A South African cycling team will head for Hong Kong on Thursday to participate in the second Tour of Hong Kong-Shanghai, which will start from Hong Kong on Sunday.

Team CSC/Marcello riders include Chris Willemse Jnr, Jeremy Maartens, Abdelbasset Hannachi and Gilbert Quevauvilliers, the South African Press Association (SAPA) reported on Monday.

They will also be joined by guest riders Dean Edwards from KwaZulu-Natal Province and Michael Pepper from Gauteng Province.

Chris Willemse Snr, manager of Team CSC/Marcello, said Robbie Hunter's recent success at the Tour de France has greatly inspired his fellow South African cyclists and the CSC/Marcello team is determined to bring further honor to South African cycling by delivering winning performances in China.

The 2,300 km tour, which takes place between July 29 and August 4, will move from the city of Hong Kong to provinces of Guangdong,Jiangxi and Zhejiang before finishing in Shanghai.

More than 100 cyclists from 18 teams will participate in the tour, including teams from China, Russia, Indonesia, the United States, the Netherlands, South Africa and Japan.

Organizers of the Tour of Hong Kong-Shanghai have reportedly expressed the hope to make the event an Asian version of the Tour de France.
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2007)