BAOTING, South China, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Vitaliy Buts, a cyclist from Ukraine national team, won the first stage of the 2009 Tour of Hainan International Road Cycling Race held here on Wednesday.

    The 128.6-kilometer race started in Sanya. The 23-year-old Buts finished first in 2:46:30, beating his teammate Mykhaylo Khalilov by 10 seconds. Gordon McCauley came in the third in 2:46:41.

    Wearing both the yellow and green jersey, Buts said he was satisfied with his performance and quite happy to claim the title. He also appreciated the support of his teammates.

    Malaysian rider Mohd Razif Salleh from LeTua Cycling Team got the blue jersey for the best Asian rider. Valentin Iglinskiy received the polka-dot jersey by leading the KOM general classification.

    Covering over 1,400 kilometers, the nine-stage tour will visit all the 18 cities and counties of the south China's province for the first time.

    A total of 20 teams including one UCI continental professional team, 12 continental teams, six national teams and one regional team will compete for the total prize money of 250,000 U.S. dollars.

    The tour of Hainan will finish in Sanya on Nov. 19.