Tour of Qinghai Lake cancelled

QINGHAI LAKE, CHINA - JULY 18: (CHINA OUT) Cyclists ride bicycles past Prayer Flags during the third stage of the 4th Tour de Qinghai Lake International Cycling Race along Qinghai Lake on July 18, 2005 in Qinghai Province, northwest China. The 4th Tour de Qinghai Lake will last from July 16 - 24, covering 9 stages. Twenty teams from five continents attend this year's race. Tour de Qinghai Lake is held annually since 2002. In 2004, it rose to the top road cycling race in Asia. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

The Tour of the Qinghai Lake (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

Organisers of the Tour of Qinghai Lake have been forced to cancel the 2020 edition of the UCI 2.Pro-ranked event after a new cluster of COVID-19 cases in China sparked new lockdowns in Beijing.

The race is a popular event among Continental and ProTeams, won in 2019 by Robinson Chalapud (Medellin). On the list of teams that planned to participate are Burgos-BH, Medellin, Nippo Delko One Provence, and the Hincapie/LEOMO team

The race was due to begin on July 26 for a shortened edition, running through August 2. It is one of only three Asia Tour races on the Pro Series, with the Tour de Langkawi, won by Danilo Celand (Sapura) in February and the Japan Cup, which was also cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Xinhua.net, the province will hold a carnival and other activities in place of the international race.

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