new: gf tengchong on 29/30 september 2023
intro
Granfondo Tengchong is a 2-day event taking place in Tengchong, Yunnan, on Friday and Saturday 29 and 30 September (before the October Holiday). There is a long distance and a short distance option on both days. Each day will have a stage podium, and there will also be a general classification for long distance riders. As usual, however, the spirit and challenge of granfondo is to complete the distance within the cut-off times.
The final race courses will be confirmed later following the rainy season in Tengchong. The provisional course maps are the blueprint. Friday’s Epic Tengchong is brand new and estimated to be around 100-120 km in total. The Saturday stage, Along Gaoligong, is projected to be the same course as during the 2019 Granfondo Yunnan event. That means 200 km!
Timetable
28 September, Thursday, Arrival & Check-in for all participants.
Morning Race Office opening time：08:30-12:00
Afternoon Opening time：13:30-19:30
Note: for special cases, please contact our official customer service in advance.
29 September, Friday, Tengchong Challenge 1st Stage: Epic Tengchong
Long distance: approx 85 km
Short distance: 45 km
Start and Finish at: Wenzhi Square
08:00 Opening Ceremony
08:30 start for long distance
08:45 start for short distance
12:30 podium ceremony for short distance
12:45 cut-off time at finish for short distance
13:30 podium ceremony for long distance
14:00 Cut-off time at finish for long distance
30 September, Saturday, Tengchong Challenge 2nd Stage: Along Gaoligong
Long distance: 175 km
Short distance: 65 km
Start and Finish at: Wenzhi Square
07:30 start for long distance
07:45 start for short distance
12:30 Cut-off time at finish for short distance
15:00 podium ceremony for short distance
15:30 podium ceremony for short distance GC
17:00 podium ceremony for long distance
17:30 podium ceremony for long distance GC
18:30 Cut-off time at finish for long distance
course maps 2023
cut-off time schedule 2023
BASIC RULE:
The Cut-off times below refer to the time participants must EXIT the aid station/checkpoint, not when they enter it!
b) Participants who fail to beat the cut-off time must stop and enter the DNF bus, according to the requirements set forwarded by the Organisational Committee in conjunction with local traffic authorities.
Stage 1 - Epic Tengchong (Long Distance, 85 km)
Km 12 : 10:15 am (Aid Station 1)
Km 66: 13:00 pm (AS 3)
Finish Km 85: 14:30 pm
Stage 2 - Along Gaoligong (Long Distance, 170km)
Km 87: 12:30 pm (AS 4)
Km 110: 14:00 pm(AS 5)
Km 155: 17:30 pm (AS 7)
Finish Km 170: 18:30 pm
Stage 1 - Epic Tengchong (Short Distance, km 52)
Km 12: 10:45 am (AS 1)
Km 38: 12:00 pm (AS 2)
Finish Km 52: 13:15 pm
Stage 2 - Along Gaoligong (Short Distance, km 65)
Km 35: 10:30 am (AS 2)
Km 50: 11:30 am (AS 3)
Finish Km 65: 12:30 pm
competition regulations & conditions of entry
A) General Granfondo China regulations
Granfondo-style cycling is a personal cycling challenge with timing via electronic chip for non-professional and recreational cyclists. The event is open to everyone but promotes amateur, or non-professional, cycling. This means that professional cyclists, or former professionals who have retired from pro cycling less than one year (365 days) before the date of a granfondo event, can only ride the granfondo 'out of competition', i.e., they will not feature in the result list nor receive any prizes. These cyclists are also expected not to influence the outcome of the competition and restrict themselves to defensive riding
Definition of a ‘professional cyclist’: People who are currently professional cyclists will not be part of the race competition, should there be prizes in a NW Granfondo event. A professional cyclist is a person whose name features on the latest official team list of a UCI licensed World Tour, Pro Continental or Continental Team, or an ELITE MTB team or UCI MTB team. The team rosters and names of riders are available on the website of the UCI, the International Cycling Federation. There can therefore be no discussion. Note that top amateur riders who are hired as occasional guest riders for any of the aforementioned team categories are not considered professionals and can therefore compete in a granfondo event.
Participants are personally responsible to ensure their bicycle, gear and other equipment are fit for the task.
Wearing a helmet is mandatory for each participant. No helmet, no start!
Triathlon or TT handlebars are NOT allowed for safety reasons.
E-bikes are NOT allowed. Any kind of electronic, battery-charged or other mechanical aids on any part of the bicycle is forbidden. People caught cheating against this rule may be banned for life from Nordic Ways events. The Organization Committee (OC) reserves the right to check bikes before the start. Footpeg, locks, etc. shall all be removed before the start of the event.
In addition to ‘mechanical doping’, any rider caught possessing or taking drugs banned by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) will be disqualified from the event and potentially banned for life from Nordic Ways events. If you must take a banned product for medical reasons, please let the race director know in advance of the event providing a TUE or other proof that clearly states you must use the product during the event on medical grounds.
