Li Pengcheng rode his lungs out on the monster climb of 36 km in length to Maoniuping (Yak Plateau at 3200m altitude) to win the 10th anniversary edition of Granfondo Yunnan in Lijiang yesterday. It was a fantastic battle between the top 7 riders in the general classification who each threw their cards on the table in a real cycling thriller. Despite several attempts to break away, a big group crossed the top of the first climb of the day at km 35. In the following long descent (1km vertical), South Africans Luke Chambers and Channing Forrester took a small advantage over the group with the other favourites. Chambers looked vulnerable uphill quite quickly, and so did yellow jersey Wu Bao Chao. Gong Bai Mo and 19-year-old Chuxiong sensation Chen Yusheng accelerated and broke away. Wang Wen tried to hang on, but had to let go. In the distance, Yang Zidong rode in the wheel of Li Pengcheng with Chambers and Wu Bao Chao further back.

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oday's third stage of the 2023 Granfondo Yunnan saw an incredible winning performance by Wu Bao Chao. After negotiating the only major hilly difficulty of the day in the belly of the first group at km 30 of 120 in total, he went on the attack by himself and quickly developed a substantial gap. The only caveat, it was still more than 80km to go until the finish at that point!! Wu Bao Chao was 6th in the GC after the first two stages, but today laid a claim on the overall victory with his exploit in Dali around Erhai Lake. He steadily increased his advantage in splendid TT style and nobody would ever see him again. What a win for Wu Bao Chao in 2h47'55", AVS 43,1 km/h.

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The short stage up Mount Zixi near Chuxiong Old Town led to both a spectacular and emotional race win for 19-year-old youngster Chen Yusheng, who crossed the finish line by himself while crying from joy. Chen Yusheng was the best of an elite group of 14 that split away from the main peloton in the lower sections of the Mt Zixi climb. As the kilometers went by, it looked for a while that was going to end in a sprint with nine, including yellow jersey Luke Chambers, but suddenly Li Pengcheng, amongst others, launched a big attack. That seemingly brought Chambers in difficulty as the South African reached the finish line "only" in 12th position and 2'14" down on the winner. As a result, his yellow jersey as GC leader was under severe threat.

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Granfondo Yunnan 2023 started today with a 118km stage in Chengjiang, near Kunming, under a wonderful blue sky. Nearly 1200 riders took the start for the long distance race, the first edition post-covid and without strict participation limits. Seven riders took the lead on the first of two mountain climbs around km 35, but 2014 GF Yunnan winner Wei Kui had to let the other six go in the ensuing descent. The front group stayed together on the second climb, but broke up in the technical and long descent back to Fuxian Lake. Hong Kong-based South African Luke Chambers was the fastest in the downhill, and together with Yang Zidong opened up a gap on the remaining 25 km back to the finish on flattish roads.

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We are delighted to announce Chaba Brewing as our official beer sponsor for this year’s Granfondo Yunnan. Born and raised in Kunming, Yunnan, Chaba has become a significant brand name in the beer and restaurant market in the provincial capital. Founded and managed by a Belgian who has been living in Kunming for many years, Chaba will be showcasing their wide variety of beer labels during the last stage of this year’s event in Lijiang, including of course a fresh beverage for everyone at the finish.

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A selection of last weekend’s Granfondo Tengchong Challenge is available on our facebook page, weixin channel and the gallery below.

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Along Gaoligong, the second stage of the Granfondo Tengchong Festival is one of China’s toughest mass participation cycling races. A 170km challenge with long sections of continuous up & down, often over rough road surfaces and with countless corners. A technical challenge for the well-trained cyclist, both physically and mentally. Lose your concentration and you might hit the deck. The course was an amended version of the one used in the 2018 and 2019 Granfondo Yunnan, so those who had been there knew what they were getting into

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Liu Yao Guang was the fastest sprinter of a four-man-breakaway in the first stage of the inaugural Granfondo Tengchong Cycling Challenge, a sister event of our Granfondo Yunnan in November. The first day featured a 85km race dubbed ‘Epic Tengchong’ and was held under blue skies with 650 riders taking the start in either the 85km or 52km short distance version. Tengchong is a mountainous area in the southwest of Yunnan, known for its Gaoligong range, and it is hard to find more than 1 km of flat roads, making the 2-day cycling festival a real, but ultimately very rewarding challenge for all participants.

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The 10th anniversary edition of the Colourful Yunnan Granfondo Cycling Festival is now open for online registration. As always, there’s a limit on the number of full service packages that we can sell, but the races in itself are without restrictions. The event takes place from 5 to 10 November with mandatory check-in on the 4th in Chengjiang (Yuxi). The four cities and stages that feature on the programme are the same as last year with Chengjiang, Chuxiong, Dali and Lijiang. All details can now be consulted on this website, and more via the special Granfondo Yunnan Weixin (WeChat) module.

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