Preview, favourites, profile, route and predictions Tour of Guangxi 2025 stage 1 - Paul Magnier big favourite with opening sprint expected

The Tour of Guangxi marks the final event on the UCI WorldTour calendar, bringing the curtain down on the professional road cycling season. Held in southern China, this six-day stage race offers a last opportunity for riders and teams to collect valuable UCI points, seal contract renewals, or end the year on a high. While it comes at a quieter moment in the cycling calendar, it still holds weight — particularly for riders targeting late-season form or teams looking to secure World Tour status. The 2025 edition begins on October 14th with an opening stage that should suit the sprinters.

Stage 1 is a relatively straightforward affair, featuring a 149-kilometre circuit around the coastal city of Fangchenggang, near the Vietnamese border. The route loops through both urban and surrounding rural areas, and although it includes three short climbs per lap, they are neither long nor steep enough to cause significant damage. While the presence of these ascents might tempt opportunists to attack — especially with bonus seconds on the line — it’s expected that the sprinters’ teams will keep things under control, eyeing the first leader’s jersey of the race.

Positioning will be key in the final kilometres, as the run-in to the line features a few technical corners and slight elevation changes that could stretch the peloton. Nonetheless, the expectation is for a fast, mass sprint, where some of the World Tour’s fastest finishers will look to grab a rare late-season win. A victory here would not only secure the first leader’s jersey, but also provide valuable momentum in a race that, while relatively young on the calendar, has become a fixture for riders looking to end their season on a high note.

*** Paul Magnier
** Jordi Meeus, Phil Bauhaus, Pavel Bittner
* Oded Kogut, Fernando Gaviria, Max Walscheid, Max Kanter

Pick: Paul Magnier

How: Bunch sprint