BEIHAI – First a shopping mall, then a team hotel. Il Tour of Guangxi it starts in Chinese, with many kids full of questions and cheerful chatter. We were welcomed with great warmth and many smiles, but the language barrier has so far proved difficult to overcomeThe few who speak English become the target of the thousand questions that the brain records at every step. And then there's the internet, closed off from the rest of the world.The VPN that's supposed to bypass the block isn't working very well at the moment, so we hope it connects soon. Google and all of Meta's social networks, including WhatsApp, are not open in China. And it seems that in recent months the government has tightened the filters.
Everyone at Wanda Plaza
Wanda Plaza is a shopping mall, probably one of the largest in this city, small for a Chinese city. From Shanghai's 26 million plus, we've arrived in Beihai, which has 400.000 inhabitants and overlooks the South China Sea., in front of the island of Hainan where the race was held until a few days ago.
It starts tomorrow and the first to be applauded were the three riders who volunteered or were drawn to participate in the crowd bath. Tim Wellens who has recently won the Renewi Tour and won the first edition of this race. Elia Viviani, Olympic champion. And Jakub Mareczko, who has won more than 30 races in China, has hit the mark twice this year and perhaps he hopes with a last-minute twist to find the right inspiration for next season, after 2023 with very few races with Alpecin-Deceuninck (just 32 days of racing).
After 4 years of darkness
While we peer into the eyes of the girls who film everything with their cell phones from the balcony, we think about that sensational sense of celebration that was felt in Italy at the return to racing after 4 months of lockdownThey notice that we are looking at them: first they say hello, then they hide excitedly. The Guangxi Tour has been missing for four years, so it's understandable that the public is excited about it., fueled with laughter and photos.
“I’m super happy to be here,” says Wellens. “I have so many great memories. The route is tougher than when I won, there is a very demanding stage, so it will be important to still have good legsIt's a WorldTour event, though, and no one came here to be serious. I always enjoy traveling to parts of the world that we don't normally frequentIt's been a long time since the last race was held here, and I'm sure it will be a great experience for the fans."
One day at a time
They gave him as a gift some flowers and a necklace, which he slowly observes. Then they brought him a bunch of shirts to sign. Elia Viviani had told us in one of the last interviews: the team has decided that, given his condition, coming here will do him good. And so, if on the one hand he would have preferred to send the bike on holiday, the Veronese knows he has the winning leg (the success in Croatia is still fresh) and will try to strike while the iron is still hot.
«I have already raced in China, at the Tour of Beijing where I won two stages – he says leaving time for translation after each sentence – but never this way. I'm a sprinter, so I have ambitions before the end of the season. A stage victory would be very important, we have several chances and tomorrow will be the first oneIt's better to take it one day at a time. The roads are wide, so we'll get to the sprints at great speed, but with good confidence. Motivation is important at this point in the season, and mine is to win again. Being here with a race after four years is strange, considering what they've been through and what we followed through the media. It took them a little longer, but now we want the fans to enjoy it.».
Marie and the national team
The time to feel Mareczko who spoke about his desire to win, because he won all over China but never at the Tour of Guangxi and The Chinese national team led by Lionel Marie entered the shopping centerThe 57-year-old Frenchman says he had his first contacts with China 12 years ago and more recently founded the continental China GLory. He says his boys don't know what it's like to go 60 miles an hour for two hours.He says that after four years of Covid, we have to rebuild from scratch.
Some people dream of becoming a professional, but without rushing because a high level in these parts is equivalent to an average European levelThey work for Olympic qualification points and says that He speaks English to his family because Chinese is too complicated. The same word has at least four different meanings, impossible for him. Don't tell that to us, we've only been here two days...
Two riders… expelled
Then from the shopping centre, getting on the bus that has been transporting us since yesterday following the schedules that arrive every day on WeChat (which replaces Whatsapp), we arrive at the team hotel. We're talking about a press conference, but in reality it's an event organized by Giant for the Jayco-AlUlaAll the riders sat down and then suddenly stood up to pose with the fans. Then came questions, questions with prizes, and finally, even a virtual challenge among the riders in attendance. It was a big, genuine, and simple celebration. But let naivety not deceive you, mocking them leads to serious consequences. They have realized this. Thijssen and Mikhels from Intermarché-Wanty They were sidelined for faking almond-shaped eyes in a social media video. The outcry on Chinese social media forced the team to suspend them.
The Guangxi Tour, a six-stage race that closes the 2023 season, begins tomorrow. The first stage is scheduled to finish at 2:30 PM local time (8:30 AM in Italy). We will experience it with the curiosity of the first time in China and by telling about its protagonistsHoping the connection somehow decides to work this evening too. It's 18 PM now that we're closing the piece, we have two hours to try to get it up and running.
