Juan Sebastian Molano takes center stage on the podium after winning the first stage of the Tour of Taihu Lake 2018 on Oct 8. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
Tour of China GC winner Juan Sebastian Molano sprinted to his 10th victory in career on Monday, as the Colombian rider secured a narrow win at the end of the opening stage of the Tour of Taihu Lake in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province.
The 24-year-old rider, currently racing for Team Manzana Postobón, fended off Georgios Bouglas from Ningxia Sports Lottery–Livall and Burgos BH's Daniel Lopez to win the stage of the Wuxi Binhu Circuit, while prologue winner Dylan Kennett from St. George retained the orange leader's jersey and moved into the lead in the individual general classification.
A peloton comprising of five riders - Taylor Sheldon of Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis, Matic Groselj of Ljubljana Gusto Xaurum, Daniel Habtemicheal of Eritel Sport Club, Sam Brand of Team Novo Nordis, and Alexander Cataford of United Healthcare Pro Cycling formed a breakaway earlier on, with their advantage topping one minute right after half of the race. It wasn't until five kilometers to go that they were caught up by other riders.
Chinese rider Zhang Zheng gave a good show for Wisdom-Hengxiang amid the final bunch sprint, but failed to reach the podium while Wan Yau Lau from HKSI Pro Cycling Team retained his red jersey, an honor set up for the best rider from Greater China for the tour.
Tomorrow will see the second stage that is to be held in Jurong, a county-level city in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province. The 130.6-kilometer course starts from the Chishanhu National Wetland Park, and ends at the Maoshan scenic spot.
The Tour of Taihu Lake was first held in 2010 in Wuxi and has since grown into one of the country's most popular cycling events. It is also an important fixture on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Asia Tour calendar.
Cyclists set off from beside Lihu Lake in Wuxi's Binhu district in the first stage of the Tour of Taihu Lake on Oct 8. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
