NANNING, China, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Colombian cyclist Fernando Gaviria of Team Quick Step Floors timed in two hours 19 minutes and 51 seconds to win the opening stage of the 2017 Gree Tour of Guangxi on Thursday.
The 24-year-old beat another hot favorite, Michael Matthews of Team SubWeb, right before the finish line to win the 107.4km race of two climbs and three sprints around Beihai city, while teammate Remi Cavagna won the green jersey and Silvan Dillier of BMC took the blue jersey.
Tour of Guangxi was included in the UCI WorldTour Series for the first time, featuring 18 world class cycling teams for six stages in as many days.
Gaviria, widely known for his sprinting ability, made his debut in UCI WorldTour Series in 2016 when he won eight stages.
"Even I finished first at the stage, I don't think I'm in the best form, and it's still hard to say whether I can perform to my best during the coming days," said Gaviria.
"It's always difficult to win the first stage. Fortunately the weather was nice today and was helpful for us to achieve good results," Gaviria added.
Quick Step Floors, a traditional strong cycling team of Belgium, has won more than 700 stages since its founding in 2003, and become victorious for an average of 60 stages every season.
The second stage of Tour of Guangxi, also the year-ending event of the UCI WorldTour Series, will start on Friday from coastal city Qinzhou to Nanning, the capital of Guangxi autonomous region.
