Stage Seven of the Qinghai Lake Tour was supposed to be a decisive stage and the winner of the overall to emerge. But since the Iranians took Yellow already and they had no more reason to go out on the attack, they just paid the Amore & Vita CONAD team to ride on the front to keep the pace steady. The final KOM climb did shake things up a bit, but 60 riders still managed to get over the top and Shlipevsky the Russian sprinter also made it over in the lead group and won the final sprint. Today I rode in the Loborika Team Car – a Croatian Team sponsored by the village of Loborika. I have been travelling in different team cars each day for a different behind-the-scenes perspective of what goes on in the convoy.
After the fireworks of stage six – the Iranian Tabriz Petrochemical Team took all four jerseys that are on offer. The pictures below are of historical significance as they performed this feat for the first time in history.
The Qinghai Lake Tour continues to wind its way through some pretty stunning scenery. Qinghai is definitely a place to visit for those travelers seeking off-the-beaten track experience.