Hainan hosts international cycling race

International cyclists gather in Qionghai for the 2023 Tour of Hainan, which starts on Oct 5 in Qionghai, Hainan province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A total of 140 racing cyclists from 20 high-level professional teams across the world have gathered in Qionghai, Hainan province to compete for the 2023 Tour of Hainan, the 14th edition of the prestigious international road cycling event, which kicked off in Qionghai on Thursday.

This year, the race spans over 781.1 kilometers and is divided into 5 stages, commencing in Qionghai and ending in Sanya, passing through 11 cities and counties including Wanning, Lingshui, Baoting, Wuzhishan, Qiongzhong, Baisha, Changjiang, Dongfang and Ledong. The five-day event's total prize pool is $300,000 (about 2.19 million yuan).

This upgraded edition of the event has set up 13 climbing points, including five level-1 ones throughout the course, more than its previous races, and Hainan's round-the-island coastal tourism highway and tropical rainforest national park are along the racing route, according to Chen Tiejun, director of the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports.

"I hope we can achieve better results and seek a higher breakthrough for the team in this round-the-island race," said Francesco Frassi, leader of professional Team Corratec from Italy.

"The schedule in Hainan may mean longer distances and more stages for us, but we hope that all the competitors can become faster and stronger in such a race," he added.

Hainan resumed the visa-free entry for tourists from 59 countries in March, which has facilitated the entry and exit of qualified participating teams, according to the event's organizers.

Tour of Hainan is jointly organized by the General Administration of Sport of China and the People's Government of Hainan Province. It has been proposed and supported in an announcement of the State Council entitled "On promoting the Development of International Tourism on Hainan Island". This year's cycling race marks the first international top-tier sports competition held in Hainan since it began to construct the free trade port in 2018.