Profiles & Route Tour of Guangxi 2023

Profile. From the 12th to the 17th of October the peloton takes on the final World Tour event. The Tour of Guangxi returns after several years due to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, and will provide a final opportunity for riders to put on important wins.

The six stages have very simple formats. Most of the roads that the race will find are pan-flat, and the organizers insert a few ascents on some days where the overall classification should be decided. The opening two stages are certain bunch sprints, stages 3 and 4 will have the GC be played out, whilst stages 5 and 6 should end in a sprint but both have a very similar combination of climbs where something can be played out.

Stage 1 of the race will start and finish in Beihai. It is a day with 135 kilometers on the menu and three laps of a long circuit. This one features a 1.5-kilometer ascent at 4.7% which ends with 17.5 kilometers to go, but it shouldn't prevent a bunch sprint. A non-technical bunch sprint wraps it up.

600 meters of climbing on day 2 of racing. It is a different day that moves from city to city, but it does again feature three laps that should lead to a bunch sprint. This time in Qinzhou, it will be another urban flat sprint.

Stage 3 features a five-lap circuit in Nanning. 134 kilometers in distance, it is the most explosive stage and only one that can actually see differences from far away. Certainly riders will save their legs for the final ascent as all roads inbetween are pan-flat.

However the ascent is 1.4 kilometers long at 11.5%, this is hard enough to make differences, create splits. The climb ends with 19.5 kilometers to go. There is space to reorganize afterwards, however it is an open day.

Stage 4 should be the queen stage of the race. Not overly hard, it is a one-effort day, which is mostly pan-flat and then the race will kick off in the run-up to the final ascent.

This will be the Nongla Scenic Area ascent, a familiar sight in the race. It is a day for the puncheurs certainly, it's a big-ring ascent all the way (the profile exaggerates the steepness of the finale, local GPS error). It's 3.3 kilometers at 6.6%, an explosive effort which could lead to a reduced group sprint, but late attacks and only a few seconds can decide the overall classification.

Stage 5 is the longest of the race. With 209 kilometers in distance and a couple climbs, it can actually see a reduced bunch sprint. It depends on how the racing pans out. There is a quick combo of two ascents: 5Km at 3.3% and 4.5Km at 4.6% which summit with 41 and 35 kilometers to go.

Following the descent however the roads are pan-flat into Guilin with no traps before a regular sprint finish.

Stage 6 features the virtually same formula to that of the previous day. A pan-flat day with a combination of two small ascents that can see some action. The final day of racing ends in Guilin and it features a combination of 2.7Km at 5% and 4.2Km with 4.6% which ends with 52 and 42 kilometers to go.