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Cycling is primarily a European sport, as Europe is where the majority of races, teams, and riders are concentrated. However, in recent years, the final stretch of the season takes place in Asia. The UCI WorldTour concludes with the Gree - Tour of Guangxi; the UCI Women's WorldTour ends with the 3-stage Tour of Chongming Island and the women's one-day race of the Tour of Guangxi; and the men's UCI ProSeries, with the Japan Cup Cycle Road Race. Three races in China and one in Japan that will mark the end of the road racing season and the beginning of the rest period for cyclists, until a new season begins with the first Australian events in January.

Gree - Tour of Guangxi: Route and Favorites

The final race of the men's WorldTour consists of 6 stages, with possibly 4 or 5 ending in bunch sprints. The decisive stage for the general classification will undoubtedly be the fourth, which features the only uphill finish of the race at the Ningla Scenic Area (3.3 km at 6.6%).

Olav Kooij (1000), Sam Bennett (600), Arvid De Klein (400), Max Kanter (400), Sam Welsford (400), Arnaud De Lie (400), Jonathan Milan (600), Ethan Hayter (1200), and Elia Viviani (400) are some of the top sprinters on the start list. For the general classification, Ethan Hayter (1200), Matteo Jorgenson (800), Felix Grossschartner (400), Andreas Leknessund (800), Maximilian Schachmann (200), Christian Rodriguez (200), and Arnaud De Lie (400) are some of the favorites.

Tour of Chongming Island: Route and Favorites

The three stages of the Tour of Chongming Island are completely flat, so the overall winner is likely to be a sprinter.

Chiara Consonni (800), Tamara Dronova (600), Rachele Barbiere (400), Marta Lach (400), Georgia Baker (400), Tereza Nemanová (200), Gladys Verhulst (200), Daria Pikulik (200), and Eleonora Gasparrini (600) are some of the top sprinters we can find in the list of participants.

Japan Cup Cycle Road Race: Route and Favorites

The Japan Cup Cycle Road Race is a one-day race held on the 10.5 km circuit where the 1990 UCI Road World Championships took place, in Utsonomiya, Japan. This time, two additional laps have been added to the circuit compared to last year, increasing it from 14 to 16 laps. The circuit includes the ascent of Kogashiyama (5 km at 3.4%) as the only climb.

Favorites for this race are likely to be found among punchers and classics specialists. Giulio Ciccone (1000), Julian Alaphilippe (800), Guillaume Martin (600), Maxim Van Gils (400), Axel Zingle (400), Juan Pedro López (600), Bauke Mollema (400), Lorenzo Rota (400), Georg Zimmermann (400), Simon Carr (200), Fausto Masnada (200), and Harm Vanhoucke (200) are some of the top candidates for victory.

Tour of Guangxi: Route and Favorites

The women's race that closes the season is the Tour of Guangxi, a one-day event linked to its male counterpart. The race features a 144 km route that includes the two climbs from the final stage of the men's Gree - Tour of Guangxi, one being 2.7 km at 5% and the other 4.2 km at 4.6%. These difficulties come around 40 kilometers before the finish, so it remains to be seen whether the outcome will be a solo breakaway, a selected sprint, or if the peloton can regain ground lost on the climbs and set up a bunch sprint.

The participant list for this race is not yet available at the time of writing this article, so it's impossible to discuss favorites.

Photo: © Tour of Guangxi