Cyclists set off from beside Lihu Lake in Wuxi's Binhu district in the first stage of the Tour of Taihu Lake 2017 on Oct 11. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A total of 132 cyclists from 22 professional cycling teams from five continents will gather around Lihu Lake in Wuxi for the first stage of the 2018 Tour of Taihu Lake on Oct 7.

The annual cycling event, which has been held in Wuxi every October or November since 2010, consists of seven stages with a total length of 813.5 km.

The eight-day race will pass through seven cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, namely Wuxi, Jurong, Jinhu, Jiangyan, Haimen, Wujiang and Changxing. The final stage will take place on Nov 14.

The route of the Tour of Taihu Lake 2018. [Photo/touroftaihu.com]

Individual time trials will mark the beginning of this year's tour with a 5.5- kilometer course in Wuxi on the first day, while the real test will be a grueling 86-kilometer course the next day, passing by many of the city's scenic spots including Lihu Lake, Lingshan Mountain and Mashan Mountain.

The Tour of Taihu Lake, now recognized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), is one of China's four most influential road cycling events. This year there is total prize money of $40,000 up for grabs.