Rory Townsend has taken his first pro win in China after proving best in the bunch sprint that settled stage 2 of the Tour of Fuzhou.
The 24-year-old is riding the UCI 2.1-ranked race with his British Continental level team Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes.
On the 118km stage earlier today, starting and finishing in Langqi Hongguang Lake Park, Townsend hit the front early in the sprint and had the staying power to see off his rivals.
He claimed victory ahead of Australian Blake Quick (St George Continental) and British rider Charles Page, a team mate of Townsend at Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes.
The stage came down to a bunch sprint after the early breakaway men were swept up as the riders raced five laps of a flat 23.6km course.
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The race began with a 107km stage on Sunday featuring a testing summit finish at Ku Liang.
That finale saw Shenzhen Xidesheng Cycling Kazakhstani team mates Ilya Davidenok and Artur Fedosseyev ride away from every else for a 1-2 and the remained 1st and 2nd overall after stage 2 ended in a bunch sprint today.
Townsend's win today tops a very strong season during which he won the sprints classification at the Tour of Britain and made the Irish road team for both the Worlds and Europeans.
He was 3rd in the Classic Loire Atlantique (1.1) in France in March and claimed 3rd in the Rutland - Melton Cicle Classic (1.2) in Britain in April.
In Belgium in June he finished 2nd in Memorial Philippe Van Coningsloo (1.2) and was 3rd in Heylen Vastgoed Heistse Pijl (1.1) before finishing 4th in the road race at the National Championships in Derry.
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