2023 Asia Tour Recap
The return of international racing in China, unlikely nations emerging, young talents developing. Is Asia the continent with the most potential for growth in pro cycling?
It’s been a year where pro cycling has got back to its best in Asia. The number of races is back almost to its peak after a difficult few years.
2023 brought about breakthroughs for several nations, leading to many firsts ahead of us in 2024: the first Mongolian professional, possibly the first Uzbek team at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, maybe the first Chinese rider to compete at a respectably high level.
This is Global Peloton’s recap of the 2023 Asia Tour.
Women’s racing in Asia
Similarly to the Africa Tour, which we recapped last week, there are fewer opportunities for women to race UCI events in Asia. In 2023, there were races in Thailand, Uzbekistan and China; but the overall calendar suffered from several other race cancellations, leaving just a few opportunities for women to compete on the continent at a high level.
The return of Chinese WWT races
However, several Asian UCI Women’s teams seized a golden opportunity in October to compete against the best at the end of season World Tour races in China.
Four Chinese teams, plus one each from Hong Kong and Uzbekistan, took part in the Tours of Chonming Island and Guangxi.
While we had already seen something of Uzbekistan’s Tashkent City Women’s Team throughout the season, it was the first time fans got to see the talents of many of the Chinese riders in the race.
Two Chinese women particularly impressed. 22-year-old Xin Tang finished as the best young rider and 8th overall in Chonming Island, backing that up with 5th at the Tour of Guangxi. Chinese national champion Luyao Zeng also stood out with top-10s on all three Chonming Island stages.
Uzbekistan on the rise
Away from China, Tashkent hoovered up the points at their home races, contributing in part to them almost certainly being awarded a World Tour wildcard for 2024. Read my piece on this for Cycling News published this week.
Three-time Olympic medallist Olga Zabelinskaya was their top performer all season, but 21-year-old Yanina Kuskova is the future of cycling in Uzbekistan. A talented climber, Kuskova dominated her home races in the Bostonliq region of Uzbekistan, backing up several top performances in Europe over the season. One to watch at the higher levels in 2024.
South East Asia
The racers of South East Asia had their one and only chance to preform at UCI level at April’s very flat Tour of Thaliand. The race was won by South Korea’s Eun Hee Lee. The big favourite, Thi That Nguyen of Vietnam and Israel Premier Tech Roland, could only finish fifth overall, but did win the second stage.
Home rider Jutatip Maneephan only finished sixth overall, but was one of the riders of the season across the various continental championships. Maneephan was on the podium of the Asia Continental Championships, Asian Games and SEA Games, where she won the criterium.
These competitions are seen in higher regard than most UCI races by those involved with the sport in Asia. The Asian Games is the second largest multi-sport event in the world, only behind the Olympic Games. The road race there was won by Hong Kong’s track specialist Qianyu Yang, and included the best Asian riders around.
Men’s racing in Asia
On the men’s side of things, the most famous races on the Asia Tour take place in the Middle East when the professional squads rock up for some early season sun. However, there is a buzzing racing scene further east, which is producing lots of exciting talent from a range of nations.
Starting in the Middle East
The 2023 men’s UCI Asia Tour began in the UAE with the 2.2 Tour of Sharjah and it was a 1-2 finish for one of the Asian teams of the year, Roojai Online Insurance. Dutchman Adne van Engelen won ahead of Ariya Phounsavath of Laos.
One of the key battles throughout the Asia Tour season was between Roojai, JCL Team UKYO of Japan and the Malaysian Terengganu squad for the top-two places on the team rankings. Being in the top-two awards teams with automatic invitations to all UCI .1 events in Asia, including the prestigious Saudi Tour and Muscat Classic. It was a good start for the Thai Roojai team.
Terengganu would go on to dominate the top of the team rankings, but it was a closer battle between Roojai and JCL Team UKYO. Roojai eventually came out on top by just over 200 points. Some strong signings are soon to be announced for JCL Team UKYO for 2024 as they look to secure that wildcard again in 2025.
The Middle Eastern races continued with the Saudi Tour, Tour of Oman and Muscat classic where professional teams took control.
The racing moves east
March saw a punchy Tour of Taiwan won by Terengganu’s Dutch sprinter Jeroen Meijers ahead of the ProTeams who sought to claim some points. There was also a strong 7th overall for Thai rider Thanakhan Chaiyasombat.
That was followed a couple of weeks later by the Tour of Thailand, which featured a Mongolian 1-2 in the GC. Tegshbayar Batsaikhan won solo on the first stage after being away on his own for 40K in 40 degree heat. Jambaljamts Sainbayar was second and was probably the strongest rider in the race, showing why he will become Mongolia’s first professional rider ever next season when he joins Burgos BH in 2024.
After that began the first of many UCI races which took place in Japan this season. Japan has a healthy racing scene and is producing a glut of talent right now. In my opinion, it is a big potential market for growth for the sport of cycling.
The first UCI race of the season in Japan was the Tour of Japan, won by Australian veteran Nathan Earle for JCL Team UKYO. Earle conquered the mythical slopes of Mount Fuji in an unusually short but brutal 11.4km road stage.
Earle’s Japanese team-mate Atsushi Oka was an impressive third in the 8-stage race and backed that up with a win at the Tour de Kumano a couple of weeks later.
The Japanese racing continued later in the season including the 2.1 Tour de Kyushu, won by Andrey Zeits.
Japanese road champion Masaki Yamamoto of JCL Team UKYO rounded out the 2023 racing in Japan last weekend by winning the Tour de Okinawa.
Another rider who impressed across many of these races, including taking a stage win at the Tour of Thailand and victory at the Tour of Kandovan in Iran, was Kazakh climber Anton Kuzmin. His impressive season has earned him a spot on the Astana Qazaqstan team for 2024: one to watch there.
The lockdown years were particularly tough for racing in this part of the world, but in 2023, cycling in East Asia found its feet again. There were several disappointing cancellations, like the Tour de Korea and Malaysia’s Tour of Peninsular, but progress is being made and 2024 looks to be another positive year for racing in the region.
The return of international racing in China
After a four year hiatus, international racing returned to China in the summer of 2023. Strict lockdown rules following the pandemic prohibited racers from outside of China to take part in any events in the country.
Other national-level events preceded it, but the first UCI event in China this season was the Tour of Qinghai Lake, won by Eritrean World Tour-bound Henok Mulubrhan. The Tour of Huangshan followed it, with Frenchman Julien Trarieux of China Glory taking the victory.
The biggest story relating to Chinese cycling this season happened outside of Asia though, when Xianjing Lyu became the first Chinese winner of a European UCI race in the fourth stage of the Tour of Sakarya. Lyu had an excellent season, also winning the Tour of Poyang Lake in September and cleaning up on the mountain bike at the Asian Games - earning himself a 2024 Olympic Games spot in the process.
The future of Chinese cycling depends heavily on the future of the China Glory team. This year revealed several good young Chinese talents such as Yongbing Gao (25th on Genting Highlands) and Haoyu Su (7th at GP Aspendos and impressive in Tour of Guangxi breakaways). China Glory is their development pathway.
What was your favourite moment of the 2023 UCI Asia Tour?
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