Chinese rider Lyu Xianjing from Hengxiang cycling team clocked in a time of 2:31:31 to win the opening stage of the Tour of Fuzhou on Wednesday.

Lyu collected the yellow (least total time), green (best sprinter) and white (best Chinese rider) jerseys on the day, with a remarkable performance. The first stage covered a distance of 107.4 km, with two sprints in the circuits and the tough mountain climbing section lasting 10 km.

Lyu crossed the finish line first and Davidenok Ilya from Beijing XDS-Innova Cycling team and Tesfay Hanibal from the Eritrean national team followed with second and third. Hanibal was awarded the polka-dot jersey as the best climber.

The Chinese rider was the best sprinter, the best rider in the overall classifications and the best Chinese rider, making it the best performance to date by a Chinese rider in an International Cycling Union (UCI) professional road race tournament.

The top three teams after the first stage are the Eritrean national team, St George Continental cycling team and Beijing XDS-Innova. As a UCI2.1 road cycling race, the Tour of Fuzhou has attracted 132 riders from 22 teams representing 15 countries and regions.

The five-day race covers 571.1 km, and the second stage will take place on Thursday along the seashore in Changle.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)