The peloton of the 2023 National Road Cycling Championship winds through the Thousand Island Lake scenic area outside Hangzhou, Zhejiang province earlier this week. LIU HAIBIN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Nearly 400 cyclists from across China this week braved the rain and heat at the 2023 National Road Cycling Championship and National Youth Road Cycling Championship in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

The challenging but picturesque course, which started and finished at Asian Games venue Chun'an Jieshou Sports Centre and wove through the area's breathtaking natural landscape, earned a resounding thumbs-up from competitors.

"The steep slopes and sharp turns on the course suited me but were still challenging enough to improve my riding," said Guangdong cyclist Ma Binyan, who won the 210-kilometer men's individual road race in a time of 4 hours 47 minutes and 59 seconds.

Liu Yunyou of Hong Kong finished three seconds back in second place, with Wang Ruidong of Tianjin third.

The course traversed the Thousand Island Lake (Qiandao) scenic area, which features a huge reservoir with clean, crystal-clear water, forests, lush green mountains and exotic caves. The stunning scenery made for an extra special ride.

"Thousand Island Lake impressed me most with its clear water and natural scenery," Ma said.

Lu Siying, the women's individual time trial champion, concurred.

"The scenery along the road was very beautiful, especially when passing by the lake. Thousand Island Lake is rippling with blue waves, and its waters and skies merge in one color," she said.

Besides the spectacular scenery, the operation team ensured a smooth ride for all participants, providing friendly, top-class services and assistance, as Liu Haibin, one of the official photographers at the event, attested to.

Liu lost his accreditation card on the first day, and was concerned it could impact his work at the event.

"I was worried that I didn't have enough time to reapply for a new card to participate in the event, so I was pleasantly surprised that it only took five minutes after I submitted the application to reproduce my card!" he said.

"I work at many events in China and abroad, and it usually takes me a few hours to apply for a new accreditation card."

Chun'an Jieshou Sports Centre spared no efforts to ensure that athletes, media staff and technical officials could all perform and work to their best at the race.

"The smooth coordination of staff in our operation team has been key to quickly dealing with any situations that might arise," said Liu Zheng, the center's director of media operations.

Liu added that the operation team would listen to feedback from participants in order to make any improvements, if necessary, and continue to strive to present a top-level cycling race to the world.

This year, four cycling events have been successfully staged in Chun'an, helping the operation team to prepare the venue for the cycling events of the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The cycling events will be staged over a six-day period at Chun'an, with riders from 28 teams competing for 12 gold medals. The events are: individual road race, individual time trial, team time trial, city circle knockout competition, youth individual road race, individual time trial (all with male and female categories).

This week's 210-km course for the national championship's men's individual road race will be the main course for the cycling races of the Asian Games. The course features 37 bridges and 30 tunnels, and a mix of both flat and winding mountain roads.

Chun'an Jieshou Sports Centre Venue Cluster will host six events — triathlon, open water swimming, track and road cycling, mountain biking and BMX — during the Asian Games, which will take place from Sept 23 to Oct 8, and two events during the 4th Asian Para Games (Oct 22-28).

Contact the writer at fanxiaoying@chinadaily.com.cn