The 2011 Tour de Taiwan is coming to its last day, and the cyclists will be riding from Yilan to Yangming Mountain today, which is the stage 9 of the competition. The 125-kilometer leg will mark the end of this 10-day bicycle race, with the challengers embarking on a journey that's over 1,200 kilometers in total. Here on CTS, let's take a look at the start of the battle, which says a lot about these athletes.

At the pop of the gun, every competing biker zoomed forth onto the national highway by the Taipei City Hall to complete the first 60-kilometer race of the 2011 Tour de Taiwan bike tour competition.

Competitors ranged from various countries, including a few from Japan who remained determined to win despite the recent earthquake that shook up their homeland.

To respect the victims of the earthquake, organizers of the competition called for a half-minute moment of silence.

The Taiwan bike tour competition took off from Taipei City, and competitors must demonstrate their ability to handle winding roads, acceleration skills, as well as their stamina, over the course of the 60-kilometer trip.

The first four bikers to complete the 36 rounds will receive high scores.

This year's Tour de Taiwan is one of the qualification races for the 2012 London Olympics.

A total of 102 competitors from 22 countries have come to Taiwan to garner the qualification to compete in the London Olympics.

The competitors will start from Taipei City and head from west to south, winding through South-Link Highway and Huatung Valley for a total of 1218 kilometers before arriving at the destination of Yangming Mountain on day ten of the competition.

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