Alex Dowsett (Movistar). (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Dan Martin would see a lot of his panda friend over the course of the race. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The classification leaders and best costume winner ahead of stage 2 of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Tour of Beijing visited the Great Wall of China. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Rui Costa (Movistar) is interviewed at the presentation of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) sets the tempo on Mentougou Miaofeng Mountain. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Newly-crowned world champion Rui Costa enjoyed a solid outing at the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Damiano Caruso gets ready for his close-up at the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) in the red jersey of overall leader at the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Tour of Beijing panda keeps watch over the peloton on the road to Qiandiajian on stage 3. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) made his bid for three Tour of Beijing wins in as many years with a bold attack on stage 3. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The peloton passes the Great Wall during the 2013 Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Deja vu all over again for Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) on stage 3 of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) was clinical in picking off his second win on stage 3. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Dan Martin enters into the spirit of things at the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Tour of Beijing panda poses for a picture with the other Martin, world time trial champion Tony Martin. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
World champion Rui Costa is congratulated on his recent success by a panda at the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The peloton takes the scenic route to Yanqing on stage 2. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Thor Hushovd (BMC) exchanges greetings with a man dressed as a panda at the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Nacer Bouhanni held the red jersey for two days. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Luka Mezgec (Argos-Shimano) finally landed a win on the final stage of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Benat Intxausti (Movistar) on the final day of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
New UCI president Brian Cookson with Thor Hushovd after stage 1 of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Rui Costa (Movistar) ahead of the opening stage of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Local fans come out to greet the 2013 Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
As ever, Cameron Wurf put his shoulder to the wheel for the Cannondale cause. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Thor Hushovd (BMC) wins stage 1 of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
World champion Rui Costa (Movistar) signs on ahead of stage one of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Marco Pinotti made his final stage racing appearance at the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Juan Antonio Flecha lines up for his final professional race. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Euskaltel-Euskadi rode their final race at the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Couldn't have done it without you. Benat Intxausti (Movistar) shares the spoils of success at the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Benat Inxausti (Movistar) held off David Lopez (Sky) and Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) to win the 2013 Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Marco Pinotti and Juan Antonio Flecha marked their final day in the peloton by going on the attack. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
All the protagonists of the 2013 Tour of Beijing, including the ever-present panda. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Tour of Beijing passes Tiananmen Square. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The peloton rides past the Bird's Nest stadium on the final day of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) wins stage 2 of the Tour of Beijing. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The third edition of the Tour of Beijing brought the curtain down on the WorldTour calendar for 2013, with Benat Intxausti (Movistar) emerging victorious ahead of Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) and David Lopez (Sky).
In 2011 and 2012, the final destination of the red jersey was decided early on as Tony Martin (Omega Pharma Quick Step) powered to early stage victories, but this time around, the summit finish at Mentougou Miaofeng Mountain on the penultimate day added a greater degree of suspense to proceedings. This was where Intxausti laid the foundation for his overall victory, slipping off the front of the leading group two kilometres from the summit to claim stage honours and the red jersey.
The excitement was not limited to the lone summit finish, however. Stage 1 saw Thor Hushovd (BMC) claim a victory that he hopes will augur well for 2014 after two mixed campaigns, Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) emphatically underlined his class with two smart sprint wins in Yanqing and Qiandiajian, while Luka Mezgec (Argos-Shimano) got his just reward after a string of near misses when he won the final stage outside the striking Bird’s Nest Stadium.
The race also saw newly-crowned world champion Rui Costa enjoy his final outing as a Movistar rider, and his performance helped capture the teams classification in the final WorldTour rankings.
Like last year, Dan Martin was an aggressive presence in the race, but this time around, he had a familiar ursine friend on hand to offer support – the Tour of Beijing panda was a recurring presence on the roadside.
Check out Cyclingnews’ Tour of Beijing picture gallery here.
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