Cyclists from around the world battled it out for glory at the Tour of Binzhou which was held on Tuesday in Binzhou City of east China's Shandong Province. The single-day road race attracted over 100 competitors racing for 18 different teams, and was the latest leg of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)'s 2025 Asia Tour. It proved to be a hard-fought race as the field remained tight until the closing stages when several riders made their move. In the end, Swiss cyclist Simon Pellaud pulled away from his rivals to claim the top spot on the podium, crossing the finish line after 3 hours, 13 minutes and 39 seconds of hard racing. He was followed home by Japan's Yukiya Arashiro and Samuel Jenner of Australia. The 33-year-old Pellaud, who is a member of the Li-Ning Star Cycling Team, described the win as one of the best of his career, and explained how he sought to outmaneuver his closest rivals in the home stretch. "I attacked with 15 kilometers to go, to break [with] three guys together. And then I break away solo [with] one kilometer to go. And for me it's here. It's so good, for the team, for me. It's one of the best victories of my career, really," said Pellaud. SHOTLIST: Binzhou City, Shandong Province, east China - Sept 9, 2025 1. Various of cyclists racing during Tour of Binzhou; 2. Aerial shot of winner Simon Pellaud crossing finishing line, celebrating; 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Pellaud, champion, Tour of Binzhou: "I attacked with 15 kilometers to go, to break [with] three guys together. And then I break away solo [with] one kilometer to go. And for me it's here, [in my heart]. It's so good, for the team, for me. It's one of the best victories of my career, really."; 4. Various of cyclists racing during Tour of Binzhou. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]