Tour de France to land in Yunnan

Cyclists take a ride along Fuxian lake. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Cyclists are expected to grab the final chance for next year's L'Etape du Tour in France from the final stage of the 2019 L'Etape that will take place in Chengjiang, Yunnan province, on December 14 to 15.

L'Étape Chengjiang by Tour de France is the first Tour de France series to land in the southwest part of China. It will be the fifth installment of the cycling competition to take place in China following Zhuji in May, Beijing and Shanghai last year, and Changsha in 2017.

Chengjiang, a county of Yuxi city in central Yunnan province, boasts a ecologically rich environment, and was listed as one of CNN's top 10 recommended tour destinations in 2018. Fuxian Lake, about 1,700 above the sea level, is regarded as the "highland Maldives" and a paradise for outdoor lovers.

The 115 km route will feature a staple Tour De France mountain climb through the wonders of local nature, and is expected to be the toughest race to date this year. Cyclists will climb from an elevation of 1,416 meters to 2,123 meters across a nearly 28 km race while overcoming altitude sickness and ever-changing weather. The fastest 10 percent of finishers will be invited to next year's L'Etape Du Tour in France.

There will be 115 km (1,500 quotas) and 29 km (500 quotas) groups, which opened to singing on Tuesday.

With such a globally popular event taking place in the county, Chengjiang hopes to use the opportunity to further develop a unique tourism and sport industry, with the hopes of growing into a world class cycling destination.

Editor: John Li