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    The fourth stage of the “2017 Tour de Taiwan” was held in Nantou in a grand manner on March 29. 21 cycling teams from 5 continents were assembled here. The athletes circled Nantou County Hall led by Mr. Lin, Ming-Chen, County mayor of Nantou County, Mr. Chen, Cheng-Sheng, Vice County mayor, Ms. Hsu, Shu-Hua, Legislator, and Mr. Li, Kai-Chih, General Secretary of the Chinese Taipei Cycling Association, before the whistle was blown to kick off the longest stage of the tour. 200 top athletes from all over the world then departed from the gate of Nantou County Hall for a fierce race over a distance of 166.56 km. 　　

    County mayor Lin pointed out that this competition gave the athletes an opportunity to appreciate the following famous attractions along the track: Jiji Green Tunnel, Mingtan Reservoir, Shueili Snake kiln, Puli Winery, Taiwan Art Avenue, National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute, and Sun-Moon Lake. County mayor Lin also personally invited the cyclists to appreciate the sophisticated sculptures in the Nantou Sand Sculpture Art and Culture Park after the race.

    The Nantou Stage mainly consisted of mountain routes. Upon departure from the county government, the riders passed through the following 8 cities and townships: Nantou City, Mingjian, Jiji, Shuili, Yuchi, Puli, Guoxing, and Caotun. After circling Sun-Moon Lake on the road around the lake, the cyclists crossed the finish line at the Xiangshan Visitor Center to complete the fourth stage of the tour.

    A fierce battle developed on this stage. Around 1 kilometer after departure, Simon, Ghader, James, and Ian from Team Illuminate, Tabriz Shahrdary Team, Hrinkow Advarics Cycleang, and JLT Condor, respectively, launched an attack, forming a leading quartet. Ghader was the first rider to cross the intermediate sprint point but fell back afterwards. The remaining trio maintained its lead until they were caught by the main group around 135 kilometers into the race and everything was back to square one. Prior to the last mountain checkpoint, another quartet took the lead. Edwin from Team Illuminate ended up winning this stage in 4 hours 17 minutes and 10 seconds. This was Edwin’s second stage win after his victory in the first stage.

    The 2017 Tour de Taiwan was divided into 5 stages covering a total distance of 682.11 kilometers. The tour kicked off on March 26 and the first four stages were held in Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, and Nantou County. The tour winner was determined on the final stage in Pingtung on March 30.