Preview, favourites, profile, route and predictions Tour of Guangxi 2025 stage 2 - Can Paul Magnier continue recent sprint dominance?

The Tour of Guangxi is the final World Tour event of the year and it closes out the calendar in Asia. China hosts the six-day race where there are still lots of UCI points to attribute and some meaningful victories too. Stage 2 will take place on the 15th of October.

The second day of the Chinese race presents an interesting challenge in what is an unusual stage format. Most of the route from Chongzuo to Jingxi is flat, but the finale offers a sting in the tail. The riders will tackle a 7.7-kilometre climb averaging 3.7% — not overly steep on paper, but long enough to become selective, especially if raced aggressively. What makes this ascent particularly important is its placement: the summit comes with just under 30 kilometres to go, and from there, the road remains either flat or slightly rolling all the way to the finish line.

This lack of descent after the climb makes it harder for dropped sprinters to regain contact, which could open the door for puncheurs or strong all-rounders to capitalise. Teams with reduced-sprint specialists or aggressive GC riders may use the climb to force a selection, while sprinter teams will be under pressure to keep things together. It's a tactical stage that doesn't quite fit the mold of a pure sprint day, nor is it mountainous enough to create major time gaps in the general classification — making it unpredictable and one of the more intriguing stages of the week.

With bonus seconds at the line and a rolling finale that can favour late attacks, this stage could have subtle implications for the overall standings as well. Expect an intense fight for position going into the climb, and a fast, technical run-in to the finish in Jingxi.

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

Pick: Paul Magnier

How: Sprint