The highest cycling race in the world is set to be held at an even loftier level.

The Tour of Qinghai Lake is the top (on several levels) road cycling event in Asia. It boasts a high-altitude route on part of western China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and will present riders with an even bigger challenge this year by being raised to a higher altitude.

Starting in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, on July 7, the annual race's 12 stages will cover 2,003 kilometers around Qinghai Lake and Qilian Mountain.