体坛英语新闻：Best road cyclists honored in UCI Gala in China

GUILIN, China, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The third UCI Cycling Gala, which took place here Tuesday, celebrated this year's greatest achievements in professional road cycling.

The winners of the UCI Women's WorldTour and the UCI WorldTour, Anna van der Breggen and Greg Van Avermaet, were among the recipients of awards that went to the best riders and best teams of the UCI WorldTour and the UCI Women's WorldTour as well as to champions crowned at the UCI Road World Championships, the Grands Tours and the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships.

For its third edition, the UCI Cycling Gala - organized in partnership with Wanda Sports - took place in Guilin just hours after the finish of the last stage of the GREE-Tour of Guangxi, the final event of the 2017 UCI WorldTour (October 19 to 24). The day also saw the Tour of Guangxi Women's Elite World Challenge, a race which will join the UCI Women's WorldTour in 2018.

"I would like to heartily congratulate the riders - men and women -, their teams and their National Federations, who together have enabled us to enjoy a magnificent season. I would also like to thank our partner Wanda Sports which, with the support of the Chinese Cycling Association, organized the UCI Cycling Gala for the first time. This prestigious celebration, assembling the most important figures in road cycling and honouring this year's greatest champions, was an outstanding success, as was the first edition of the GREE - Tour of Guangxi, which came to a close with the UCI Cycling Gala," UCI President David Lappartient said.