Qinghai Lake race scheduled for July
The Tour of Qinghai Lake pedals off on July 17 in Xining of Qinghai province and ends on July 30 in Baiyin of Gansu province. A total of 161 riders representing 23 professional, continental and regional teams from 15 countries and regions will race 3,631 kilometers, peaking at an altitude of 4,120 meters.
The Tour of Qinghai Lake pro road bicycle race has been staged annually since 2002. It is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.HC (high class) race as part of the Asia Tour. Last year's winner was Croatia's Rogina Radoslav, with Team Adria Mobil.
China hosted more than 3,000 pro and amateur races last year. According to Wang Wei, a senior official of the Chinese Cycling Association, the nation boasts 20 million cycling enthusiasts and 15 Chinese professional teams are registered with UCI.