NANNING, China, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Fernando Gaviria kept winning for Quick Step Floors Team on Friday as the Colombian star cyclist clocked 3 hours 43 minutes and 54 seconds to take the second stage of the 2017 Gree UCI WorldTour Tour of Guangxi.
For the 162km stage from Qinzhou to Nanning, the capital of Guangxi autonomous region, the 24-year-old Gaviria became the triple winner of red, blue and white jerseys, as the overall individual leader, the best sprinter and the best young rider respectively.
Silvan Dillier of Team BMC took the green jersey in the stage.
During the stage, a mostly level road with two climbs and three sprints, the riders failed in their breakaway attempts, then queued up for the first 30 kilometers.
Dillier, Jonathan Lastra of CajaRural-SegurosRGA and Wang Meiyin of Bahrain Merida then rushed ahead for a four-minute-lead over the peloton for most of the time, before Thomas De Gendt and Gaviria overtook them to lead the final five kilometers.
"The first half of the race was quite difficulty as the leading group was very fast but we managed to stay close behind," said Gaviria, who also won the opening stage on Thursday in the year-ending event of the UCI WorldTour Series.
"My teammates gave me a lot of help. The last 3 kilometers were like a climbing course, and it was a fierce competition. I just wanted to do my best and fortunately I made it," said Gaviria who eventually won the photo finish over De Gendt.
Wang Meiyin, the only Chinese cyclist in the Tour of Guangxi, which was included in the UCI Series for the first time, was named "the Most Active Rider" in the stage.
"I came back early from Europe to prepare for the race and our team has made a special training plan for me. I want to thank our team for giving me the opportunity," said Wang.
The third stage of the Tour is a 125.6km race in the city of Nanning with two climbs and two sprints on Saturday.
