In the first stage of the Chinese stage race, Team Visma | Lease a Bike was active at the front of the peloton. On the uphill sections of the local circuit, it was first Niklas Behrens who tried his luck for the Dutch squad, after which Valter launched his own attack.

The Hungarian broke away with 95 kilometers remaining but, together with his fellow escapee Le Berre, was never given much of a gap by the peloton. The pair was eventually caught with twenty kilometers to go, after which a hectic bunch sprint unfolded. Magnier proved to be the strongest.

“We knew there was a good chance it would come down to a bunch sprint today,” sports director Jesper Mørkøv reflected. “When Attila went on the attack, it quickly became clear that several teams had their eyes on a sprint finish. In the sprint, we tried with Niklas Behrens and Dan McLay, but unfortunately, they both crashed. Luckily, both riders are okay.”