Reporters learned at a press conference for the 12th Tour of Qinghai Lake International Road Cycling Race, held in Beijing on the 26th, that this year’s edition of the race will take place from July 7 to 20 across the three provinces (autonomous regions) of Qinghai, Gansu, and Ningxia. This year's event features three major highlights in terms of route design, race difficulty, and total prize money, setting it apart from previous editions.
Feng Jianping, Executive Deputy Director of the Tour of Qinghai Lake Organizing Committee and Director of the Qinghai Provincial Sports Bureau, introduced at the press conference that this year’s race will consist of 14 days and 13 stages, including one rest day. The total distance will be 3,057 kilometers, comprising 2,003 kilometers of racing and 1,054 kilometers of transfers. Of the 13 stages, 7.5 will be in Qinghai, 3.5 in Gansu, and 2 in Ningxia. Currently, the organizing committee has preliminarily confirmed the participation of 22 teams from 17 countries.
Feng Jianping said that compared to previous editions, this year’s race is developing further in the direction of being "internationalized, professionalized, and market-oriented," and presents three major highlights:
First, the route design will traverse the provincial capitals of both Qinghai and Gansu, as well as the capital of Ningxia, further enhancing the event’s influence.
Second, the total racing distance will exceed 2,000 kilometers, with the highest altitude reaching 4,120 meters. This year’s Tour of Qinghai Lake will feature two super climbs at 4,120 meters, three long-distance stages exceeding 200 kilometers, and an average stage distance of over 150 kilometers, increasing the overall difficulty of the race.
Lastly, the total prize money has been increased. To attract high-level teams, and based on prize money levels of other Asian events, the organizing committee has decided to raise the total prize purse from 600,000 US dollars to 700,000 US dollars, maintaining its position as the highest in Asia.