Zhao Jingbiao of Wisdom-Hengxiang became the first Chinese rider to nab a win in a UCI 2.1-rated race this year at the Tour of Fuzhou on Friday. In front of a huge crowd at LianJiang People's Square, he claimed stage 3 in a reduced sprint ahead of Belarusian Stanislau Bazhkou of Minsk Cycling Club and American Brandon Feehery from Astellas.
Rahim Emami (Pishgaman Giant) retained the yellow jersey of the fifth Tour of Fuzhou ahead of Saturday's queen stage.
"In the last climb, I asked my team-mates to control the pace," Zhao explained after the finish. "I was confident in my capacities for sprinting. I tried my best. I sprinted at a steady pace and once I took the first position after my teammates led me out, there was no change in the ranking."
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Pishgaman Giant defended Emami's lead in the 11-km long ascent of Yang Men, summited at km 43. Emami himself was second at the top behind Bazhkou, who controls the polka dot jersey. With 35km remaining, Chinese national champion Ma Guangtong (Wisdom-Hengxiang) and Mauricio Ortega (RTS-Monton) rode clear of the bunch. Ma was reeled in with 17km to go when two select groups of chasers formed just one peloton. Konstantsin Klimiankou of Minsk Cycling Club tried to bridge to Ortega without success, and then Ortega himself was swept up inside the final kilometer.
At the end of a tough stage, it wasn't a standard sprint to the line. "It was a very chaotic one", third-placed Feehery noted. "I was battling with other trains out there trying to get the best wheel. With about 300m to go, I got boxed in and I just found my way out. I ran out of space to compete for first and second places. Zhao won because he had a good lead out. He had multiple teammates and he's a good sprinter."
One of Zhao's lead out men, Wang Meiyin, has secured a contract with Bahrain-Merida for next year. Wisdom-Hengxiang's team manager Li Fuyu, who became China's first Pro Tour rider with Discovery Channel in 2007, predicted Zhao will be the next Chinese rider to join a top-tier team.
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