Spanish Rider Secures Season Finale Win in Naning Showdown
Spanish cyclist Sandra Alonso from the Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling team delivered a stunning final sprint to claim victory at the 2024 Tour of Guangxi Women’s World Tour on October 20th. The Spanish champion narrowly edged out Italian rider Giada Borghesi of Human Powered Health in a thrilling two-rider sprint finish that concluded the UCI Women’s WorldTour season.
Alonso’s teammate Marta Lach rounded out the podium, winning the chase group sprint to secure third place and complete a successful day for the German-registered Ceratizit-WNT team. The victory marked a perfect conclusion to Alonso’s season and demonstrated her growing prowess in WorldTour competitions.
Breakaway Decides Race Outcome
The race’s decisive moment came during the fourth lap when Borghesi launched a powerful attack on the challenging Qingxiu Mountain climb. Only Alonso managed to match the Italian’s acceleration, and the pair quickly established a winning advantage over the pursuing peloton.
Despite relentless chasing from behind, the two leaders maintained their cooperation until the final kilometers. Alonso timed her sprint perfectly, coming around Borghesi in the closing meters to take the biggest victory of her career.
“I knew I had to be patient and wait for the right moment,” Alonso commented after the race. “Giada was incredibly strong today, but my team had confidence in me, and I’m thrilled to finish the season with this beautiful victory.”
Challenging Circuit Tests Riders
The 134.3-kilometer race featured five laps of a demanding 27.3-kilometer circuit around Nanning’s Guangxi Cultural and Art Center. Riders faced the circuit’s signature challenge five times – a steep 1.4-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 11.7% through Qingxiu Mountain, accumulating over 1,500 meters of total elevation gain.
The difficult profile sparked aggressive racing from the start, with numerous attacks forming on the first ascent just 5.9 kilometers into the race. An early breakaway of three riders established the day’s first significant move, but it was the fourth-lap attack by Borghesi that ultimately decided the race.
International Field Completes WorldTour Season
The event featured 18 elite women’s teams, including Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling, Human Powered Health, UAE Team ADQ, and the Chinese National Team, bringing together the world’s best riders for the final Women’s WorldTour event of the 2024 season.
The race commenced with opening ceremonies attended by senior Guangxi officials, including Lu Xinning, Vice Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, who officially started the event.
The Tour of Guangxi Women’s World Tour successfully concluded the international cycling season in China, showcasing Nanning’s capability to host world-class cycling events while providing dramatic racing that lived up to its WorldTour status.
