Leitao wins final stage, Caicedo comes away with overall Qinghai title

Portugal's Iuri Leitao claimed the final stage at the 25th Tour of Magnificent Qinghai, while Ecuador's Jonathan Caicedo sealed the overall title, with the cycling race's eighth stage covering 146 kilometers from Xihaizhen to the Qinghai Lake Scenic Area on Saturday.

The closing leg featured three intermediate sprint points and one category-three climb.

After seven stages, the battle for the sprint classification remained extremely tight, with XDS Astana's Henok Mulubrhan from Eritrea and Li Ning Star's Alexander Salby from Denmark separated by just one point. The three sprint points along the route, along with the final dash to the line, provided key opportunities in their pursuit of the green jersey.

Salby enjoyed a strong start, taking the opening two intermediate sprints to collect 10 points and snatch a temporary lead in the classification. The Danish rider later dropped from the main group during the climb, however, ending his challenge ahead of the final push.

The peloton came back together for a bunch sprint that saw Caja Rural - Seguros RGA's Leitao claim the last stage victory of the race, while Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu's Caicedo came away with the overall title.