Situated in the mouth of the Yangtze River and located two hours from the centre of Shanghai, Chongming Island is an area of China that combines history with natural beauty, and it plays host to a three-day stage race which forms the penultimate fixture on the Women’s World Tour schedule, ahead of the Tour of Guangxi one-day race, taking place further south in China.
The race – which is the only Women’s World Tour stage race on the Asian continent – returned to the WWT schedule last year, following a three-year absence due to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, and occupies its traditional spot at the conclusion of the European road season.
Four World Tour teams, 13 continental teams and one Chinese national team will compete over three flat stages, vying for some of the final opportunities to raise their arms in 2024. With the sprinters favoured, consistency will be the key to winning the overall general classification, as with three bunch finishes the most likely outcome, placements will likely decide the race in the end.
The race takes place from the 15-17 October.
The Route
Stage 1 – Tuesday 15 October – Chongming New City Park – Chongming New City Park (108.9km, Flat)
Day one is the shortest of the three stages. Beginning and ending in Chongming New City Park, where the majority of the action will unfold over the three days, stage one heads around the north-west corner of the island. The circuit is almost entirely flat, and the expected outcome is a bunch sprint at the finish line, likely the first of three.
Stage 2 – Wednesday 16 October – Changzing Island Country Park – Chongming New City Park (128.9km, Flat)
Stage two is the longest of the three, and begins on a separate land mass, in the Changzing Island Country Park, before crossing the Yangze River and heading back to Chongming Island, from the south-western tip, heading steadily north-west back to the New City Park once again, for what is highly likely to be a second bunch sprint.
Stage 3 – Thursday 17 October – Chongming New City Park – Chongming New City Park (111.3km, Flat)
Beginning and ending at the same place, the final stage is staged over a criterium-style circuit, taking in several laps of the New City Park, before a third and final bunch sprint will almost certainly decide the general classification.
Riders to Watch
Three pan-flat stages will require a peloton of fast women, with the sprinters strongly favoured and teams building around them and their lead-out trains. With just four World Tour teams this year, the favourites are likely to come from within the top level teams, and with last year’s winner Chiara Consonni of UAE Team ADQ taking the start, she will be among the top favourites for both stage wins and the overall victory. Her teammates will support her, though Eleonora Gasparrini is a strong second option for the Emirati side.
Ceratizit-WNT had success at the race last year through Mylène De Zoete, and they will hope to repeat that success this year. They bring a strong squad in support including Marta Lach, though they and UAE may find their strongest competition comes from Human Powered Health. In Daria Pikulik, HPH have a strong sprinter, and in Silvia Zanardi, a second rider who has had a stand-out season and will be one to watch.
The final WWT team, Roland, may favour Maggie Coles-Lyster or Tamara Dronova-Balabolina. Outside of the top tier teams, there is plenty of talent spread throughout the continental teams, and foremost among them is likely to be VolkerWessels, with their 22-year-old Sofie van Rooijen, who has had an excellent season, becoming the European U23 champion in September, following a series of wins in Dutch and Belgian one-day races throughout the season. The team also may hope to see a strong performance from Femke Beuling.
Outsiders to keep an eye on include Hanna Tserakh of BTC City Ljubljana Zhiraf Ambedo, who won a stage of the race in 2023, Monica Greenwood of Team Coop-Repsol, and Lotto-Dstny Ladies’ Anna van Wersch.
Overall the GC will come down to placements, if the expected bunch sprints unfold, so consistency across the three stages will be key, in order to succeed on GC.
Riders to watch (GC)
5-stars Chiara Consonni, Daria Pikulik
4-stars Mylène De Zoete, Sofie van Rooijen
3-stars, Eleonora Gasparrini, Silvia Zanardi
2-stars Femke Beuling, Tamara Dronova-Balabolina
1-star Monica Greenwood, Anna van Wersch, Hanna Tserach
Summary
When – 15-17 October
Where – China
What – 3-day stage race
TV Coverage: Eurosport, Discovery+
