MINQIN, Gansu, Aug.1 (Xinhua) -- Serbian Dusan Rajovic recovered from early season injury to claim the second Tour of Qinghai Lake stage win of his career on Wednesday.
128 riders signed on to the 10th stage of the 17th Tour of Qinghai Lake in Minqin, China following the two-week, 13-stage UCI 2. HC Asia Tour road race's one and only day off.
With three-time race stage winner Eduard Grosu (Nippo-Vini Fantini) on a flight home to repair a broken scapula suffered during a crash on the Stage 9 final two days earlier, Serbian Dusan Rajovic of Adria Mobil made the most of his opportunity and took the win.
The 20-year-old Serbian has also been on the mend after suffering an elbow injury earlier this season.
Shortly after passing the final categorised climb of the race, a two-man break animated the stage to the Tengger Desert at the 52-km mark, while launching simultaneously on opposite sides of the road.
Ukrainian Bohdan Musiienko (Lviv Cycling) and Irishman Conn McDunphy (Holdsworth Pro Racing), the latter of whom was also in an extended breakaway on Stage 9, joined forces under crosswind conditions and a scorching desert sun before ultimately succumbing to the peloton with 7 kilometers to go.
"We don't get that in Ireland, so I thought I might as well give it a go because the wind can change," explained the 21-year-old from Kilcock. "If you have a tailwind it's hard for them to catch you, you never know on a day like today."
Only three days of circuit racing remain, meaning the two-time stage winner and current race leader Hernan Aguirre of Manzana Postobon, who leads his teammate Hernando Bohorquez by 1 minute 5 seconds on general classification, is a lock to remain in yellow until end of the race barring any mishaps, injuries or ailments.
With no more climbs remaining, the 22-year-old Colombian has now wrapped up the mountains classification as well.
The blue jersey still belongs to Kazakhstan's Ilya Davidenok (Beijing XDS-Innova).
The race resumes on Thursday with Stage 11 - a 110-km circuit, featuring a 13.27-km opener followed by eight 12.04-km laps around Zhongwei, Ningxia.
