BEIJING (AP) — China is set to host an event on the world cycling tour for the first time.
The International Cycling Union says the four-day Tour of Beijing will be held in October, pending the award of a license.
UCI president Pat McQuaid says the event will further the governing body’s mission to make cycling more global, saying Asia has a “huge pool of talent” and “immense passion” for the sport.
Other stops on UCI’s WorldTour already include Oceania’s Tour Down Under and the Quebec and Montreal Grand Prix.
Li Yingchuan, director of the Beijing Sports Bureau, says a tour event in China would “probably never have seen the light of day” before the 2008 Olympics, which helped popularize road-race cycling in the country.
