Criterium Qiantong   

Located in Ninghai, Zhejiang province, the historic village of Qiantong dates back to the Song Dynasty, nearly 1000 years ago. The traditional "Siheyuan" architectural style is still preserved across the villages. Currently, the village is a protected site that preserves both tangible and intangible cultural heritages of the Jiangnan region.

As the peloton departs under the "Paifang" of the village, the fight for posi...

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Located in Ninghai, Zhejiang province, the historic village of Qiantong dates back to the Song Dynasty, nearly 1000 years ago. The traditional "Siheyuan" architectural style is still preserved across the villages. Currently, the village is a protected site that preserves both tangible and intangible cultural heritages of the Jiangnan region.

As the peloton departs under the "Paifang" of the village, the fight for position immediately starts in the narrow cobble streets of Qiantong village as inhabitants cheered through the ornately carved wooden windows and labyrinthine water passages wind beside them into every courtyard. This technical battle on the cobbles peaked towards the end of the last lap, where the peloton leaves the village and enters the northern mountainous region. According to legend, a descendant of the emperor once sought protection in this region during a period of unrest and eventually took the throne. But in this context, there is nowhere to hide for riders in this race. As they approach the hills on narrow paths at high speed, the race will likely be terminated by an uphill sprint of a small group of cobblers that remained at the front of the peloton.