Nuño Palacio, Van der Meer Take Wins at Qiansen Trophy Round 1 – Results

The first of two rounds of the 2018 Qiansen Trophy in China took place on Sunday in Aohan, which located in the country’s Inner Mongolia province.

On the line on Sunday for the international field were C1 points and the chance to start the 2018/19 season on a high note.

Conditions in Aohan were dusty with a strong wind blowing across the relatively-open course. With the course built in a low-lying area, an embankment provided a good spectating spot for the decently sized crowd that turned out in the rural China town.

Conditions were dry and dusty in Aohan, China. 2018 Qiansen Trophy Round 1. photo: screen shot

The course featured two flyovers, including one that was multi-directional, and there were two steep climbs, including one at the start of the lap that was reminiscent of Koppenberg and Namur (okay, not really).

The course in Aohan, China included two flyovers. 2018 Qiansen Trophy Round 1. photo: screen shot

The international field, the massive time difference for many of the riders and the unique setting make the Qiansen Trophy races tough to handicap. If there were favorites in the Women’s race, it was likely defending champion Joyce Vanderbeken (Bike Advice), Aida Nuño Palacio (Garaje Paco) and Sammi Runnels (Squid Squad). The first two are ranked in the top 40 and Runnels is ranked 54th.

The favorites did not disappoint in the Women’s race. Nuño Palacio of Spain and Runnels started fast before the Spaniard opened up a gap on the two steep climbs. She held on to take the win. Vanderbeken finished the race strong to take second and Runnels added another podium with a third-place finish to go with her two wins last weekend in Australia.

The top-ranked men heading into Sunday’s race were Anthony Clark (Squid Squad)—61, Hikaru Kosaka (Japan Selection)—64, Ondrej Glajza (Tj Auto Skoda Mlada Boleslav)—74, Justin Lindine (Apex)—77 and Nichola Samparisi (Ktm Selle Smp Alchemist)—78.

The winner did not come from that list. After finishing second twice in Australia, Gosse van der Meer (Bombtrack Bicycles Powered By Hunt Wheels) broke through on Sunday with a win in China. It was a big day for stylish mustaches and cyclocross riders running individual programs. Samparisi finished second and Clark rounded out the podium in third.

Top eight finishers for the Women’s and Men’s races are below. We will update the full results when they become available.

Round 2 of the Qiansen Trophy takes place on Thursday in FengFeng.

If you are interested, a replay of the race is currently available online, although we are not sure how long the link will be available.

Women's Full Results: 2018 Qiansen Trophy Round 1

Men's Full Results: 2018 Qiansen Trophy Round 1