MULTIstage cycling festival in southwestern china
NexT edition: 2-9 November 2024
GF Yunnan - Course Map 2022
ABOUT granfondo yunnan
Typically a 6-stage mass participation cycling event in Southwest China, spanning two weekends from early to mid November. The Covid-19 pandemic in the world has led to a one-stager in 2020, but one year later we were able to go back to multiple cities. Granfondo Yunnan is a unique cycling event in China, entirely dedicated to the well-trained amateur and hobby cyclists and offers them a genuine challenge in a gorgeous setting full of cultural, culinary and unimaginable experiences. Le grand depart for 2023 is in Yuxi, more precisely in Chengjiang not too far from provincial capital Kunming. During the week participants will be riding and/or racing in Chuxiong, Dali and Lijiang, all three famous tourism destinations full of magnificent scenery and ethnic minority cultures.. For the 2023 event, please check out our stages section for all details on the stages that make up this year's Granfondo Yunnan.
nordic ways
Nordic Ways introduced the granfondo cycling concept in China under the Granfondo China banner back in 2012 with the Granfondo Yanbian in Jilin Province. Since then, the multi-day Colourful Yunnan Granfondo Cycling Festival has become one of the company's flagship events, returning every year in the first half of november. The Beijing-based sports event management company has been putting on a wide range of sports events for over 20 years since 1998. It has extensive experience with road bike events, illustrated also by the many successful editions of the Great Wall Bike Festival in Beijing and the Vatternrundan China brand events in northern China.
HISTORY of granfondo yunnan
The inaugural edition of the Colourful Yunnan Granfondo Cycling Festival, perhaps better known abbreviated as Granfondo Yunnan, took place in November 2014. It was major step forward in the development of non-professional cycling in China, with five stages in five different cities and an event spread out over two consecutive weekends. GF Yunnan offered amateur riders and young talents the opportunity to race for multiple days and get a taste of what the Tour de France is like. For most participants, however, GF Yunnan is an individual challenge. Completing the often long courses within the given cut-off time and obtain a certificate in gold, silver or bronze at the end, along with the honour and the satisfaction of having tested one-selves on the bike. The event has grown rapidly to nearly 2000 riders, of which maximum 1000 can do the whole long distance tour. In 2018, the event entered new territory, as the previous stages in Kunming, Yuxi and Chuxiong are replaced by new cities Mangshi, Ruili and Tengchong. In 2019, Yingjiang was new to the programme as well. Due to corona, 2020 was reduced to one stage in Chengjiang, north of Fuxian Lake in Yuxi, but with great success. As covid returned with a bang in 2021, that year’s edition was entirely cancelled. November 2022 saw a return of the Festival with a 4-day event, which was replicated in 2023. Our event has been praised for its professional conduct and organising standards by Chinese authorities.
quotes
"The most beautiful cycling I have ever done" — Several Lijiang participants in 2017
"It's bizarre to be racing with so many nationalities in China, but it's so awesome we all speak the same cycling language" — Spike Huisman (NED)
"Yunnan is an idyllic province and the granfondo very diverse, and therefore a complete experience" — Olivia Ghisoni (ITA)
"Fantastic organisation with closed roads makes for extremely pleasant riding. And after the races, there's many little bars around also" — Michael Naert (BEL)
