14th Tour of Poyang Lake cycling race kicks off in east China

The 14th Tour of Poyang Lake International Cycling Race kicked off Sunday in east China’s Jiangxi Province, drawing over 120 cyclists who will compete in one of the longest professional road cycling tours in Asia this year.

The race has attracted 21 teams from more than 40 countries and regions, including China, Italy, Australia and Thailand.

In Sunday’s opening stage, German rider Jonas Rapp of China’s FNIX-SCOM-Hengxiang continental team claimed victory. The 31-year-old is a former German national climbing champion who joined the Chinese team in 2025.

The race features 10 stages covering a total distance of over 1,100 kilometers and will conclude on September 29 in Pengze County in the north of Jiangxi Province.

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 34 pips to 6.7487 against the U.S. dollar Monday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.

In China’s spot foreign exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 2 percent from the central parity rate each trading day.

The central parity rate of the yuan against the U.S. dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day.