From 2002, Qinghai Lake International Road Cycling Race had been held every July in Qinghai Province. Approved by UCI, the race ranks 2.HC grade, which is one of the top international road cycling in the world.
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About RaceQinghai Province is situated in the northwest of China and is named after the famous Qinghai Lake, the largest inland salt-water lake in China. Qinghai covers a total area of 720,000 sq. km and has an average elevation over 3,000 meters.
From 2002, Qinghai Lake International Road Cycling Race had been held every July in Qinghai Province. Approved by UCI, the race ranks 2.HC grade, which is one of the top international road cycling in the world. Every year, there were 20 teams of more than 100 competitors attending the race. The total distance of the race is 1300 km, and the average altitude is 3000 km. The whole race lasts 9 days and the winner is rewarded 250,000 dollars.
The opening ceremony is full of distinct charm. Every year, many important media broadcast the race to the world. During the race, CCTV reported the event 4 times on average every year and CCTV-5 created a program specialized in reporting and introducing the race. Besides, it was reported by a great many newspapers, websites and local media.
In July 2009, the world’s cycling elite will take to Qinghai to pedal their way to glory in the Tour of Qinghai Lake. Across 9 stages plus prologue, this battle takes in some of the most picturesque in the world. The event will be conducted over a 10-day period from 17 to 26 July 2009.
The total distance of the tour is 1355 km, including race distance 1280 km, parade riding 5.9km and transfer 70km. The maximum altitude during the race is about 3,792m, while the minimum is about 1,880m.
A total of 147 riders from 21 teams, including UCI pro-continental teams, UCI continental teams and national teams will take part in this "highest" cycling race in the world.
The opening ceremony will take place on the night of July 17th, after Prologue, in Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, which is famous for its Qinghai Barley Liquor production.
Category
Tour of Qinghai Lake is a 2.HC category event as defined by the UCI in the Asian Tour.
Emblem
The emblem resembles a green rider presenting a lively cycling figure racing on the yellow road near the blue Qinghai Lake. The emblem celebrates the motif of the tour, namely Green, Humanity and Environment.
Features
High altitude (1800m-3800m)
Less oxygen (20%-40% less than normal)
Big crowds (over 2 million in 2006)
Extreme technical challenge on the plateau
Beautiful landscape
One of the most important professional road race in Asia together with Tour of Langkawi
Mascot
The mascot for Tour of Qinghai Lake is a cartoon rendition of a Przewalski's gazelle.
The animal, introduced as Duoji, a Tibetan name meaning strong and vigorous, has three designs in terms of different action, but it always wears a blue T-shirt with words of "Tour of Qinghai Lake", posing gestures of "strong” with a big smile.
Przewalski's gazelle, named after the Russian naturalist Przewalskii, has been listed as a highly endangered species by the World Conservation Union and China. It is considered to live solely around Qinghai Lake.Each team will be provided with an official team car and a van for the duration of their stay in Qinghai.
Official Vehicles
• The team car will be fitted with cycle racks and the official Tour radio receiver.
• Please obey the traffic rules and drive on the right-hand side of the road.
Prize money
The total prize money for Tour of Qinghai Lake 2009 is 300,000 USD.
Contact
Address: Qinghai Sports Bureau, New West Building, No.12 Xidajie, Xining, Qinghai, P. R. China (810000)
Tel: +86-971-8244467