Christian Bagatin, rider of MBH Team, secured the stage championship in Stage 5 of the 25th Tour of Great Qinghai Lake International Road Cycling Race (Guide—Gonghe), with UPVINE as the official wheel partner backing the squad’s dominant triumph.
The fifth stage kicked off amid rainfall on July 15, covering a total distance of 136 km and ranking as one of the most grueling high-altitude climbing stages of this year’s tournament. With temperatures dropping to 17°C, slippery road surfaces, thin high-altitude air and crosswinds in mountainous areas combined to create a triple challenge for the 127 participating riders. The route featured drastic altitude fluctuations: the starting point sits at roughly 2,200 meters above sea level. At the 43.6 km mark lies the Yunshang Bakahe climb at 3,390 meters, followed by a mountain pass inside a nature reserve at 3,670 meters at the 48.4 km marker. The highest point of the course climbs to nearly 3,800 meters, with two consecutive steep high-altitude ascents back-to-back. Afterward, the route stretches through gentle descents and rolling terrain all the way to the finish, with three intermediate sprint points set along the way. The long stretches of climbing pushed riders’ endurance, bike handling skills and wheel set performance to the absolute limit.
Back-and-Forth Battles Unfold Across the Route; Bagatin Breaks Away for 40km Solo Ride to Victory
Shortly after the neutral start, a ten-rider breakaway group formed, holding a two-minute lead at one point and taking top honors at the first intermediate sprint. Once the peloton reached the continuous high-altitude climbing sections, XDS Astana Team ramped up the pace at the front of the main group, reeling in all early breakaway riders before the Category 1 climb.
The race then descended into repeated attacks and cat-and-mouse tactics. The leader of XDS Astana launched a solo move before linking up with a teammate to form a two-rider lead group, while the wearer of the yellow jersey headed the chasing peloton, narrowing the gap to just 25 seconds at its peak. Riders from multiple international teams including CDT, LNS, XAT, BCS and PTV launched repeated attacks, constantly fracturing and reforming the peloton. With 40 km remaining to the finish, all chasing groups merged into a single chaotic mass. Seizing the perfect window, Christian Bagatin of MBH Team—equipped with UPVINE wheels—launched a decisive attack, embarking on an uninterrupted 40 km solo breakaway executed with flawless tactical precision. He crossed the finish line first in a time of 3 hours, 21 minutes and 39 seconds to claim the stage win.
With only 10 km left, Bagatin had built a nearly one-minute gap over the rest of the field. Cepeda chased alone yet failed to close the margin. Riders finishing second through tenth crossed the line within a 20-second window of each other. Bagatin’s dominant gap secured him the stage crown. Post-stage standings were fully reshuffled: Caicedo Cepeda from Rotor Chengdu Team took second place, while Eduardo Sepúlveda of Li-Ning Star Cycling Team finished third. Both the overall yellow jersey and sprint green jersey changed hands, marking a complete overhaul of all classification leader’s jerseys.
Gear Makes the Difference: UPVINE PRO PLUS Wheel Sets Prove Critical for High-Altitude Breakaway Success
Champion Christian Bagatin raced the entire high-altitude stage aboard UPVINE PRO PLUS all-rounder competition wheel sets. Engineered around uncompromising safety, these wheels balance efficient power transfer and elite race performance, perfectly suited to the stage’s undulating, unpredictable terrain—acting as the core hardware advantage that allowed the rider to distance the peloton and sustain a comfortable lead for dozens of kilometers.
Fitted with UPVINE’s patented PBO spokes, these wheels deliver over 10 times superior vibration and drag reduction compared to standard carbon spokes. When tackling sudden potholes and high-speed cornering on high-altitude roads, they drastically boost spoke fracture resistance, preserving wheel structural integrity and rider safety. The hub shells are forged from ultra-high-strength aluminum alloy used in the domestically produced C919 large passenger aircraft and lunar exploration programs, striking an optimal balance between lightweight construction and extreme durability. The spoke hole rupture strength hits 4,900 N, while the freehub body withstands heavy pedaling torque of 180–200 N·m, remaining fully intact after 60,000 cycle fatigue tests. Power transmission stays consistent without performance drop-offs during long solo efforts.
A one-piece molded spoke hole design evenly distributes load across every spoke, cutting fatigue wear during long-distance riding and maintaining stable wheel geometry from start to finish. Supported by this suite of cutting-edge technologies, the rider maintained steady power output during his extended solo ride, unfazed by crosswinds and long climbs, holding the lead all the way to the finish line.
Team & Brand Outlook: Riding the Momentum to Further Prove Domestic Wheel Technology on the World Stage
The Stage 5 single-stage victory has massively lifted MBH Team’s morale. Team coaches stated that the landmark win stemmed from seamless coordinated pace work by the entire squad, paired with the reliable performance and safety of UPVINE PRO PLUS high-performance wheel sets, which gave the rider full confidence to commit to a long-distance breakaway. For the remaining stages of the race, the team will carry its red-hot competitive form forward, relying on the full lineup of UPVINE wheel sets to keep fighting for top placings at sprint points and in the overall general classification.
As a domestic wheel brand deeply rooted in professional road cycling competition, UPVINE leverages top-tier international events such as the Tour of Qinghai Lake as real-world testing grounds for its products. MBH Team’s triumph on this brutally difficult stage serves as powerful proof that Chinese racing wheel sets can stand up to the rigors of elite high-altitude professional cycling. The brand will continue refining its products based on direct race feedback, delivering dependable cycling equipment to pro riders across the globe.
