China Criterium, the second leg of the China events and race for professional cyclists, will be in the downtown area of Shanghai covering landmarks and skylines of the city in November.

Chris Froome, a four-time winner of the Tour de France, won the 2017 China Criterium in Shanghai.

Activation, which landed China's first La Liga club in 2016, was cautious about its import of more top world sporting events into the Chinese market. "To grow a sport is more than just to organize to compete. We need to grow the culture of the sport, building sport-themed areas," said Zhou.

Yang Lin, general manager of Guo'an Sport, a Beijing-based sports organizing and marketing group and organizer of the Beijing race, said Guo'an will further build cycling at all levels and grow the cycling culture together with fashion and tourism.