Top cyclists from around the world will compete in the Chongming Island Cycling Race

　　The 2013 UCI Women’s Road World Cup and the Tour of Chongming Island Women’s International Road Cycling Race are set to kick off this week. The event is jointly organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the General Administration of Sport of China, and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, and co-hosted by the Chinese Cycling Association, the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau, and the Chongming County People’s Government, with support from Fujian Qiu Foundation Cycling Competition Co., Ltd. The organizing committee stated that it will spare no effort to make this race the seventh major sporting brand event in Shanghai.

　　The competitions consist of the Tour of Chongming Island Women’s International Road Cycling Race from May 8 to 10, and the UCI Women’s Road World Cup on May 12. Specifically, May 8 features the Chongbei stage, covering 73.4 km; May 9 is the Chongxi stage, spanning 113.7 km; May 10 is the city circuit race, totaling 80.8 km; and May 12 is the World Cup race, with a distance of 126.8 km.

　　The UCI Women’s Road World Cup is one of the world’s top three cycling events. In 2013, there are eight stops in total, with the Shanghai Chongming leg being the only Asian stop. The Shanghai Chongming race starts at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, passing through the Middle Ring Elevated Road, Huaxia Elevated Road, Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge, Chongming Dongtan Avenue, Chenhai Highway, and finishes on Chongming Avenue in Chengqiao Town, Chongming County.

　　The Chongming Cycling Race has been held in Shanghai for 11 years, and this year both the number and caliber of participating teams have significantly improved compared to previous editions. Currently, 18 national and professional teams from 13 countries and regions, all ranked high in the world, have confirmed their participation, with a total of about 160 riders.

　　Several strong teams are led by elite athletes. The U.S. Team TIBCO-SVB brings 2012 Tour of Chongming Island World Cup champion Shelley Olds; the HTC-Highroad Women’s team includes London Olympic gold medalist Laura Trott and Dani King, as well as three-time world champion Giorgia Bronzini; and the Australian Orica-AIS team features Emma Johansson, currently ranked second in the individual women’s world standings.

　　The Chinese Chongming Giant Pro Cycling Team is represented by Huang Dongyan, Shi Lina, Huang Yunyao, Meng Lang, Jiang Xiuje, and Liu Xin. As the most locally rooted rider, 20-year-old Shanghai native Huang Dongyan finished 15th in last year’s UCI Women’s Road World Cup Chongming leg and is a highly promising rookie.

　　Having entered its first decade, the Chongming Cycling Race is also introducing new highlights. This year’s event will feature live broadcasts for the first time, a first in China. Shanghai’s Dragon TV will broadcast the World Cup race on May 12 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. The opening ceremony, rider departures, race progress, finish line arrivals, sprints, and award ceremonies will all be vividly presented to TV audiences.

　　For the future of the Chongming Cycling brand, the organizing committee revealed that by 2015, the race will expand beyond Shanghai’s urban area, increasing from the original three stages to five to seven stages; by 2018, one to two additional stages will be added in northern Jiangsu; and by 2020, one to two more stages will be introduced in Zhejiang Province. By 2020, the Tour of Chongming will become a high-level women’s road cycling event in Asia, competing with European and American races.

　　Chongming has earned a distinct label of “integration of sports and tourism” through hosting the cycling race. In addition to continuing events such as the Cycling Carnival in Chongming New Town and amateur cycling and riding activities in tourist areas like Mingzhu Lake, this year sees the addition of year-round cycling series, including: cycling rides in Chenjia Town, the World Cup and Thousand-Person Ride to Expo Park, Shanghai Citizens’ Cycling Event, Chongming Island Eco-Scenic Cycling Tour, Chongming Island Happy Family Cycling Festival, Chongming Island Experience Riding Race, Invitational Cycling Race for Foreign Enterprises in China, and the Chongming Island Road Cycling Challenge. The unique natural scenery, superior geographical and cultural environment, and enchanting island charm of Chongming Ecological Island, combined with a vibrant leisure sports atmosphere, will comprehensively attract citizens’ attention and footsteps.

　　A year ago, when 19-year-old Huang Dongyan first appeared at the Chongming Cycling Race, she often hid behind Huang Li, who is five years her senior and the first athlete from Chongming to compete in the Olympics, during interviews. This year, as Huang Li did not register for the road race to focus on training for the National Games track events, Huang Dongyan, the only local rider, will “carry the show alone.” However, as another highly promising talent from Chongming, her performance in this race is highly anticipated by her fellow townspeople.

　　In 2010, Huang Dongyan joined the Shanghai Cycling Team, and soon after, thanks to her outstanding talent and hard work, she was selected for the national team and competed in the 2012 Beijing World Cup. “I’m going to be flying around again,” Huang Dongyan said since joining the national team, she’s been traveling frequently with the team and rarely has time to stay home with her mother. But in order to fulfill her late father’s expectations, Huang Dongyan is more hardworking than most kids. With this belief and determination, she won first place in both the all-around track and the road team event at the 2010 City Games, and also claimed the national track cycling championship last year. “When she was in fourth grade, she wrote in her diary: I want to be an athlete, and I will never back down!” Watching her daughter’s transformation step by step, her mother Gu Meilian is very pleased.

　　This year marks Huang Dongyan’s second time competing in the cycling road race in her hometown. Returning home means her family can watch her sprint at the finish line—she says it’s the only race her mother can see live. “My mom usually stays in Chongming. Since cycling races are rarely broadcast live, competing at home has become my ‘performance’ for her.” A year later, the tanned, tall girl who has returned to the media spotlight has clearly grown up.

