While the idea of cash prizes is nothing new to bicycle racing, in Taiwan the idea is catching on as a way to attract better riders to regional races i the hopes of walking away with a handsome paycheck.
A great example might be Sean Smith, the rider from Taichung who walked away from the Alishan Extreme Challenge last year with USD$22,500 for under 3 hours of work.
Now the Super Rider competition will be adding larger cash prizes for the top finishers.
The administration will put up a total purse of NT$222,000 (US$7,357) for the April 1 race, which will start from Jialulan, a center for driftwood art in Taitung County, head north as far as Sansiantai, and then turn back.
The top 10 finishers will receive prize money of between NT$30,000 and NT$1,000, while those who finish atop different age groups will win from NT$10,000 to NT$2,000, the administration said.
Any team consisting of at least three members can sign up for another 200-kilometer event, and five teams in that race will be eligible to win NT$3,000 each in a lucky draw.
The administration encouraged people to register for the races starting Monday because the 100-kilometer and 200-kilometer races will each be limited to 600 cyclists.
For some of the slicker teams out there, this could be a fun way to put in for that new bike.
