish was required to determine the winner, and Giraud was eventually denied a second victory after stage 2. A bunch gallop followed the end of the dream for Hong Kong's Cheung King Lok who was the last breakaway rider caught within 5km to go after he left his companions Samir Jabraylov (Synergy Baku), Muradjan Halmuratov (Terengganu TSG), Ben Johnson (Drapac), Joonas Henttala (Team Novo Nordisk), Khalil Khorshid (Tabriz Ranking) and Hung Kung Hung (Chinese Taipei).
"This is incredible", former Champion System rider Schnaidt reacted. "I wasn't too happy before the stage because of all the bruises I have to deal with since my crash on stage 1. I was already close to winning in Taipei but I got stopped by this crash. However, I like Asian racing because it's contested on wide roads unlike in Europe."
The Tour de Taiwan was Di Gregorio's first race in Asia. It turned out to being also the first 2.1 overall victory of his career. "In 2011, I won a stage at Paris-Nice," he recalled of his time with Astana. "In 2012, I won a difficult stage of the Vuelta Asturias atop the Alto del Naranco. In 2013, I won the Tour of Bulgaria. So I keep winning. Personally I had my sights set on the Criterium International but for La Pomme Marseille, it was important to come here and win. With one stage win and the overall classification, we're delighted. I'm pleased to repay the team for the trust they have in me."
"My team-mates have done a hard work today", Di Gregorio continued. "The composition of the breakaway suited us but tactically, it wasn't easy to control as the gaps were tight and the time bonus was crucial. In the final sprint, Benjamin [Giraud] did the job so my rivals on GC [stage 4 Ioannis Tamouridis and points classification overall winner Marco Zanotti] couldn't take the time bonus. It's a bit strange to win a mostly flat race because of the time bonus I scored myself in the first two stages. I'm a climber. I want to express myself in the hilly races. The Tour de Taiwan isn't the ideal preparation for the Criterium International. Now I'll have to recover from the traveling and the jet lag but I'm very happy to go home with the yellow jersey."
With seven riders of the final top ten – Di Gregorio, Tamouridis, Brian Bulgac, Markus Eibegger, Davide Formolo, Cameron Wurf and Wesley Sulzberger – being or having been part of the World Tour and a well balanced course that kept the suspense high till the very end, the Tour de Taiwan organizers reached a conclusion that their 2.1 status is well deserved.
Results
#
Rider Name (Country) Team
Result
1
Fabian Schnaidt (Ger) Team Vorarlberg
3:55:27
2
Benjamin Giraud (Fra) Team La Pomme Marseille 13
3
Wouter Wippert (Ned) Drapac Professional Cycling
4
Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn) Japan National Team
5
Marco Zanotti (Ita) Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Cycling Team
6
Christoph Schweizer (Ger) Synergy Baku Cycling Project
7
Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) SP Tableware
8
Georgios Bouglas (Gre) SP Tableware
9
Luke Keough (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team
10
Hsiao Shih Hsin (Tpe) Team Gusto
General classification
#
Rider Name (Country) Team
Result
1
Rémy Di Gregorio (Fra) Team La Pomme Marseille 13
15:23:53
2
Ioannis Tamouridis (Gre) SP Tableware
0:00:04
3
Marco Zanotti (Ita) Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Cycling Team
0:00:08
4
Jan Dieteren (Ger) Team Stölting
0:00:09
5
Brian Bulgac (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg Continental Cycling Team
0:00:10
6
Markus Eibegger (Aut) Synergy Baku Cycling Project
0:00:11
7
Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale
0:00:12
8
Cameron Wurf (Aus) Cannondale
0:00:15
9
Kohei Uchima (Jpn) Japan National Team
0:00:16
10
Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Drapac Professional Cycling
'We didn't know until the last bike throw' said Longo Borghini
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