Team Type 1′s Jesse Anthony wins the climber’s title at the Tour de Taiwan

Team Type 1′s Jesse Anthony won the King of the Mountain title at the seven-stage Tour de Taiwan, which ended Saturday in Taipei.

Poland’s Je?owski Krzysztof of the Merida Europe team won the overall title, followed by Australia’s Peter McDonald (Drapac Porsche) and Roman Zhiyentayev (Kazakhstan National Team).

Anthony was 17th on the GC. His teammate Ken Hanson, the only other American to finish the race, was 29th on GC and was sixth in the final stage.

Anthony said his King of the Mountains title doesn’t make up for missing a good chunk of last season with an Achilles injury, followed by a broken wrist.

“After a short season last year I really feel like I have something to prove,” he said. “I feel like this is a great beginning to the season.”

Winning the KOM points offered in Friday’s sixth stage was crucial to securing the mountain jersey, Anthony said. Hanson helped him stay near the front and monitor the attacks leading up to the climb that came only eight miles into the 147 km (88-mile) race.

“The KOM leader (Shinri Suzuki of the Shimano Racing Team) attacked early, then blew up,” Anthony said. “But another rider attacked with three kilometers to the top, and I only caught him in the last 300 meters. We sprinted and it was really close at the top, but I got him with a bike throw.”

The HealthNet-Maxxis team had won the Tour de Taiwan from 2006-2008, with Kirk O’Bee, Shawn Milne and John Murphy, respectively. But the team (now OUCH-Maxxis) did not attend the race this year. Team Type 1 started the race

FILED UNDER: Road