Climber Yurani Blanco brought the 2025 season to a close by finishing seventh in the Women’s WorldTour Tour of Guangxi in China.
Breaking away as part of an elite group on the 108.5 km undulating circuit around Nanning, Blanco rode strongly to her second WorldTour top ten of the week, having also finished seventh from a late breakaway on stage 3 of the Tour of Chongming Island.
“I had a good feeling in China,” says the 27-year-old. “It was positive to see myself at the front, especially on the climbs, as I’ve had a difficult year and seeing myself like that again is encouraging.”
With two riders breaking clear on the final QOM, Blanco rode strongly with a chasing six back into Nanning to compete for the final podium spot. Her resilience is a testament to the travelling squad, as she could only call on Maggie Coles-Lyster and Silvia Zanardi for support due to sickness ripping through the peloton in China, sidelining a handful of the athletes, including Kathrin Schweinberger and Giada Borghesi.
“Even though we weren’t 100 per cent healthy in Guangxi, we did well as a team,” she says.
The previous race, the Tour of Chongming Island, was tinged with misfortune. Austrian champion Schweinberger was relegated after winning stage 1 of the race, due to a deemed deviation in the sprint.
“The start in China felt magical for a moment with Kathrin’s victory,” Blanco says. “Despite the misfortune of her relegation, we pushed forward over the next few days together, and I was glad to find my form with the help of the girls.”
The Tour of Guangxi was Blanco and the team’s final race day of 2025, with all eyes now firmly fixed on next season.
“For 2026, I hope that my health holds up and that I can compete strongly with my teammates,” ends Blanco.
Despite closing the book on racing, there are still plenty of exciting events coming up in 2025, including yet-to-be-revealed signings, a trip to the Human Powered Health Performance Lab in Wellesley, MA, and our first training camp of the new cycle.
Tour of Guangxi results
1 HENDERSON Anna – Lidl – Trek 2:49:34
2 ANDERSSON Caroline – Liv AlUla Jayco ”
3 OSTOLAZA Usoa – Laboral Kutxa – Fundación Euskadi 0:59
4 KOMINA Marina – Li Ning Star Ladies ”
5 BÄCKSTEDT Elynor – UAE Team ADQ ”
6 MARKUS Riejanne – Lidl – Trek ”
7 BLANCO Yurani – Human Powered Health ”
8 SÖDERQVIST Karin – Team Coop – Repsol ”
9 GARAU Marina – BePink – Imatra – Bongioanni 2:19
10 GIULIANI Giulia – Roland Le Dévoluy ”
Photos: GettySport
