Italian cyclist wins stage 2

cctv.com 07-18-2005 09:35

Filippo Simeoni has won stage two of the Tour of Qinghai Lake. The Italian rider from the Swiss team completed the day in 3 hours 28 minutes and 19 seconds.

Similar to day one of the competition, the spectators were out in force on Sunday.

The 150-kilometer stage began in Xi'ning's Central Plaza, and ended at the Qinghai Lake Hotel. The average elevation was 3,200 meters above sea level.

The sudden increase in altitude meant most cyclists were reluctant to attack early on, with the lead pack followed closely by the peleton.

However, as momentum picked up, the lead group opened up a healthy lead on the remainder of the race, with the peleton splitting into three.

Chinese riders were placed well back during the day.

The stage winner was Filippo Simeoni from the Swiss team Naturino-Sapore Di Mare.

Filippo Simoni, Stage Two Winner, said: "It's my first time at Qinghai. It was a tough stage today, especially with the elevation above 3,000 meters. I was happy to win, but I'm not sure about the future stages."

The yellow jersey remained with Askari Hossein from the Giant Asian Racing Team.

He also retained the blue jersey, which goes to the top Asian cyclist each day.

Stage three is a 121.2-kilometer ride from the Qinghai Lake Hotel to Bird Island.

Editor:Wang Ping  Source:CCTV.com