The 6th Huangshan International MTB (mountain bike) Festival has attracted 844 athletes from 25 countries and regions to professional and amateur cycling events under way through April 20.

During the opening ceremony April 9, officials said 844 mountain bike athletes from 70 clubs signed up for the festival, including 121 foreign athletes from 24 countries such as Germany, the United States, Sweden, Britain, France, South Korea, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.

The annual competition consists of four sections: male and female cross-country cycling, and male and female time trials. Athletes are divided into professional and amateur groups.

The CCTV Sports Channel is taping and broadcasting the event. Other media covering the races are Xinhua News Agency, China Tourism News, China Youth Daily, the Cycling magazine, Anhui Daily and Anhui TV.

The opening ceremony was flavored by local tourism and cultural activities, including a folk arts performance, carnival, cycling photo exhibit, and a collection of selected photos taken during the previous five mountain bike festivals.

Guests attending the opening ceremony included: Xie Guangxiang, vice governor of Anhui province; Pan Zhikun, director of the Cycling and Fencing Sports Management Center of the China Administration of Sport, and Hu Xuefan, director of the Anhui provincial tourism administration.

The festival, with a theme of “Cycling in the Picturesque Ancient County”, was established to introduce the Huangshan county of Yixian to the rest of the world.

By Chen Zhilin, Audrey and Renee