On the morning of the 10th, the second Village Road Cycling Race in Inner Mongolia was held in Wuyuan County, Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia. Zhao Guibao from Linyi, Shandong, Ma Yufei and Wang Xiaoxiao from Taiyuan, Shanxi, won the championships in the elite group, men’s mass category, and women’s mass category respectively.
Cyclists ride on rural dirt roads
The race included three categories: elite group, men’s mass category, and women’s mass category. Riders cycled on various surfaces such as asphalt roads, cement roads, dirt roads, gravel roads, and muddy roads, covering a total distance of 55 kilometers.
At the scene, reporters saw riders in colorful clothing weaving through rural paths, with vast sunflower fields alongside, creating a beautiful scenic view.
Ma Yufei, who is still in her senior year of university, felt that the village road race was particularly great. “I’ve always ridden on paved roads before. This was my first time on this kind of surface, and I found it especially thrilling when standing up to pedal. I didn’t expect to win first place—I’ll definitely come back next year.”
Wang Qingsheng, a cycling team leader from Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia, said that through cycling, he had made many good friends. Everyone often rides together, either returning the same day or camping outdoors overnight. He has cycled to Tibet twice, seeing all kinds of scenery along the way, which helped him forget all his worries. Most importantly, he successfully challenged himself, and now when facing difficulties in life, he thinks about the challenges on the road and everything becomes manageable. Additionally, he noticed significant weight loss during long-distance rides. He said, “I can’t extend the length of my life, but cycling has greatly broadened its width.”
It is understood that this event made direct use of natural rural roads and surrounding environments. Not only did it reduce the public resource input and save funds for the event, but it also directly promoted sports development in rural areas, advanced the national fitness campaign into the countryside, and at the same time increased the fun and appeal of the competition, allowing participants to enjoy a unique racing experience.