Netherlands cycle star beats the island's rain

After more than two hours of competition in the rain, Mylène De Zoete of the Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team won the stage championship of The Tour of Chongming Island – UCI Women's WorldTour 2024 while also wearing the best overall yellow jersey.

Eighteen teams and 99 professional cyclists kicked off the island tour on Tuesday, covering a distance of 108.9 kilometers.

Among Chinese racers, the best performer was Qi Wenjia from Bodywrap LTwoo Women's Cycling Team, ranking sixth in the stage.

During the first stage, two sprint points were set up at the Ruihua Orchard at 46.3 kilometers and the Xisha Wetland Park at 83.2 kilometers.

In addition, a 4-level climbing point was set up at the Gelonggang Bridge at 16.4 kilometers. The first stage of the route is generally flat, basically a circular route with an average altitude of 10-15 meters.

However, due to drizzling rain in the morning, the road surface became wet and slippery, which created difficulties for the cyclists.

After the start, the rain began again and the road became even slippier, so the racers rode very cautiously. A breakaway group quickly returned to the main group. At the first sprint point, there were many contenders for points, with De Zoete the first to reach it.

After the first sprint point, the team moved forward as a large group. As they approached the second sprint point, some racers broke through again, with a group of about 15 leading the way. However, they were quickly caught by the main group.

As the finish line drew near and the rain continued, the racers rode cautiously in formation. With 3 kilometers still left before the finish line, each team's sprinters were also in place.

De Zoete rushed out from her teammate's right side at high speed and narrowly crossed the finish line, winning the stage championship in 2 hours, 29 minutes, and 07 seconds.

She put on the yellow jersey, which symbolizes the first overall score, and also won the best green jersey, which symbolizes the best sprint, with the first sprint point and the final sprint.

The polka dot jersey symbolizing the best climbing went to Karolina Kumiega of UAE Team ADQ, while Sofie Van Rooijen of Volkerwessels Women's Pro Cycling Team (VWT) wore the white jersey as best youth.

After Tuesday's race, De Zoete told Shanghai Daily it was her second time to compete on Chongming Island and the drizzle and chilly weather didn't cause her any trouble.

"I really enjoyed my journey and remembered some points last year and the park at the first sprint is quite impressive along the way," she said.

Yao Lichao, director of Chongming Sports Bureau, said the racers appreciated the beauty of the island's countryside, ecology and culture, and felt the warmth and hospitality of the Shanghai people.