There will be a minimum speed requirement and thus time limits for the long and short distance courses. Please be aware of the cut-off times at checkpoints because we must stop you if you are slower than the announced time limit for the day. If you refuse to stop, you will be entirely self-responsible and you might run into difficulties with local authorities, who are setting clear regulations for our event.
The cut-off times for GF Tengchong will be communicated in due course. As usual, minimum speed requirement will be around 18-19 km/h, subject to the race course
Except official event cars and media cars, no cars are allowed to follow the participants during the granfondo for security reasons.
Hydration & energy: Each participant must carry with him at least 1 500ml bottle of water or energy drink, and a couple of energy gels & bars in case of sudden need. Be self-sufficient, do not rely on others.
Participants must obey all orders and indications of the race director and/or his assistant, and any official volunteers along the race courses.
Fair play is the order of the day: riders who are seen conducting unsporting behaviour towards others will get a time penalty and/or will be disqualified from the event by the Race Jury. This includes pushing or pulling slower people uphill. Pushing or pulling will be penalized by minimum 1 hour for the first infringement for both riders in question.
Even though the granfondo course is expected to be kept traffic-free by local authorities, expect the unexpected, watch out for any potential cattle and follow standard traffic regulations by keeping to the right side of the road and stopping for red traffic lights.
Participants must follow the course as marked by the Organizing Committee (OC). Course marking always overrules GPS maps as on any day, emergency route modifications may occur.
Intermediate checkpoints with electronic time measurements are put at random places along the course and must be passed by each rider. No passage at a checkpoint or any other kind of shortcutting will result in disqualification from the day's competition. Note that participants going off the official course will be self-responsible for any risk or injury occurring during this time.
Complaints about race results can be communicated to the race jury at the finish line until 30 minutes after the participant’s finish time. Note that a deposit of 200 RMB will be required for the jury to handle the case. If the complaint is deemed justified by the race jury, the person who filed the complaint will get the deposit back.
Every granfondo stage will have separate starting blocks that must be adhered to. Participants who start in the wrong block will receive a time penalty of fifteen (15) minutes. The start block order is decided per Granfondo event specifically
Leave No Trace - Participants are not allowed to throw litter on the race course and should keep it with them until the next aid station or designated littering zone. Smoking is not allowed in the starting and finishing area. There will be a designated smoking area on-site.
The Race Director, supported by the Race Jury, is authorised to shorten race distances or cancel the event due to unforeseen or exceptional circumstances that jeopardize the security of the event or its participants.
Each participant must read through the full specific event regulations and guidelines. By starting a race, the participant acknowledges and accepts the event regulations.
If anything is unclear, please address your question to a Nordic Ways staff or to info@nordicways.com
B) GF TENGCHONG - SPECIFIC REGULATIONS 2023
In 2023, the long-distance category is exclusively reserved for participants riding a road race bike. No MTB, gravel, hybrid bikes allowed.
In 2023, the short distance event has two categories: 1) road race bike and 2) MTB bikes. No hybrid, gravel or other bikes allowed.
All participants are expected to check-in at the start venue and in their start block at least 15 minutes before the start of the race.
Granfondo Tengchong has two challenging courses with a high degree of technicality. This implies sometimes poor road surface and twisty sections, downhill, with lots of corners. If you are not comfortable riding in a group, consider riding by yourself. Safety first for everyone.
The start of each stage in the 2023 Granfondo Tengchong will have 4 separate starting blocks. The Block A is reserved for invited athletes and the top riders in the general classification (top 25 men and top 25 women). Block B is for long distance road bike, Block C for short distance road bike and Block D for short distance MTB.
Altitude sickness and sunburn. Tengchong sits at 1600m above sea level. Not extremely high, but people sensitive to altitude should take note and come a day earlier for acclimatisation. Given the altitude, it is also easier to get sunburn and heatstroke. Take protective measures.
The general classification (GC) of the 2023 Granfondo Tengchong is based on the accumulated race times of each rider in each stage of the event. The classification of each stage will be based on race time (gun time at the start) and the ranking order of riders across the finish line. If a rider fails to finish a stage, he will not be ranked in the GC classification. There will be a GC for both the long and short distance.
In addition to the general classification, there will also be age group rankings and ceremonies in the +40, +50 groups. Both for the long and short distance group.
Podium ceremony: The best riders in the overall and age group rankings will be invited to a podium ceremony after each stage. Please follow the instructions given on race day.
Each participant must wear a number on the left rear pocket of his jersey. The bike number plates must be placed according to the guidelines provided by our time-keeping team at race pack collection
There will be intermediate checkpoints and cut-off times along the course. All participants are supposed to cross these checkpoints within the time limit set by the race director. Someone who does not gets registered at a checkpoint will be disqualified from the race result. Someone who arrives outside the time limit at a checkpoint will be required to stop cycling and enter the DNF Bus. Check the cut-off times at each checkpoint before the race! At the finish, these are the times of the finish closure.
Stage 1 Cut-Off: 14:30 long distance; 13:15 short distance.
Stage 2 Cut-Off: 18:30 long distance; 12:30 short distance.
