A Journey Across Scenic Land - 2024 UCI Women’s World Tour, Tour of Chongming Island to Kick off in October

With the 2024 Tour of Shanghai New Cities in full swing, the 2024 UCI Women’s World Tour, Tour of Chongming Island will kick off on October 15th. A total of 18 teams, comprising 108 professional riders from around the globe, will compete on a 349.3-km route. On the afternoon of September 20th, the press conference for the event was held, signaling that Shanghai has entered "cycling time".

During the conference, Feng Baozhong, Deputy Director General of China Cycling & Fencing Sports Administration under the General Administration of Sport of China and Vice President of the Chinese Cycling Association, Luo Wenhua, Deputy Director General of Shanghai Administration of Sports, and Shi Lei, Deputy District Mayor of Chongming, presented the race respectively.

The 2024 Tour of Chongming Island is a Category A international event in China, and a 2.WWT-race as the renowned Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España. Over three days, riders will compete in three stages. Stage 1 spans 108.9 km in West Chongming. Stage 2 covers 129 km in East Chongming. Stage 3 in the Central Chongming, with an urban circuit, extends 111.4 km. Throughout the competition, the cyclists will traverse 17 towns in the district, passing through various scenic areas and landmarks, such as the Yangtze River Bridge, Changxing Island Country Park, Lotus Expo Park, Mingzhu Lake Park, and the Chongming Sports Training Base. They will immerse themselves in the island's beautiful ecological environment, savor the beauty of Chongming's countryside, landscape, and culture, while experiencing the warmth and hospitality of the Shanghainese.

Among the 27 stops of the 2024 UCI Women's World Tour, 13 are multi-day races held in countries such as France, Spain, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and Australia. The Tour of Chongming Island remains the only multi-day World Tour event in Chinese women's road cycling races. According to the UCI's competition rules for 2024, this event consists of 4 World Tour teams, 13 intercontinental teams, and 1 national team, totaling 108 contestants. Roland Cycling Team and UAE Team Emirates (UAD), respective winners of the teams and individual classification in 2023, will return to participate again this year.

This year's race takes place after the National Day holiday, and the "sports + tourism" model of the Golden Week will keep its momentum. Prior to the Tour, an amateur elite race will be held to the standards of professional events, further promoting the development of cycling. In addition, a cycling carnival themed 'Ride for Beauty, Relax in Chongming' will feature a fantastic cycling field, a special cycling exhibition, and an online market, blending cultural, sports, commercial, and tourism elements. A variety of activities will enable more citizens and visitors to experience the unique charm of cycling.

The Tour of Chongming Island is one of the measures to implement and enforce the Outline of the Development Plan for Chongming World-Class Eco-Island (2021-2035) and the Shanghai Sports Development Regulations. In recent years, Chongming has been committed to green ecology, production, and living, aiming to become a national window to showcase ecological civilization and set a benchmark for green development along the Yangtze River. The district strives to boost sports consumption and the sports industry by hosting various events.

Chongming is ideal for cycling, thanks to its flat terrain, superior ecology, and favorable climate. Each year, it hosts popular cycling events such as the Yangtze Delta Elite Race, the Tour of the Island, and the Dongtan Cycling Festival, building a distinctive and widely influential brand image for the sport. All primary schools in Chongming offer a course named 'Everyone Can Ride a Bike', encouraging students to adopt low-carbon, green travel habits from a young age, and nurturing future talents in cycling. In the future, Chongming will continue to create high-standard greenways for leisure cycling under the layout of "1 Ring, 5 Circuits, 15 Lengthwise Lines, with Multiple Points" and build Chenjia Town to be a "Bike Town", providing citizens with multi-functional outdoor spaces for cycling, sightseeing, leisure, and entertainment.