Spanish cycling race rides into Beijing

The First Desafio China by La Vuelta was held in Beijing's northern Changping district over the weekend, and the cycling event has shown the local people's enthusiasm for sports and the diverse landscapes in the area.

The 2023 Desafio China by La Vuelta-Beijing Changping kicked off on Saturday, the first time that Vuelta a Espana, honored as one of the "Grand Tours" in the world with hundreds of years of history, was launched in China.

"All the cyclists can be immersed in both the modern urban landscape and natural scenery here, appreciating places of interest with culture and history while enjoying the competition," Zhi Xianwei, head of the Changping government, said at the opening ceremony.

"We hope to provide the best cycling experience for cyclists from all over the world," he said.

The two-day event consisted of the Criterium, Team Time Trial, Family Fun Ride and Road Race. The first three competitions were held on Saturday, with nearly 500 amateurs participating. Cycling around the Future Science City Sports Center, the cyclers were to complete 26.2 kilometers in total. On Sunday, the length of the Road Race route was 95.5 km.

"Changping is an ideal venue to hold Desafio China by La Vuelta, due to its sports culture and adequate facilities. The triathlon during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was held in the district. In addition, it has the first cycling course that satisfies the international competition standard," Zhi said.

Bai Lin, deputy head of the district government, said: "More than 10,000 volunteers in Changping are engaged in organizing the event, which is a showcase of the enthusiasm of local people for sports. In the future, we will support more sports competitions to be held here and further improve sports facilities to foster exercise among citizens."

Last year, Changping designed 12 cultural and tourist routes to attract visitors and encourage low-carbon life.

"We hope Changping can attract more investment through holding these kinds of sports events," Bai added. "We are confident that enterprises of the cycling industry, event organizers and cultural companies can all develop their business well here to form an industrial cluster."

During the two days of competitions, local residents got to know more about Spanish culture, while Changping won more attention from the world.

Five champions of Vuelta a Espana were invited to the event, winning cheers and warm applause from the spectators.

Some Spanish cuisine was provided in the central area, for instance churros, seafood paella and Spanish latte.

Chu Han, a 6-year-old student who attended the event with her family, said she was so happy to have learned a lot about Spain.

"It was so much fun to watch the competition," she said.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain.

Essar Gabriel, executive vice-president and co-founder of Druid (Beijing) Sports Culture Development, expressed a positive attitude toward the future of the event, saying that the idea is to develop not only in Changping but also in other cities throughout China in the coming years.