The first Extreme Endurance Challenge was recently held in Beijing. A total of 65 riders participated in the individual 300-kilometer race, while 24 riders from 8 clubs braved the 34-degree Celsius heat to take part in the club relay race. All participating clubs completed the full 12 hours of riding. In the individual category, 50 riders finished the 300-kilometer ride, including all three female participants. The fastest overall time was set by Zhang Nan from the ZGL Club, with a time of 8 hours, 28 minutes, and 15 seconds.
It is reported that this is the first time such a long-distance single-day cycling endurance race has been held in Beijing. The competition rules are pioneering within China’s amateur cycling community and mark a milestone in the history of amateur cycling in China.
To ensure the quality of the event, the organizers strictly limited the number of participants and set high registration requirements. The competition notice was only published on four cycling-related websites. Even so, within 48 hours of the announcement, the 60 individual main event slots and 10 organizer reserve slots were fully booked by athletes from 23 clubs and individual riders across 15 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. An additional 10 waitlist spots had to be opened and were also quickly filled.
The successful hosting of this event also marks the official launch of the cycling super ride series by the Dongfanghong Sports Network. Moving forward, the event will be held at least once a year.