The 2016 Tour of Taihu Lake, an international road cycling competition, kicked off at the Light of Lihu Lake park in Wuxi’s Binhu district on Nov 6.

Covering eight stages, the competition takes place in different cities bordering the famous Taihu Lake, with stages in Wuxi, Suzhou, Changzhou, Nantong and Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province, and Zhejiang province’s Huzhou.

More than 130 professional riders and 261 amateur cyclists from around the world competed in the annual competition, with the winners bagging prize money of $300,000.

Binhu district, as the starting point of the competition, held an opening ceremony, a team time trials and a six-kilometer individual time trial event, the last of these being a new event held for the first time this year.

The first stage on Nov 6 took the riders around Binhu district. There was an amateur group and a professional group, with the routes for both groups covering some same scenic spots famous in Wuxi.

The riders were also treated to a range of colorful scenes as they completed the course. The stage committee had also arranged for local residents to perform different sports and fitness activities at 32 designated spots along the route. Competitors were greeted by citizens performing martial arts, qigong, tai chi, line dances and other daily fitness activities as they cycled past.

The 21-year-old Italian rider Jakub Mareczko from Southeast Pro Cycling Team proved the fastest rider in Binhu, winning the first stage.

Hosted by Wuxi’s municipal government and the China Bicycle Association, the 2016 Tour of Taihu Lake was broadcast live by sports media company IMG and relayed by China’s State broadcaster CCTV’s sports channel. Wang Quan, mayor of Wuxi, and other officials attended the opening ceremony.

Now in its seventh year, the tour has played a positive role in promoting sports and popularizing cycling in the Taihu Lake area. The competition has steadily grown larger each year and promises to become China’s biggest cycling event.

Riders pedal away from the start line at the beginning of the first stage of the Tour of Taihu Lake in Wuxi’s Binhu district on Nov 6. [Photo from Chinanews.com]

Riders fly past a bank of photographers during the first stage of the Tour of Taihu Lake in Wuxi’s Binhu district on Nov 6. [Photo from Chinanews.com]