The Tour of Guangxi brings WorldTour racing to the limestone karst country of southern China, where short, steep climbs and humid October weather test legs and lungs alike.
The Tour of Guangxi is a six-day WorldTour stage race held each October in Guangxi province, southern China. Established in 2017, it serves as the final race on the men's WorldTour calendar and unfolds across terrain shaped by dramatic karst limestone formations.
Launched in 2017 as part of efforts to grow professional cycling in Asia, the race quickly became the WorldTour calendar's closing act.
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This is the only WorldTour stage race in China, and it offers a distinct late-season rhythm. The karst landscape delivers punchy, irregular climbing rather than Alpine switchbacks, and the October heat and humidity add another layer of attrition. Teams arrive with mixed motivations: some chase a final result, others ease toward the off-season. That tension makes the racing unpredictable.
The route typically includes several stages shaped by short, sharp karst climbs that favor punchy riders over pure mountain specialists. Expect summit finishes or rolling circuits that splinter the field without offering much recovery. Time gaps tend to be small, and the general classification often hinges on bonus seconds, late attacks, or a single well-timed move on the hardest climb. Sprinters can survive some stages, but the terrain rarely allows pure fast finishes. Positioning and timing matter more than sustained power, and the humid conditions can sap energy across consecutive days.
The route threads through the dramatic limestone karst hills of southern China, with short, sharp climbs emerging from flat valley floors.
Flat stages along the Guangxi valleys reward sprint teams, while the Nongla summit finish typically decides the GC, creating a race of two distinct halves.
Traditionally the final WorldTour event of the year, attracting riders at varying levels of late-season motivation and form.
Most recent winner: Paul Double
Tim Wellens won the first GC by 6 seconds over Bauke Mollema. Fernando Gaviria dominated the sprints with four stage wins.
Milan Vader won the queen stage at Nongla and took the overall, a remarkable comeback from a 2022 crash that left him in an induced coma with 11 spinal fractures.
Paul Magnier won 5 of 6 stages in a stunning sprint display, but teammate Paul Double took the crucial Nongla mountain stage to win the GC.
Inaugural champion in 2017, an established puncheur who gave the race credibility from its first edition.
2023 winner whose comeback from life-threatening injuries made his Nongla summit win one of the most emotionally resonant victories in WorldTour racing.
2024 winner, representing the next generation of Belgian stage-race talent. Attacked on Nongla to seal the GC by 5 seconds.
Roughly 3.2 km at 6 to 7% average. The decisive GC stage typically finishes here, where overall winners are made.
The final stage circles the regional capital, featuring a 1,400 m climb at 11.5% tackled multiple times.
Dramatic limestone towers rising from flat river valleys, a UNESCO-recognized landscape that gives the race its visual identity.
A scenic highlight along the Chongzuo to Jingxi stage, passing through the grand canyon and ancient villages of southern Guangxi.
