Tour de France's 1st stop in Asia offers fantastic show

Hu Hao wins in the men's whole journey group of the Tour de France Zhuji stop held in Zhuji, Zhejiang province on May 26. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

More than 2,000 cyclists participated in the Tour de France Zhuji stop held in Zhuji, Zhejiang province on May 26.

Hu Hao from China and Emilie Rochedy from France became champions in the male and female whole journey groups respectively.

It was the debut of the Tour de France's global series of sub-station events in Asia and also the first challenge match in the Yangtze River Delta region this year. 

A 133-km whole journey group and a 28.6-km short-range group were arranged for different categories of participants. The route was totally closed to guarantee cyclists’ performance were free of outside influences.

Cyclists ride in a bamboo forest with beautiful views and cool air during the Tour de France Zhuji stop held in Zhuji, Zhejiang province on May 26. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

One characteristic of the match was that cyclists enjoyed the most beautiful scenic spots of Zhuji under the support of the local government. They rode through Xishi's Hometown, a national 4A-level scenic spot, and Shanxiahu town, home of fresh water pearls. They also passed Dongbai Lake scenic spot, downtown roads, and ancient residential buildings, which integrated Zhuji's culture with the fun of cycling.

The top 10 percent of participants qualified to compete with the world's best cyclists at the 2020 Tour de France World Championship.