Fast, high and wet equals one tough race  for the riders at the Tour of Qinghai lake. 

Daniel recaps the race for us and shows us his favourite photos from a beautiful part of China...

It's not the Tour de France but the racing is just as hard.

The Qinghai Lake Tour kicked off with an obligatory criterium in Huzhu County, however this opening day did not count towards the overall general classification. The bad weather turned the criterium into one of the muddiest road races ever that had riders covered completely and they were constantly spitting mud that flicked up from the road. Many of the professional riders agreed that this race was their dirtiest and it was not fun. It is also suspected that the mud riders had to contend with may have contributed to the stomach issues many riders suffered from in the lead-up to stage one.

With many riders sick, it was not a good way to start a major international stage race and only added to the suffering they received already being at altitude and the caliber of riders. Every day different riders were hit with the mysterious stomach illness and no one was really able to pin-point where it came from.

In the attempt to combat the rampant issue that was inflicting the peloton, many team directors ordered their riders to eat only plain spaghetti at the dinner table and eat some more food back at the hotel room such as energy bars and nuts. David McCann (Giant Asia) was one rider seen eating the plain spaghetti while others would bring their own condiments such as the Partizan-Serbia Professional Cycling Team with their many bags of parmesan cheese to sprinkle on the plain spaghetti.

The opening day was wet and muddy, and this caused stomach problems later in the race.

The Jelly Belly presented by Kenda cycling team seemed to be one of the most organized to combat the issue – they had brought a complete array of Italian pastas and food with them from the States and with their own cookers proceeded to cook their own meals each day in the hotel rooms. This could have been one factor in the success of Kiel Reijnen who finished 3rd overall on the general classification.

Daniel enjoys the scenery at the Tour

Power outputs at the Tour

It was common for many riders to suffer from loss of power, sometimes a good 100 watt lower than at sea-level. Riders were getting dropped on climbs while only putting out 270 watts and once dropped – it was a constant battle to keep it over 200 watts. Some riders adapted to the altitude as each day passed by. Joe Cooper (Subway-Avanti) on the second to last day, during the final climb, produced his best power in the Tour; averaging just over 400 watts to make the front selection and get his best stage finish. Cooper also backed his new-found form with a solid display in the criterium through the streets of Xining, featuring in a breakaway move.

Yes, those are the riders at the bottom of the page and they are about to ride up a very big hill

My Highlights of the Qinghai Lake Tour

•    Mud-fest criterium on the opening day won by Yuri Mutlushenko (Amore & Vita CONAD)

•    Stage One’s stunning scenery on the way to Tongren and Croation National Champion Taking Yellow in convincing fashion and current Chinese National Champion, Jiang Kun, taking third placing.

•    Iranian Tabriz-Petrochemical Team almost stealing the show during stage two when four of their riders were in the breakaway of five that almost made it – they were caught with 200m to go.

•    Ivan Stevic (Partizan-Serbia) winning Stage Four with a dramatic and convincing sprint win over the big names – but was later disqualified for his “second” victory salute.

The less glamarous side of a professional cyclist; hard stages in the rain

•    Freezing cold and raining conditions for the Stage Five jaunt to Bird Island – Mutlushenko took his second victory at the Tour. Riders were shivering right to the bone

•    Astonishing three-man breakaway averaged an unbelievable 49km/h over 150kms despite the desperate hard chasing of the peloton (averaging over 60km/h for 2hrs at one point). This was a big day for the Iranian Tabriz Petrochemical Team as it launched Askari into Yellow and sealed the tour overall win for them. Many teams were shaking their heads – how was it possible? It was a rare feat in cycling history and one that we all witnessed!

•    The Tabriz-Petrochemical Cycling Team claiming all four jerseys after stage six

There were some great sunny days but the riders had litttle time to admire the landscape

•    Absolutely stunning scenery in Qilian – It really made an impression on the riders and the area was just like the mountains in Switzerland. It was a complete contrast to the grasslands and Yaks the riders had been racing past.

•    Russian Sprinter Boris Shpilevskiy claiming two back-to-back wins (Stages Seven and Eight) after getting on the podium four times previously. In the process, he secured the Sprint Ace Green Jersey title. Shpilevskiy was also the best of the sprinters during the climbs and it was this climbing ability that had him in the front groups to be in good position to collect the stage wins.

•    The high-speed race over the smooth tree-lined streets of Xining in front of 50,000 strong local crowds.

•    The Qinghai Lake Tour was extremely well supported throughout by the local population; some stages were on the same level of support as the Tour de France!

There were big crowds at every stage of the Tour

In conclusion, Qinghai Lake is the worlds highest race, it certainly left a lot of riders reeling from the effects. Only those riders who are used to spending time at altitude come away with the spoils, the Tabriz Petrochemical Team winning over a third of the $300,000USD in prize money up for grabs.

Qinghai is also a Last Frontier for adventure tourism in China – the tourist infrastructure is very limited here, probably one reason why many “Pro-Tour” teams do not come out to compete; and only hardy adventurous souls venture off the beaten path to experience the vast and beautiful land of Qinghai.

Road furniture, Qinghai Lake style

This Tour served to not only re-define the definition of pain for riders, but also etched upon their minds the captivating beauty of the sweeping landscapes that they will treasure for many years to come.

This article submitted by Daniel Carruthers. Daniel is a New Zealander who is based in Hangzhou, China and races for Team Champion System. Daniel is a freelance writer and photographer who is currently studying his PhD at Zhejiang University. Find out more about Daniel at www.danielcarruthers.com

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