Cyclists set off alongside Lihu Lake in Wuxi's Binhu district in the first stage of the 2019 Tour of Taihu Lake on Oct 10. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

During the first day's 5.5 km Wuxi Individual Time Trial held in the Wuxi Economic Development Zone, Matthias Brandle from the Israel Cycling Academy (ICA) took home the trophy with a stunning time of just 6:07. This made him the first holder of the orange jersey -- the event's top honor granted to the leader of the general individual classification by time.

The Austrian cyclist was followed very closely by last year's Individual Time Trial winner Dylan Kennett from the St George Continental Cycling Team (STG), beating him by two seconds. Kennet earned a green jersey for winning the sprint. STG's Michael Vink took third place with a time of 6:15.

The top three riders (center: Marco Benfatto, second from left: Dylan Kennett, second from right: Brenton Jones) of the first stage of the 2019 Tour of Taihu Lake pose on the podium on Oct 10. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

In today's 88.8 km Binhu Circuit, Marco Benfatto from Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec (ANS) secured a narrow win against Dylan Kennett (second place) and Brenton Jones (third place) from Delko Marseille Provence (DMP). Chinese cyclist Bai Lijun from Ningxia Sports Lottery Livall Gusto (NLC) retained his red jersey, which is given to the best rider from Greater China.

The Taihu Lake Tour, now a fixture of the UCI Asia Tour calendar, hopes to meet international standards by improving its activities and brand image. As a part of the Yangtze River Delta Regional Integration Project, the event has become an important platform for integrating sports with culture, tourism, and the environment in the Yangtze River Delta region.

The second stage of the tour will kick off tomorrow at 11:00 am in Yixing, a county-level city in Wuxi. It will feature a 101 km course from Jinhu Road to Yunvtan Road.