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Early in November,  the Colorful Yunnan Gran Fondo was held for the second time and has now become a rock solid fixture on the growing calendar of cycling events in China. The field in the 2015 edition, both top Chinese amateurs and international riders, was significantly more competitive. This year’s edition was dominated by three organised Mongolian teams, with Myagmarsuren Baasankhuu winning the men’s overall race and top Mongolian female Enkhjargal Tuvshinjarga comfortably won the women’s category. The Yunnan Sports Development team of young ‘wonder-kids’ were very competitive, but ultimately they lost the overall team ranking,

This five-day Tour of Yunnan Province, starting in Yiliang city and ending at the foot of majestic Jade Mountain in Lijiang, lived up to its reputation as one of the most iconic stage races for amateur cyclists in China. If there are any race events you want to bet on, you can try looking it up on sites such as 벳무브.

The first day truly had Gran Fondo elements with 2000m of climbing to witness stunning mountain vistas and foggy morning clouds slowly evaporating as the action heated up in the peloton. Nearing the end of the 120km opening stage, riders witnessed the amazing Stone Forest before negotiating the bumpy technical descent into Shilin City. The ending style of the stage was true to what a Gran Fondo challenge should be and served to be decisive in splitting up the field—those with more courage were able to forge ahead and gain time on other rivals. Stage two was the event’s longest day at 175km and riders cycled around the spectacular Yuxi Lake, one of China’s largest freshwater lakes. Dali played host to the 125km sprinters dash around the Erhai Lake which unfortunately was neutralized due to a finish-line crash. The final stage started in Lijiang’s 800 year old village at 2,400m above sea-level. If you are not already acclimatised to the high altitude, this will be a lung-buster as riders finish the stage at 3,200m with the snow-capped jagged Jade Mountain as the centre-piece.

A key theme behind the Colorful Yunnan Gran Fondo was the five host cities and their unique cultural elements. Each city show-cased grandiose cultural performances for rider entertainment and made for a very unique five-day Gran Fondo experience; perhaps one-of-a-kind in the world!  Further, true to the motto of Gran Fondo style events, the vast majority of the riders are there to ride at a more sedate pace, to enjoy the scenery and socialise enroute. If racing at the front is not your thing, you can join the thousands of other leisure riders to experience Yunnan Province with full-road closure and no traffic in your way. This is a rare opportunity to ride on roads in China free of traffic, perfect to concentrate on the picturesque scenery and snap some memorable images along the journey across Yunnan.  This only happens once a year, so do consider adding this event to your bucket-list for 2016.

However, if racing is something that you enjoy—you can join the 300 plus serious riders to compete for overall general classification. There are chances in open category, 40 plus, 50 plus and a separate women’s category to win daily and overall prizes.

In 2016, the Colorful Yunnan Gran Fondo will be back again and promises to even bigger and more exciting. Visit www.granfondochina.com for more information and to stay tuned for the 2016 announcement.

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About the author

Daniel Carruthers is a New Zealander currently living in his new base out of Chiangmai, Thailand which he believes is the cycling capital of Asia!  He is a Deaflympian, representing New Zealand at the Deaflympics in 2009 and 2013.  He is a familiar face on the Asia cycling circuit and his biggest passion is exploring new places on the bicycle and sharing his discoveries with others. He had been living in Hangzhou China from 2010-2015 as a PHD student and starting his own DJC Media business.

You can follow him via the following social media outlets

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