With a good team performance of the Marco Polo Cycling Club, Malaya van Ruitenbeek finished 3rd overall in the first Ordos Tour of Genghis Khan in the Inner-Mongolia province in China. The 140 km stage in the new city of Kang Bangshi took the peloton on a 7 km course passing a spectaculair park and some modern architectural highlights. The strong wind made the cross-wind finish straight hard and only 50 of the 80 riders finished. The stage was won by Hong Kong's Kam Po Wong ahead of Chinese Peng Da Jiao. From the Marco Polo Cycling riders Koos Jeroen Kers finished 9th, Remko Kramer 14th and Lars van de Vall 21st. The 24th place of Malaya was enough to keep the 3rd place in the overall. In the team classification the Marco Polo Cycling Club was tied in the same time as 3rd, but due too better stage results it became the 4th place.
Malaya van Ruitenbeek on the podium next to stage winner David McCann with champagne, after stage 1 of the 1st Ordos Tour of Genghis Khan in Inner-Mongolia, China. (photo: Remko Kramer)
The race started with a break-away of the strong Estonian Champion Mart Ojavee which was soon covered. Later he got away with Kam Po Wong and a Chinese rider for several laps, but they never got much time ahead. The Champion Systems team chased them back.
Then it was time for the Kazach team to attack with a Chinese rider. Their advantage grew to almost a minute and the Marco Polo Cycling Club also joined the chase. With several laps of hard work this break was also caught. And it seemed to go into a mass sprint. However Kam Po Wong had different plans and still got away with Peng Da Jiao. He won the stage and Peng became 2nd. In the last lap there were still some break-aways from the peloton. And Malaya was allert and got away with 6, Tour leader David McCann still bridged over, with Lars van Vall on his wheel. They seemed to take the top 10, but the cooperation stopped and a Chinese lead-out into the last 2 km came at full speed. In the last kilometer the group got rolled over and the field sprint for 3rd was won by Chinese Liu Bo to take 3rd. And Marco Polo Cycling riders Koos Jeroen Kers finished 9th, Remko Kramer 14th and Lars van de Vall 21st.
Malaya van Ruitenbeek on the podium after the first stage of the 1st Ordos Tour of Genghis Khan in Inner-Mongolia, China. (photo: Remko Kramer)
The Marco Polo Cycling Club participated in the 1st Ordos Tour of Genghis Khan in the Inner-Mongolia province in China. The team named after the most famous traveler in history competed in the race named after the most famous conquerer. With a strong Dutch selection the team raced at October 15 the Dongsheng Circuit race and at 16 the Kang Bashe Circuit race in Ordos.
The team from the Marco Polo Cycling Club in the 1st Ordos Tour of Genghis Khan, Inner-Mongolia, China. From left to right, Koos Jeroen Kers, Peter van Agtmaal, Malaya van Ruitenbeek, Matthe Pronk, Remko Kramer and Lars van de Vall. (photo Tijl van der Steeg)
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