The race starts in Chāngpíng Qū, or Changping district, a suburb of northwest Beijing. The district has the famous site of thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty, Mausoleum of Emperors and Empress buried between 1424 and 1644. Today the district has a population of at least 2 million inhabitants. From Changping the route travels into the mountain finishing at Si Zuo Lou in Pinggu Qū.
The route today contains no less than five categorized climb, giving it an important role in the overall KoM category. Also interesting to note that last year’s stage winner Kinoshita, also won the overall GC. 139 riders start the race including 3 local wildcards.
Visconti opens the stage just as the peloton leave Changping. After this there was a huge fight to create the breakaway of the day.
All there riders tried to get away, many more than once, Van Aert, Thaouta, Kanepejs, Thomson, Saggiorato, Kung, Koshevoy, Tatarinov, Debesay, Armee, Ramos Ticona and Costagli
The peloton starts the first climb all together, but two attacks start as soon as the slope excess 5%, in front Visconti and Debesay, just 10-15” later Costagli, Tatarinov and Ramos Ticona
Result of KoM1 (cat3) 4.6km at 4.5% Visconti Debesay Ramos Ticona
Over the KoM climb Ramos Ticona attacks from the 2” group; he joins the stage leaders after just 4 km.
Situation at this point is Costagli, Tatarinov at 51”, peloton at 1’44”
171 km to the finish, 25.4 to the next KoM.
After a few minutes to get back his breath Ramos Ticona does a lot of work in the breakaway. The two riders in the 2nd group get caught. The pace in the peloton is enough to drop the first 5 rider.
The 2nd KoM is 3.9 km at 4.3% again it is Visconti first over the line.
Result of KoM2 (cat3) Visconti Ramos Ticona Debesay
On the downhill after the climb we get a crash, it is Feillu down first, later taking Gonzalez Salas and one of the local wildcard riders with him.
Starting the first cat.2 climb, 12.6 km at 4.7%
Peloton is led by Kupfernagel, Hayakawa, Malacarne and other riders from these three teams.
The distance when the break has 11.5 km to the top is 2’51, the pace is not yet hard enough to drop many riders, peloton 132.
6.8 km to the top for the peloton, a group of 34 riders are dropped.
To mention a few we see Costagli, Fumeaux, Khederi and Honkisz in this group.
Ramos Ticona attack for the KoM from 2.7 km making a nice gap, but Visconti slowly comes back and reaches the top first.
The peloton is 99 riders passing over the top, distance 2’57, some riders are back including Khederi.
Result of KoM (cat2) Visconti Ramos Ticona Debesay Molard Favilli
As soon as the KoM is done the peloton speed up, led by a coalition of Compal-Merida, Generali – EDF, MOL - OMV Petrom and Berg Cycles
The distance is reduced by more than a minute to just 1’43 over the next 15 km.
Next KoM (cat.3) 4.3 km at 5.1% Visconti attacks, creating a 27” gap to his companions. Also the peloton is fast now, when they reach the top distance is just 1’15” with 75 km left for Visconti
Result KoM Visconti Ramos Ticona Debesay
The peloton keep up the aggressive riding and very soon the breakaway is over. 94 riders in the first group 50 km to the line.
The fact that the breakaway is over does not mean that things slow down, the pace is hot more and more riders drop.
45 km left, a group left behind with Tatarinov and Grmay.
Soon after Belmokhtar and Mollema
35 km left, Jiao and Kozontchuk drops.
26 km left Tanovitchii get droped too.
10 km to the line, in one of the groups further back a crash, Feillu, Ortega and Villalobos
7 km to the line, 71 riders left in the peloton. We are starting the final climb towards the finish, 4.7 km to the final KoM climb coming a little before the stage finish. The actual climbing starts now the first riders already at 6.6%, but officially it is only the last 3.6 km at 8.8% avg.
This is how it looks up front at this point, riders in approx. this order: Rovny, Russo, Serry, Lavery, Ulissi, Vachon, Flügel, Shirota, Kinoshita, Matysiak, Froome, Malacarne, Rabottini, Kwiatkowski, Anuar Aziz, Di Maggio, Aregger, Reichenbach, Vogt, McEvoy, Molard, Portela, Khalilikhosroshani, Favilli, Barrio, Mehr-Wenige is in the group of Kraftwerk riders at the left of the photo, behind them just a small gap.
The situation with Rovny, Russo, Serry, Lavery in front of the pack continues up to the 5 km mark, just now Russo first.
But then we get the first important development, Lavery with Ulissi at wheel push very hard.
With 4.3 km to the finish line Kinoshita have moved up to the side of Lavery still with Ulissi, on a straight line behind him McEvoy, Schachmann (Where did he come from?) and Di Maggio.
A gap of 6-8 meters behind him.
Another km, in this ordre Froome, McEvoy Di Maggio, Flügel, Schachmann Anuar Aziz, Russo, Rabottini, Thièry and Kwiatkowski have gathered in a group behind group Kinoshita (totally 10 riders close together but officially the group is 26)
This group has just a tiny gap to the leading trio. Kinoshita, Lavery and Ulissi.
3 km to line Kinoshita attacks, Ulissi right behind, while Lavery can’t hold whell.
2.5 km to the top, 200 meters to the KoM
Leading Kinoshita with Ulissi at wheel
At 31” a group of 6 riders, Froome, Anuar Aziz, Di Maggio, Flügel, Lavery and McEvoy.
At 48” 24 riders, with Vogt, Kwiatkowski, Sanchez Gil, Reichenbach, Betancourt, Serry, Levarlet.
At 1’35 36 riders, with Boily, Caruso, Venter, Barrio, Hategeka
group Froome
Kinoshita accelerates at the KoM and now it seems like Ulissi might lose contact.
Result KoM (2) Kinoshita Ulissi Froome Anuar Aziz Di Maggio
When group Froome passes the KoM they are at 43”
Kwiatkowski have attacked from 3rd group now caught McEvoy who was dropped, they are at 1’09. What may now be the peloton 30 riders at 1’16.
Kinoshita wins the first stage at Si Zuo Lou with 11” down to Ulissi
Flügel attacks from the 2nd group, building a small gap to the others, while Lavery seems to struggle hanging on now.
Flügel holds for 3rd at 58”
Di Maggio wins the sprint for 4th, in front of Anuar Aziz 5th, Froome 6th and Lavery 7th all at 1’04”
Kwiatkowski 8th and McEvoy 9th at 1’23
Betancourt wins the sprint in the next group for 10th at 1’35
Kinoshita also take points clasification
Visconti holds the KoM with 10 points to Ramos Ticona
Vogt leads the youth in the same time as teammate Schachmann
[C1] Tour of Beijing 
