Henok Mulubrhan of the Kazakhstan-based XDS Astana Team secured third place in the final general classification of the Tour of Qinghai Lake in China. The final stage took place on July 18, and the Eritrean rider finished sixth, which allowed him to maintain his podium position, reports infohub.kz.
The Tour of Qinghai Lake has been held since 2002 and is known for its length and difficulty. From 2012 to 2018, the race included 13 stages, making it the longest multi-stage event of the World Tour after the Grand Tours. The distance has now been reduced to eight stages, but most of the route runs at an altitude of about 2,000 meters above sea level, requiring special physical preparation from participants.
Henok Mulubrhan first won the overall classification of the Tour of Qinghai Lake in 2023, after which he received an invitation to Astana. He did not participate in 2024, but in 2025, already with XDS Astana Team, he became the winner again. In 2026, the team gave him the opportunity to defend his title.
In the first two stages, Mulubrhan kept a low profile, but won the third stage, moving up to second place overall, just one second behind leader Jonathan Caicedo of Ecuador (Petrolike). However, subsequent stages proved less successful, and the sixth stage, which included a key climb, was canceled due to weather. Heading into the final eighth stage, he was third, 15 seconds behind.
On the last 146-kilometer stage from Xihaizhen to Qinghai Lake, the goal was to hold onto third place. Mulubrhan finished sixth, preserving his overall position. In addition, he won the sprint classification, and his teammate Christian Rodriguez won the mountain classification.
"Overall, the race went well, although weather played a big role — there was a lot of rain throughout the week, especially yesterday and the day before when the stage was canceled. We had a chance to fight for the yellow jersey of the overall winner, we did everything we could, and we can be proud of the result. We won a stage, and we won both the mountain and sprint classifications of this Tour. I am happy with what we achieved and how the team worked throughout the race. I want to thank everyone for their support and hard work."