Tour of Magnificent Qinghai S7 | RIKUNOV Petr Dominates Haiyan Sprint, MULUBRHAN Henok Snatches Yellow Jersey by 1 Second
- Cassie Lyu
- Jul 12, 2025
- 3 min read
GONGHE, Qinghai, China – July 12, 2025 – Petr RIKUNOV (Chengdu DYC Cycling Team) stormed to his maiden professional victory in a thrilling bunch sprint on Stage 7 of the 24th"ICBC"Tour of Magnificent Qinghai 2025, while MULUBRHAN Henok (XDS Astana Team) seized the general classification leader by a razor-thin 1-second gap.
The 137km stage, sponsored by PEAK, started in Gonghe and finished at Wang Luobin Square in Haiyan County. Despite a relatively moderate profile, fierce GC battles electrified the race.
RIKUNOV Petr powered to the stage win ahead of Enrico ZANONCELLO (VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizanè) in second and MULUBRHAN Henok (XDS Astana Team) in third.
Jersey Winners:
Yellow Jersey (General Classification Leader): MULUBRHAN Henok (XDS Astana Team) sponsored by ICBC
Green Jersey (Points Leader): SILVA COUSSAN Guillermo Thomas (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) sponsored by Jinhui Liquor
Polka Dot Jersey (King of Mountains): AGIRRE EGAÑA Jon (Euskaltel - Euskadi) sponsored by Nissan
Blue Jersey (Best Asian Rider): SAFARZADEH Saeid (Tianyoude Hotel Cycling Team) sponsored by PEAK
After race, the 28-year-old RIKUNOV Petr was elated: "We've been aggressive all week, but victory narrowly eluded us until today. My teammates were flawless. Finally winning feels incredible!"
The "PEAK " Gonghe to Haiyan stage featured two categorized climbs and three intermediate sprints. Riders tackled climbs early before a gradual descent towards the lakeside, concluding with another downhill run to the finish.
Under sunny skies and 22°C (72°F), 127 riders departed Gonghe at 11:45 AM.
Attacks flew immediately on the opening climb. KOM leader PELLAUD Simon (Li Ning Star) was active, but the peloton remained controlled. After 15km, CARBONI Giovanni (Unibet Tietema Rockets) and COVILI Luca (VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizanè) escaped, building a 40-second lead.
The duo crested the first climb together, with COVILI Luca taking maximum KOM points ahead of CARBONI Giovanni. AGIRRE EGAÑA Jon (Euskaltel - Euskadi) claimed third, moving virtually into the KOM lead. A reduced peloton (around 50 riders) summited, with dropped riders rejoining on the descent.
The break extended its lead to 1:50 minutes by the second climb, where COVILI Luca again took top points. The peloton accelerated, slashing the gap to 56 seconds. CARBONI Giovanni won the first intermediate sprint at Qinghai Lake before crosswinds intensified. A concerted chase by Equipo Kern Pharma, XDS Astana Team, and Caja Rural - Seguros RGA reeled in the break with 74km remaining.
After a brief lull, ALLENO Clément (Burgos Burpellet BH) attacked before the second intermediate sprint, taking the win ahead of CALLEJAS SANTOS Edison Alejandro and GARCIA TREJO Carlos Alfonso (both from Petrolike). Yellow jersey SILVA COUSSAN suffered a mechanical during this phase but quickly regained the peloton.
Final Showdown
Approaching the last intermediate sprint at 13km to go, GC contenders ignited. FERNANDEZ GARCIA Samuel (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) surged clear to win the sprint, followed by GARCIA TREJO Carlos Alfonso and MULUBRHAN Henok.
In the final kilometer, MULUBRHAN Henok launched first, with SILVA COUSSAN glued to his wheel. But RIKUNOV Petr timed his effort perfectly, powering past all rivals to seize a memorable victory.
Look Ahead
Stage 8 (Sponsored by ICBC) is the concluding stage – the Tongbaoshan Circuit Race on July 13th. Featuring one categorized climb and three intermediate sprints around Qinghai Lake, the flat profile sets the scene for a final bunch sprint.
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