Having competed in Il Lombardia last Saturday, Graat was already on a plane to China on Sunday morning. He arrived in Nanning on Monday afternoon, where he was greeted by a six-hour time difference and tropical temperatures. "It's between 30 and 35 degrees here, which definitely takes its toll. But generally speaking, I cope quite well with the heat."

The Tour of Guangxi consists of six stages, the first five of which are predominantly flat. The final stage features several challenging climbs that could prove decisive in the general classification. Graat hopes to play an important supporting role for his teammate Louis Barré. "The final day is the only opportunity to make a difference in the general classification. That's what we'll try to do with Louis. I hope I can support him as best I can."

In the flat stages, Team Visma | Lease a Bike will be looking to Fabio Jakobsen for results. Graat is confident in his teammate's sprinting abilities. "Fabio is our man for the sprint stages. He already showed some promising signs in Münsterland, so it would be great if we could achieve a good result with him. He's certainly made it clear that he's highly motivated and full of confidence."

Relaxed
Graat is taking part in the Chinese stage race for the second consecutive year. The event has served as the final race of the WorldTour season for several years now, and the 23-year-old Dutchman has fond memories of his previous appearance. "I think it's a relaxed race. Everything is well organised and the roads are very wide, which means there's less stress in the peloton. Despite the long flight, it's a nice race to finish the season with. I'm definitely going to try to enjoy it."

According to Graat, racing in Asia is a completely different experience from racing in Europe. "The culture is very different. Most of the people there have never seen Europeans before. They're really enthusiastic and find it special to see us. In Europe, I can walk around without anyone approaching me, but in China it's different. It doesn't matter who you are, everyone just wants to take a picture with you."

After the Tour of Guangxi, Graat hopes to have some time to explore the surroundings. "We finish fairly early on the final day, so we'll have some time to head into the city in the afternoon. Last year, we visited Nanning, one of the largest cities in the region. I thought it was really beautiful. I come from a small village in Brabant, so it's quite a contrast. It's great to experience something like that."

Although Graat is looking forward to the Tour of Guangxi, he is also pleased that the off-season is approaching. After a demanding season, he looks back with a sense of satisfaction. "It's been a long season. I started in Oman in February and I'm finishing eight months later in China. I've had a lot of race days. Only Sepp Kuss and Bruno Armirail have raced more than I have. I look back on this season with satisfaction, especially as the second half went really well. I hope we can round it off on a high note in China."