In his first season in the World Tour, Matthew Fox needed just 15 days of racing to secure his first professional victory. At the Tour de Taiwan, the twenty-three-year-old Australian from Lotto-Intermarchè (the team he signed with on a two-year deal during the last transfer window) claimed the second stage by outsprinting a group of twenty riders that had been selected during the final slightly uphill kilometers leading to the finish at Jiaobanshan Park.

Behind him, in order, came Spain's Jordi Lopez from Euskaltel-Euskadi, his teammate Matys Grisel, Ivan Cobo from Equipo Kern Pharma, and Italian Lorenzo Quartucci (who joined Burgos Burpellet BH this season), who with his strong finish achieved his first top-ten result of the season and his best placement so far in 2026.

Significantly dropped in the closing stages of the stage, Dusan Rajovic (yesterday's winner) relinquished the general classification leader's jersey to Fox, who now, thanks to the time bonuses earned at today's finish, leads by 4 seconds over Lopez and 6 seconds over Grisel ahead of the longest and most demanding stage of the Asian race, the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum-Kaohsiung National Stadium, which over 146.4 kilometers will feature 3 categorized climbs (all in the first half of the stage) and a total elevation gain of 1,353 meters.

STAGE RESULTS

1. Matthew Fox (AUS/Lotto-Intermarchè) - 1:35:54

2. Jordi Lopez (SPA/Euskaltel-Euskadi) - s.t.

3. Matys Grisel (FRA/Lotto-Intermarchè) - s.t.

4. Ivan Cobo (SPA/Equipo Kern Pharma) - s.t.

5. Lorenzo Quartucci (ITA/Burgos Burpellet BH) - s.t.

6. Louis Sutton (GBR/Euskaltel – Euskadi) - s.t.

7. Nil Gimeno (ESP/Kern Pharma) - s.t.

8. Mathias Bregnhøj (DAN/Terengganu Cycling Team) - s.t.

9. Xabier Isasa (SPA/Euskaltel – Euskadi) - s.t.

10. Yuhi Todome (JPN/Aisan Racing Team) - s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Matthew Fox (AUS/Lotto-Intermarchè) - 1:35:54

2. Jordi Lopez (SPA/Euskaltel-Euskadi) at 0:04

3. Matys Grisel (FRA/Lotto-Intermarchè) at 0:06

4. Fergus Browning (AUS/Terengganu Cycling) at 0:07

5. Nil Gimeno (ESP/Kern Pharma) at 0:08

6. Yuma Koishi (JPN/Kinan Racing) at 0:08

7. Dylan Hopkins (AUS/Roojai Insurance Winspace) at 0:09

8. Lorenzo Quartucci (ITA/Burgos Burpellet BH) at 0:10

9. Louis Sutton (GBR/Euskaltel – Euskadi) at 0:10

10. Xabier Isasa (SPA/Euskaltel – Euskadi) at 0:10

Photo credit: Tour de Taiwan