Tour of Guangxi 2026 previews, profiles, favourites & predictions - Can Tom Pidcock take his first ever World Tour stage-race win?
Cycling
The 2026 Tour of Guangxi will bring the World Tour calendar to a close, and will be one of the final races of the season. The Chinese race will take place from the 13th to 18th of October and host an array of Tour de France stage winners headlining it. Below, you will find the preview, route, dates, schedules and more.
The race was first held in 2017 with Tim Wellens taking the win in its inaugural edition. Typically, the race is almost fully flat in nature, with one day for the puncheurs to fight for the overall classification.
That has led to the race being won by classics specialists and climbers solely, with Gianni Moscon and Enric Mas taking the wins in 2018 and 2019 respectively. From 2020 to 2022, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the race did not take place.
In 2023 its return saw Milan Vader of Visma take the overall win; whilst Lennert van Eetvelt won the following year. In 2025 it was Jayco's Paul Double who won the overall classification following his win on the queen stage.
Stages Tour of Guangxi 2026
| Stage | Date | Day | Starting location | Finishing location | Distance | Type | Start time (local) | Start time (CET) | Finish time (local) | Finish time (CET) |
| 1 | 13 October | Tuesday | Chongzuo | Chongzuo | 149.5 km | Flat | 10:30h | 04:30h | 14:00h | 08:00h |
| 2 | 14 October | Wednesday | Chongzuo | Jingxi | 179.2 km | Hilly | 11:10h | 05:10h | 15:00h | 09:00h |
| 3 | 15 October | Thursday | Jingxi | Bama | 211.3 km | Hilly | 11:00h | 05:00h | 15:00h | 09:00h |
| 4 | 16 October | Friday | Bama | Tian'e | 164.8 km | Hilly | 11:00h | 05:00h | 15:00h | 09:00h |
| 5 | 17 October | Saturday | Jinchengjiang | Yizhou | 169.8 km | Hilly | 10:30h | 04:30h | 14:30h | 08:30h |
| 6 | 18 October | Sunday | Yizhou | Nongla | 165.9 km | Hilly | 10:00h | 04:00h | 14:00h | 08:00h |
Preview Tour of Guangxi 2026
Defending champion Paul Double will be present in order to try and defend his title but the mission will be part with Tom Pidcock at the helm of Pinarello - as the main favourite for the overall win. The likes of Afonso Eulálio, Léo Bisiaux, Mikkel Honoré, Neilson Powless, Juan Ayuso, Jarno Widar, Kévin Vauquelin, Jhonatan Narváez, Ilan van Wilder, Daniel Martínez and Maxim van Gils will all be strong contenders for the overall win.
In the sprinter field some exciting battles can be expected with Paul Magnier returning to try and assert his dominance. Only this year, the field is stronger. Tour de France stage winner Olav Kooij might be his main challenger, but not th ony one. Max Kanter, Milan Fretin, Arvid de Kleijn, Juan Sebastián Molano, Jordi Meeus, Noah Hobbs, and Kaden Groves present. Of course, Fabio Jakobsen's return to World Tour racing is also highly anticipated.
An in-depth preview will follow...
Profile stage 1: Chongzuo - Chongzuo
Chongzuo - Chongzuo, 149 kilometers
The race begins with a stage starting and finishing in Chongzuo, a pan-flat day with no obstacles towards a bunch sprint - which will elect the first leader of the race.
Profile stage 2: Chongzuo - Jingxi
Chongzuo - Jingxi, 179 kilometers
Stage 2 of the Chinese race will begin in the same city, but not feature the same flat profile. A cmall climb of 8.5 kilometers at just over 3% will be placed with under 40 kilometers to go - but nothing that should disrupt the flow of the sprinters.
Profile stage 3: Jingxi - Bama
Jingxi - Bama, 211 kilometers
The third day of racing will begin in Jingxi and provide a different challenge for the riders, with 211 kilometers on the menu.
The race will not be fully flat, and the finale somewhat hilly. A set of small hilltops (most notably 2.7Km at 4.7%) and 800 meters at 5% will be placed inside the final hour of racing, but only if they are raced at full speed can they damage the peloton.
Profile stage 4: Bama - Tian'e
Bama - Tian'e, 164 kilometers
Stage 4 is this year's novelty in the race, with some climbing added to the mix on a day that can prove tricky. In a race with only one stage that usually creates some differences, any second won on stage 4 could prove decisive for the overall classification.
The stage departs from Bama and features around 2700 meters of climbing. There will be a few categorized climbs and a lot of rolling terrain in which it is not easy to control the race.
With just under 50 kilometers to go there will be a 2-kilometer long climb at 7% (inside a longer slight uphill drag); whilst with 23 kilometers to go there is a sharp hilltop of 1.7 kilometers at 8.5%.
The road to the finish in Tian'e is almost fully downhill from that point onwards, and so it could be a battled and tactical finale with the GC riders trying to anticipate their rivals.
Profile stage 5: Jinchengijan - Yizhou
Jinchengijan - Yizhou, 169 kilometers
The fifth stage of the race returns to its more traditional course. There will be three categorized climbs after the riders depart Jinchengijan, however a bunch sprint in Yizhou will be hard to prevent.
Profile stage 6: Yizhou - Nangla
Yizhou - Nongla, 165 kilometers
As usual, the race features the Nongla summit finish, crucial for the GC. The final stage of the race, 165 kilometers in length, begins in Yizhou, and is almost fully pan-flat.
The final climb to Nongla then features 3.2 kilometers at 7.3%. The most meaningful part of the climb are the final 1.2 kilometers which average almost 15%, making it a perfect finale for the puncheurs.
Read also
List of winners Tour of Guangxi
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| 2025 | Paul Double | Christophe Laporte | Jhonatan Narváez |
| 2024 | Lennert Van Eetvelt | Oscar Onley | Alex Baudin |
| 2023 | Milan Vader | Rémy Rochas | Ethan Hayter |
| 2019 | Enric Mas | Daniel Martínez | Diego Rosa |
| 2018 | Gianni Moscon | Felix Großschartner | Sergei Chernetski |
| 2017 | Tim Wellens | Bauke Mollema | Nicolas Roche |
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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