2017 Gree Tour of Guangxi sets off in South China's Beihai

NANNING - The 2017 Gree Tour of Guangxi, the last stop of this year's Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) World Tour Series, was inaugurated Thursday in Beihai, a coastal city famous for its tourism in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

All of the 18 elite teams recognized by the UCI participated in the event. And the six-day event attracted 126 elite cyclists including Michael Matthews, who finished first in the points classification in this year's Tour de France; Mikel Landa and Fernando Gaviria, who placed first in the mountains classification and points classificaition respectively in the 2017 Giro d'Italia.

The total length of the first stage in Beihai is 107.4 kilometers with the famous Silver Beach Park as both the starting and end point. The temperatures are not very high and the cyclists should be able to enjoy the scenery along the seashore in the downtown area of Beihai.

"The officials from UCI were not that sure whether we could organize a successful event, but soon they became quite confident as they realized the great efforts made and the dramatic change we brought here in Guangxi over the past few months," said Yang Dongwei, Vice President of Wanda Sports, a principal organizer of the event.

"We want to display to the world one of the most beautiful parts of China's landscape, and Guangxi in this sense is certainly an ideal place for this top cycling event," Yang added.