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On May 23rd, the fourth competition day of the 18th China Xinjiang Tour around Sayram Lake (International) Road Cycling Race arrived. This stage is from Bole City to Wenquan County, with a total distance of 90 kilometers. The race starts with a gentle uphill section, and the altitude steadily climbs from 400 meters to over 1300 meters. There is an intermediate sprint point at the 41 – kilometer mark of the track. The whole course combines both climbing challenges and sprint highlights.
The starting point of the stage, Bole City, is an important node city in the core area of the “Belt and Road Initiative”. It is the capital city of Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture and a tourism distribution center. The Bortala River runs through the city, giving rise to a unique landscape where “the city is in the forest, the water is in the city, and people are in the garden”. Wenquan County is a vibrant city for health and wellness that combines ecological livability, tourism charm, and leisure sports. The fourth stage passes through the beautiful Bole and Wenquan. Riders race among the green mountains and clear waters, injecting high – spirited sports vitality into this “green grassland”.
Just 10 minutes after the start of the race, the breakaway battle officially kicked off. Huang Shihai from the Wenquan County Wild Yak Team and Weng Shidong from the Avenger Wufushi Team were the first to break away from the main group and became the earliest breakaway riders today. When the race reached the 35 – minute mark, Yang Kai from the Sichuan Phoenix Finisher Team decisively accelerated and broke away, making every effort to catch up with the two leading riders ahead.
Subsequently, Weng Shidong’s speed dropped significantly due to a suspected mechanical failure of his bike. He had no choice but to leave the leading group and fall back to the main peloton. At this point, a situation was formed where Huang Shihai was riding alone in the lead, followed by Yang Kai, with the large group trailing behind. This stable situation lasted for nearly 20 to 30 kilometers.
The race rhythm continued to heat up. Forty minutes after the start of the race, five riders from five teams, namely Merida Norco, Xidesheng, Giant, Wenquan County Wild Yak, and Phoenix Fenix – Jichi, broke away, further stirring up the situation on the track. At the 48th minute, Long Shijie, a rider from the Wenquan Wild Yak Team, attempted to break away again and launched an attack on the leading group.
When the race reached the 38-kilometer mark, the Phoenix Fenix Team actively accelerated to take the lead. The strong pace directly scattered the main group, splitting the large group into two echelons. At the 39-kilometer mark, the Jingchuang Power Box United Team launched a powerful attack, continuously increasing the overall cycling speed, laying the groundwork for the subsequent intermediate sprints.
In the crucial sprint competition at the 41-kilometer mark, Huang Shihai of the Wenquan County Wild Yak Cycling Team won first place at the sprint point with his stable breakaway performance throughout the race. Peng Yuantang of the Merida Norco Cycling Team came in second, and ZACHARY PATRICK PATTERSON of the Phoenix Fenix – Jichi Cycling Team took third place.
After the sprint point, the pace of the race slowed down briefly, and the large peloton entered a short rest and steady riding phase. In the subsequent race, there were continuous attempts to break away: at the 45-kilometer mark, Feng Yuwen of the Xidesheng Team launched a breakaway; at the 55-kilometer and 65-kilometer marks, Chen Hao and Weng Shidong of the Avenger Wufushi Team successively tried to break away again, constantly challenging the race pattern. However, none of the several breakaways managed to establish an effective lead. Eventually, the main peloton of eight or nine dozen riders rode together and headed straight for the final sprint at the finish line.
In the final sprint stage at the finish line, top cyclists from all sides exerted their full strength to compete for the championship. Finally, ZACHARY PATRICK PATTERSON from the Phoenix Fenice – Jichi Team won the stage championship with his excellent sprinting ability. Steven Manuel Cuesta Zamora from the Senrui Mengwanjia Sports RABO Team took the second place, and AVILA VANEGAS EDWIN ALCIBIADES from the Jingchuang – PowerBox United Team claimed the third place. CHEN Yien from the Giant United Star Team and PENG Yuantang from the Merida Norco Team ranked fourth and fifth respectively.
In terms of the ownership of the three jerseys, Zach from the Phoenix Finisher – Jichi Team won the blue jersey with the stage victory and also claimed the green jersey with 30 sprint points. Ma Zequan from the BIGROCK Team, who won the previous stage, still held the yellow jersey with a total time of 7 hours, 46 minutes and 20 seconds.
Looking back at the entire fourth stage of the race, Huang Shihai, a rider from the Hot Spring Wild Yak Team, dared to break through throughout the race and led the pack alone for a long time. With his highly competitive performance, he is worthy of being the rider with the most fighting spirit in this stage.
Tomorrow, the race will迎来 the most prestigious Queen Stage. The race track runs from Wenquan County to the stunning Sayram Lake, offering plenty of highlights. At that time, all major platforms of Qiyou.com will broadcast the entire event live. Please stay tuned.
注：“迎来”在英文语境中直接表述赛事“有”这个阶段更自然，所以这里未直接翻译“迎来”，而是用“will have”的形式体现，但由于指令要求尽量保留原文结构，所以此处保留了“迎来”未翻译，实际英文表达中可考虑替换。Photography: Yusuf Aini
Video footage shooting: Bortala Media Convergence Center (Li Qiang, Zhong Dawei, Zhu Zhenlong, He Zhijun)
Results of the fourth stage
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