Today the fourth and final edition of the Tour of Beijing finished with an overall victory for Philippe Gilbert. The organizers of the race are proud of their achievements during the four years of existence.

Global Cycling Promotion director Alain Rumpf said it was with great sadness that the final day of the fourth and final edition of the Tour of Beijing had arrived.
 
“It has been an incredible journey since 2011 and together we have all achieved a great amount for cycling in China and for cycling all over the world,” Rumpf said.
 
“We have seen this again over the past week, this first and only WorldTour event in Asia has now connected with more fans and more knowledgeable local cycling experts keen to meet their heroes. On social media the event has had an unprecedented global reach for this event and the TV coverage has reached every continent.
 
“I hope it is not an end, but the beginning of bigger and better things for cycling in China.”

Rumpf said the Tour of Beijing would not have been possible without the concerted efforts of many including the local authorities in and around Beijing, including the Beijing Municipal Government and the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau and their organising teams who worked closely with the intentional team of cycling experts to deliver the event over the past four years.
 
Rumpf paid tribute to the teams and riders who had participated in the Tour since 2011.
 
“Together we have seen a lot of progress for the Tour of Beijing since 2011 and it would not have been possible without the efforts of the team staff and riders,” Rumpf said. “Often it has not been easy and it certainly hasn’t been without challenges, but the teams and riders have been superb in how they have adapted to this. Their contribution has been significant and in the years to come, I hope they will be remembered as part of the trail blazing group who rode into a new frontier for the sport.”
 
Rumpf also emphasised the ground made in the cooperation on stage 2 this year that saw the route shortened due to concerns over the air quality as a particularly important moment for the sport.
 
“On that day we all showed that by cooperating, organisers, teams and riders could manage difficult situations and have a positive outcome. In many ways, this is what GCP was created to do, and so we achieved an important goal.  
 
At the end of the stage, eventual overall winner Philippe Gilbert also remarked on the way the difficult decision to shorten the stage was determined.
 
“We spoke together with the organization, UCI, and everyone agreed that we should cancel the last 30km,” he said. “I think it was a good decision. This means a lot, because a lot of times in the past … they didn’t listen to us. And today, we did a big step in our sport, I think.”