　　Before returning to Chongming, Huang Dongyan participated in two national track cycling races in Changxing, Zhejiang, and has been training there. With the National Games approaching, she said the recent training schedule has been intense, usually involving two sessions a day. “Because the Shanghai team performs better in track events than road events, I’ve switched to training for the women’s team pursuit 3000m at the National Games, hoping to achieve satisfactory results.”

　　In last year’s Chongming road cycling race, due to a cold and a knee injury, Huang Dongyan wasn’t in her best form. This year, returning to compete in her hometown, she also hopes to help the team secure the Asian top spot. “I hope our team can win the Asian team championship and the best Asian title,” said Huang Dongyan.

　　Before the London Olympics, Huang Dongyan trained with the national team. Although she didn’t get the chance to compete in London, her first coach, Wu Wenze, believes that Huang Dongyan, with her outstanding physical condition, has a bright future. “With her improving strength and growing experience, Huang Dongyan’s prospects are no worse than Huang Li’s, and it’s not impossible for her to compete in the next Olympics,” Coach Wu said.

　　Huang Dongyan’s QQ signature has always been “I firmly believe my choice is always right.” She constantly reminds and encourages herself to keep going. “Cycling training is really tough. We often fall, whether on the road or mountain bikes, and if we’re training outdoors, we’re either caught in the rain or baking in the sun.” Cycling is a very demanding and character-building sport for a girl. But to fulfill her dream as a cyclist, Huang Dongyan has never thought of giving up: “Competing in the Olympics is every cyclist’s dream. It’s the direction I’ve been working toward and the motivation that keeps me going.”

　　Cycling was included as an official event in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. In 1900, the Union Cycliste Internationale was established, and subsequently, events such as the UCI Road World Championships (held annually), the Peace Race (a multi-stage race circling Berlin, Warsaw, and Prague, totaling over 2,000 km), and the Tour de France (a multi-stage race circling France, covering 3,966 km) were held.

　　Bicycles are generally divided into road bikes, mountain bikes, track bikes, BMX bikes, and trick bikes.

　　Helmet: Made of high-strength plastic with compressed foam lining and ventilation holes. It protects the head from serious injury in case of a fall.

　　Cycling jerseys: Tight-fitting and made from special materials. They ensure that high-speed cycling is not affected by wind flapping, especially preventing chafing on the inner thighs.

　　Cycling shoes: The soles have a small recessed groove that matches the groove on the bike pedal. During high-speed cycling, the feet remain securely in the pedal grooves, allowing efficient pedaling.

　　Cycling gloves: Primarily serve an anti-slip function. However, it's worth noting that cycling has one downside—it can be somewhat hard on the hands.

　　Cycling glasses: Block sunlight and provide UV protection.

　　Refers to the overall race leader. The idea of having the overall race leader wear a yellow jersey was first proposed in 1919 by a marketing genius. French cyclist Eugène Christophe was the first rider to wear the yellow jersey. At the time, spectators lined the roads watching the long procession of riders, and Christophe in his yellow jersey was easily spotted. (Reported by Huang Jingyu)

　　Chongming County governs three islands: Chongming, Changxing, and Hengsha, covering a total area of 1,411 square kilometers. Chongming Island, known as the "Gateway to the Yangtze River" and the "Fairyland of the East China Sea," is the third largest island in China after Taiwan and Hainan, with a land area of 1,267 square kilometers. Changxing Island is located in the southern branch of the Yangtze River, outside the Wusongkou, with a land area of 88 square kilometers. Hengsha Island is the easternmost island at the mouth of the Yangtze River, covering 56 square kilometers of land. Together, Chongming, Changxing, and Hengsha form the current Chongming County of Shanghai, which includes 16 towns and 2 townships. The county seat, Chengqiao Town, is the political, economic, and cultural center of the county. The combined registered population of the three islands is 688,000.

　　The three Chongming Islands are located at the midpoint of China’s coastline along the western Pacific, serving as the gateway where the mighty Yangtze River flows eastward into the sea. Historically, they have been a crucial hub for waterway transportation along China’s eastern coast, referred to in ancient times as "guarding the outer islands and shielding the inland Three Wu regions." On October 31, 2009, the Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge—the world’s largest bridge-tunnel combination project—was completed and opened to traffic, connecting Chongming and Changxing Islands to the mainland of Shanghai. Chongming Island itself is just 45 kilometers from People’s Square in downtown Shanghai and 40 kilometers from Pudong International Airport, both within a 40-minute drive. By the end of 2011, the Chongqi Bridge, linking Chongming to Qidong in Jiangsu Province, was also completed.

　　Chongming is situated in the subtropical zone of the Northern Hemisphere, characterized by a typical marine climate that is mild and humid. It enjoys 2,094.2 hours of sunshine annually, with an average annual temperature of 15.2°C and a frost-free period of 229 days. Surrounded by rivers and sea, Chongming receives abundant rainfall, averaging 1,025 mm of precipitation per year, with relative humidity consistently around 80%. The air contains 1,000–2,000 negative oxygen ions per cubic centimeter, making it a natural oxygen bar. The county has over 400,000 acres of forested land, with forest coverage on the three islands reaching 20.5%. Over 98% of household waste in the county is treated harmlessly, and five major sewage treatment plants have been built, achieving a sewage treatment rate of over 80%.

　　Chongming Island boasts clean waters and fresh breezes, with unspoiled natural scenery everywhere. As early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, the island featured scenic wonders such as "Golden Turtle Mirror Reflection," "Cotton Clouds," and "Silken Loom Sounds," known collectively as the Eight Views of Yingzhou. Today, Chongming’s landscapes are even more enchanting. The tree-lined 200-kilometer-long perimeter dike winds like a giant green dragon along the mouth of the Yangtze River.