About 300 outdoor cycling sports enthusiasts from the provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Henan, Jiangxi and Anhui participated in the 2013 China Suizhou Mountain Bike Relay which was held in the Millennium Gingko Valley scenic area in Luoyang town of Zengdu district, Suizhou city, Hubei province on Nov 3, hubeitour.gov.cn reported.

The event, which also attracted nearly 3,000 spectators and lasted more than one hour, was jointly organized by the Zengdu district government, Suizhou city’s tourism bureau, and the culture and sports bureau, and it aimed to promote the diverse tourism resources in the city.

The gingko leaves in the valley have started to turn golden yellow and many spectators took photos of the scenery, which looked like a painting.

Chen Chuangen, executive vice-mayor of Suizhou city, and other government officials attended the competition’s opening and closing ceremonies.

According to the official website of the Suizhou government, there are more than 17,000 gingko trees over 100 years old in Luoyang town, including 308 over 1,000 years old. The town also boasts one of the four ancient gingko communities in the world.

Edited by Niva Whyman