5,000 metres of hill climbing to cross North East Asia's highest road point (Wuling Peak at 3,275m). "This is one of the most unforgiving and brutal hill climb events in the world, situated in the most impossibly beautiful and stunning picture-postcard location imaginable. Sharpen up those hill climbing legs — this needs to be on your bucket list" from: Four hours on the rivet: the 2013 Taiwan KOM Challenge by Andy van Burgen Following the legendary Taiwan KOM Challenge route on Day 2 - climbing 3,600m over a 102km route. Last year only 330 of 500 professional hill climbers completed the challenge: "The 3,500m of vertical gain in less than 80km is not what intimidates riders – it’s the final, pitching, brutal 8km to the summit, after 2,500m of climbing, that causes the most anxiety". One of the riders reported "At 2738 meters high, the route profile registers what’s basically a vertical line: The hairpins briefly make you feel like you’re in a rollercoaster reaching the top of a climb before plunging in terror… only here the rollercoaster just keeps grinding upwards. The last eight kilometers are an average of 17%, with a short pitch at 27%. It’s incredible that our driver gets his automatic up there; The air burns with the externalised agonies of engines as they basically drive up a wall". Take a look at the following links to read about theleg we will complete on day 2: http://cyclingtips.com.au/2013/11/four-hours-on-the-rivet-the-2013-taiwan-kom-challenge/ http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/page/latest-news/?id=113035 This is what lies ahead in 3 weeks time... A group of 20 of us from the Asian insurance industry will be put through our paces as we climb more than 5,000m crossing the infamous Wuling Mountain (3,275m), the highest road point in North East Asia. Whilst we will be riding in a peloton, the climbs are an individual affair; and this 3 day ride is going to be a massive personal challenge. Living on a relatively flat island is not the most ideal training ground… our one hill of note (Mount Faber) stands at 105m tall; meaning that the climb is equivalent to 47 laps with a bit of altitude thrown in for good measure! The steep section of Mount Faber is just over 10% gradient. As we near the summit of Wuling Mountain, the gradients exceed 20%... Given that I could barely get up Mount Faber once when I started riding 8 weeks ago, it should give you an idea of what lies ahead. Training has been growing in intensity. At 05:30am, 4 days a week, a small group of us can be found at the top of Mount Faber, preparing to start the gruelling task of endless laps to build up stamina. I have now completed a 12 lap session on Mount Faber and am working towards a 20 lap burn out before we depart… (22nd April) I will be raising funds for: Children's Cancer Foundation (CCF) CCF is a non-profit organisation in Singapore with a mission to improve the quality of lives for children with cancer, and their families, by enhancing their emotional, social and medical well-being. As a Singapore resident, any money donated through my name will go to the Children’s Cancer Foundation. Please sponsor me on this epic adventure to help raise money for disadvantaged and sick children in Singapore. Through simplygiving.com you can make safe and secure donations to sponsor me. I am aiming to raise SGD 4,000/ GBP 2,000 for Children's Cancer Foundation. Please dig deep and donate, every little counts! Benjamin Hancock