On September 8, the provincial government press office held a news conference for the 2025 13th International Cycling Tour around Poyang Lake (hereinafter referred to as "Tour around Poyang Lake"). The 2025 Tour around Poyang Lake, authorized by the International Cycling Union and hosted by the provincial government, co-organized by the China Cycling Association, the Provincial Sports Bureau, and relevant municipal governments, will be held across 11 locations in the province from September 15 to 26.
This year's Tour around Poyang Lake features eleven race stages: Jiujiang Lushan Stage (September 15), Jiujiang Yongxiu Stage (September 16), Nanchang Wanli Stage (September 17), Yichun Tonggu Stage (September 18), Pingxiang Lianhua Stage (September 19), Xinyu Xiannu Lake Stage (September 20), Fuzhou Zixi Stage (September 22), Fuzhou Guangchang Stage (September 23), Ji'an Taihe Stage (September 24), Ganzhou Anyuan Stage (September 25), and Ganzhou Shangyou Stage (September 26). All race segments are classified as UCI Asian Tour races (UCI 2.2 level).
The total race distance spans 3,027.3 kilometers, including 1,061.3 kilometers of racing distance and 1,966 kilometers of transfer distance. The 11 race stages feature a total of 25 intermediate sprint points and 12 climbing points. Twenty-two teams will participate, with approximately 220 participants including riders, team leaders, and coaches, all from professional teams, continental teams, and national teams, comprising competitors from 33 countries and regions including Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The event offers individual awards including overall general classification winner, sprint classification winner, mountain classification winner, best young rider, and Greater China general classification winner, as well as team classification awards, with total prize money reaching 700,000 yuan.
This year's Tour around Poyang Lake presents three major highlights worth noting:
**All Eleven Stages Included in UCI Asian Tour Series** This edition marks a historic breakthrough since the event's inception. With official certification from the International Cycling Union (UCI), all eleven stages of this year's Tour around Poyang Lake have been included in the UCI Asian Tour series, achieving a comprehensive upgrade for the entire event. Each stage of the Tour around Poyang Lake will provide valuable UCI points for participating riders, making it a core event that professional cyclists eagerly pursue.
**First Partnership with African Team** This edition of the Tour around Poyang Lake welcomes for the first time an African powerhouse—the Rwanda "May Star" team, marking a further enhancement of the event's international influence and representing Jiangxi's practical response to the Belt and Road Initiative in promoting sports and cultural exchanges. As a Belt and Road partner country, Rwanda's team participation demonstrates sports' power to transcend borders, serving as a vivid representation of China-Africa friendly cooperation on the competitive stage while showcasing Jiangxi's open and inclusive international image to the world.
**Creating a Sports Festival for All** This edition constructs a comprehensive event activity system of "stage linkage, full-age participation, and continuous engagement," encompassing 57 public activities including cycling orienteering challenges, public cycling experiences, mini Tour around Poyang Lake for children's balance bikes, youth cycling experience activities, thousand-person Tour around Poyang Lake support and flag relay, cycling-themed outdoor sports exhibitions, and cycling history exhibitions. These activities cover all aspects from professional competition to mass sports, youth development, and public leisure activities.