Residents of Jinghe County of Bortala Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region wait for the launch of the 13th China Xinjiang Tour De Sayram Lake Cycling Race on Sunday morning. Photo: Feng Yu/GT

Residents of Jinghe County of Bortala Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region wait for the launch of the 13th China Xinjiang Tour De Sayram Lake Cycling Race on Sunday morning. Photo: Feng Yu/GT

 Organizers announced the official launch of the 13th China Xinjiang Tour de Saryam Lake Road Cycling Race on Saturday in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The race starts on June 23 in Jinghe County and ends on June 27 at the Saryam Lake scenic spot.

Cycling, improvement, environmental awareness and health are the themes of this year's event. With 163 contestants in 30 teams from all over China participating, the organizers hope to attract more and more tourists from home and abroad to this mysterious Silk Road region, using the annual race as a branding platform. 

There are 13 teams from Xinjiang and 17 teams from other provinces in China. Participants from Taiwan Island joined three teams. A sports club from Korla in Xinjiang and a team from local Wenquan have participated in all the previous 12 races. This year, they aim to brace for new challenges and make greater achievements.

The total bonus for cyclists this year increased to 400,000 yuan from 300,000 yuan in 2018. 

The 468-kilometer event is composed of five sections, covering Bole and Alashankou cities, Jinghe and Wenquan counties and the Saryam Lake, the five administrative units in Bortala, Xinjiang's smallest prefecture which borders Kazakhstan.

Bortala is confident of bringing in tourists with its unique geographical resources. It boasts Saryam Lake, nicknamed the last tear in the Atlantic Ocean, Aibi Lake, the largest salt lake in Xinjiang, Xarxili Nature Reserve, and Wenquan County, which means "hot spring" in Chinese, as the county is rich in hot springs. The prefecture is also home to Xinjiang salamanders, a live fossil level species that can be traced back to ancient times.

Steady economic and social development in recent years has seen an increase in the number of national and international tourists to Bortala.