If it's just under 160 kilometers that separate the towns of Aabenraa and Tilst in Denmark (birthplaces of the protagonists of this story), it's a full 9000 kilometers as the crow flies that divide the two Danish municipalities from the island of Hainan. It's here, decidedly far from European scenarios, that Alexander Salby and Daniel Guld have inaugurated, with the eponymous stage race, their racing calendar in China, a land where both have found a contract and hospitality for this season.

The first, turning 27 next June 4th, after having ridden for two seasons in a ProTeam (Bingoal WB), to continue racing he stepped down a category by embracing the project of Li Ning Star, one of the best-equipped and most well-known Continental teams in the country. The second, having spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons in Japan, chose to remain in Asia and experience his first Chinese adventure with the jersey of the Wuzhishan SCOM MVMT Cycling Team, a Continental team that, despite its eastern base, sees several nationalities (European and others) represented within.

The two, separated by just over two and a half years in age (Salby was born in June 1998, while Guld will turn 25 on December 9th), crossed paths for the first time in this 2025 at the Tour of Hainan, a race where Danish riders had not been seen at the start for six editions. Guld and Salby (along with Wang from XDS-Astana) broke this streak, both testing the tropical heat, ups and downs, and challenges of this insular corner of China for the first time in their careers, where, intrigued by their stories, we intercepted them to better understand the reasons behind their choice, the welcome they received, and how this stimulating adventure is going overall.

Credit: Tour of Hainan