BEIJING, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Cycling League (CCL) will introduce major changes to its competition calender, group formation and bonus allocation starting from the 2017 season, the concerned officials said here on Monday.
"A new season marks a new journey," said Han Jiling, director of the cycling department at the Cycling and Fencing Administrative Center under the General Administration of Sport of China.
"The Chinese Cycling Association (CCA) will continue its efforts to enhance the professional management of the races, and encourage more competitors and local organizers to promote the development of the sport," said Han.
At least three categories of changes will be introduced to the 2017 season, according to Ma Xiaotian, the CCL competition director.
Multi-day races will be added for the first time to the calender as the 2017 season will run from March 11 to Sept. 24 through seven legs, which will debut in Mianzhu, Sichuan province on May 26-28.
And three more road races of men's A and B groups, and women's open group will be introduced from the new season, along with the original men's open group and All-For-Fitness group.
Besides, the CCL, which was inaugurated in 2014, will allocate a total bonus of more than 3 million yuan (about 435.000 US dollars) for both individuals and teams in accordance with their competition points.
"The year 2016 has witnessed more than 500 cycling races throughout the country, including the CCL ones, and great successes have been attained by the organizers and the local governments for both economic and social developement," said Han.
Liu Dake, president of the solo CCL-running Shizhi Sports, said that "more local people will be encouraged, and tourism in each of the hosting regions will also be enhanced through the CCL races under the auspices of the Chinese Cycling Association."
According to the competition organizers, every provincial team will also be granted with a fund of one million yuan (145,000 US dollars) for "24-hour around-the-clock service", should it join in the CCL Incubating Project for Provincial Teams.
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