Mark Dowling, third rider in line on right, riding in the breakaway against some top pros at the Taiwan KOM Challenge, which had a 3,300 metre above sea level finish.
By Brian Canty
Mark Dowling has taken a strong result in miserable conditions in a highly competitive one-day event known as the Taiwan KOM Challenge.
The DID Dunboyne rider, who won both the Kerry Group Rás Mumhan and the Suir Valley Three-Day at home this year, was 10th in the Asian event which featured a quality field of almost 200 riders.
Among some of the riders Dowling was up against was Danish climber John Ebsen who has signed for Italian team Androni-Giocatolli for 2015 and ran out the winner in Taiwan.
Also in the field were Tour of California climbers’ classification winner Will Routley from Canada, recent Tour de Bintan winner Ayub Kathurima and his Kenyan team, as well as Fon Juen Kai who rode for Lampre-Merida this year.
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The field snaking right into the highlands of Taiwan, with the weather getting weather and colder as the riders climbed; Dowling spending his race at the head of affairs.
At 105km, the race was short but had a very testing parcours.
Starting in the town of Hualian in the far south east of the country, it worked its way counter-clockwise to the summit finish of Mount Hehuan.
At 3,300 metres above sea-level it is over three times higher that Ireland’s highest mountain Carrauntoohill and is slightly higher than the iconic Alpe d'Huez in the French Alps.
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In the past, the race has been graced by the presence of ProTour riders such as 2013 Criterium International KOM winner Jeremy Roy, 2010 Tour de France climbers’ classification winner Anthony Charteau and last year’s Vuelta top climber and Simon Clarke.
Dowling made the decisive break of 15 riders that went clear early, though he was outnumbered by Kenyan and Taiwan teammates.
The former Polygon Sweet Nice man told stickybottle recently he was in the form of his life and fancied his chances despite racing an action-packed domestic schedule.
The unique event attracted an eclectic field from all over the world; Ireland's Dowling just visible on the extreme right of this shot.
He said he was hopeful a good result could catapult him into contention for a move abroad next year.
The field in Taiwan was forced to contend with freezing and wet conditions, poor road surface and unforgiving gradient but the prospects of winning the €26,000 first prize spurred Dowling on.
The breakaway continued to pull clear on the finishing climb and into the last eight kilometres with gradients of 17 per cent.
The Irishman would fade in the final kilometre as Ebsen moved clear to win solo.
However, Dowling’s 10th was a great ride considering the strength of the top riders in the field and the fact it took him 28 hours to travel from Ireland, reaching Taiwan just before the race.
Second place went to Hong Kong rider Roland Yeung, with Alex Ariya Phounsavath close behind in third.
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