The 16th Tour of Sayram Lake Road Cycling Race is underway in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. It has attracted 41 teams and 266 athletes from six countries, including Italy, Colombia, South Africa and Russia.

The event, which kicked off on Tuesday in Jinghe county, Bortala Mongolian autonomous prefecture, Xinjiang, consists of five stages totaling 433 kilometers and will last until Saturday.

The route starts in Jinghe and passes through Alashankou city, Bole city and Wenquan county before ending at Sayram Lake Scenic Area. There, the cyclists will compete for the championship title by cycling one lap around the lake, according to the organizers.

Cyclists will pass through natural landscapes such as high-mountain lakes, flower fields, snow-capped mountains, grasslands and deserts, making the race challenging and visually stunning, the organizers said.

The first stage of the race covers a distance of 76 kilometers from Jinghe to Alashankou. Chen Yien from the Changsha Clockwise cycling team won the first stage with a time of 1 hour and 36 minutes.

Launched in the summer of 2007, the Tour of Sayram Lake Road Cycling Race was later upgraded to a national race by the General Administration of Sport of China.

Zhang Liying, director of the publicity department of Bortala Mongolian autonomous prefecture, said the GASC had rated the cycling race as a China Sports Tourism Boutique Project for seven consecutive years.

The event is also hailed as a “paradise for cycling enthusiasts” by amateur cyclists from all over the country because of its stunning scenery, she said.