author：qinghaihu publish time：2025-07-09
24th”ICBC”Tour of Magnificent Qinghai 2025-S4 LAAS Martin Conquers Qilian Sprint, SILVA COUSSAN Guillermo Thomas Defends Yellow Jersey
MENYUAN, Qinghai, China – July 9, 2025 – Estonian sprinter LAAS Martin (Quick Pro Team) powered to victory in a thrilling bunch sprint on Stage 4 of the 24th”ICBC”Tour of Magnificent Qinghai 2025. Spain’s Guillermo Thomas SILVA (Caja Rural – Seguros RGA) successfully defended the overall leader’s Yellow Jersey.
The 173km stage, sponsored by Western Mining, started in Menyuan. Riders tackled foothills of the Qilian Mountains early on before a long descent to the picturesque finish in Qilian County, renowned as the “Little Switzerland of the East”.
After intense racing, LAAS Martin surged past yesterday’s stage winner, SALBY Alexander (Li Ning Star), in the final meters to claim the stage win. SALBY Alexander secured second place, while Enrico ZANONCELLO Enrico (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè) finished third.
Jersey Winners:
Elated Estonian: A thrilled LAAS Martin credited recovery and tactics for his win. “I haven’t felt great the past few days, but after adjusting over the last two days, I clearly felt recovered,” he stated post-race. “Today’s stage wasn’t excessively hilly. The long, gradual descent helped me conserve energy perfectly. The peloton sprint was very fast; Alexander launched early, I latched onto his wheel, accelerated past him to create the gap, and I’m incredibly happy to take the stage victory.”
Stage Profile & Scenery: The “Western Mining” Menyuan to Qilian stage featured the race’s iconic climb, Jingyangling Pass (2 category), another 3 category climb, and three intermediate sprints. Alongside the challenging parcours, riders passed scenic landmarks including Gangshika, the vast Qilian Grasslands, and the Ebao Ancient City Ruins Park.
Under clear skies and 13°C (55°F), 143 riders rolled out from Menyuan at 11:00 AM sharp.
Following two demanding opening stages, the GC teams controlled the pace early, neutralizing multiple breakaway attempts despite constant attacks from the gun.
After 37km, the peloton stayed together for the first intermediate sprint at Gangshika, won by ALLENO Clement (Burgos Burpellet BH). URIARTE BELZUNEGI Diego (Equipo Kern Pharma) took second, and GARCIA TREJO Carlos Alfonso (Petrolike) claimed third. A brief attack followed the sprint but was quickly reeled in.
By 50km, no break had succeeded. SEYFOLLAHIFARD Hasan (Tianyoude Hotel Cycling Team) took maximum points at the first KOM summit. PELLAUD Simon (Li Ning Star) and COBO CAYON Ivan (Equipo Kern Pharma) followed in second and third.
Breakaway Forms: The day’s significant move finally materialized after 64km. SAINBAYAR Jambaljamts (Burgos Burpellet BH), CHRISTOPHERSEN Cedrik Bakke (Unibet Tietema Rockets), and CAMPOS Roniel (Chengdu DYC Cycling Team) escaped, building a maximum lead of 1 minute 35 seconds.
Jingyangling Summit: The trio crested the decisive Jingyangling Pass first. CHRISTOPHERSEN took the KOM points, followed by CAMPOS and JAMBALJAMTS. They started the descent with a 1:20 advantage.
Passing the historic Ebao Ancient Ruins City Park landmark – also the location of the second sprint point – the gap hovered around 1:30 minutes. Caja Rural – Seguros RGA, vigilant because CHRISTOPHERSEN sat just 14 seconds behind SILVA on GC, drove the peloton’s chase.
JAMBALJAMTS and CHRISTOPHERSEN took the top spots at the Ebao sprint, with CAMPOS third. With 60km to go, Team Polti VisitMalta joined the chase effort at the front of the peloton.
Final Sprint Point: CHRISTOPHERSEN claimed the final intermediate sprint at 30km to go, with JAMBALJAMTS second and CAMPOS third. The gap remained near 1 minute. However, the committed peloton steadily closed in, finally catching the escapees with 18km remaining to set up a bunch finish.
Bunch Sprint Decides: In the final 5km, Petrolike, Li Ning Star, and Quick Pro Team battled for control. SALBY Alexander launched his sprint first, but LAAS Martin timed his effort perfectly, accelerating powerfully past the SALBY Alexander to seize the stage victory.
Up Next: Stage 5 (Sponsored by China Sports Lottery) takes riders from Qilian to Gangcha on July 10th. Featuring three categorized climbs, including the formidable Dadongshu Mountain, and one intermediate sprint, the stage is primed for fierce battles among the GC contenders and climbers.
