The Men's Individual Road Cycling Race of China’s 15th National Games opened Saturday, marking a historic milestone as the first cross-region event in the games' history that spans across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, showing strong connectivity in south China's Greater Bay Area.
The 231.8-kilometer race set off from the Zhuhai Museum, taking 103 cyclists across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the world's longest sea-crossing bridge. They entered Hong Kong and Macao through seamless customs clearance at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour. After more than five hours on the road, all riders successfully crossed the finish line.
As riders crossed three regions on a groundbreaking route, the race became more than a competition; it stood as a powerful symbol of connection in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
"After we complete our work in Macao, we will hand it over to the Zhuhai section. Our mainland colleagues will continue to be responsible for medical and road-clearing work. This time, we can achieve seamless connectivity and no interruption in between," said Addy Chan Kuai Son, a volunteer for the 15th National Games.
"I was incredibly excited to be here today to watch the National Games road cycling race. This is a race spanning three regions for the first time in National Games history. As a dweller in the Greater Bay Area, I feel extremely proud and honored. When the athletes competed across three regions, I felt a strong sense of unity and a close bond within the Greater Bay Area," said Li Yunshan, a student of Macao University of Science and Technology.
The 15th National Games will officially open on Sunday across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, marking the first time for the three regions to co-host the country's premier multi-sport event.
The National Games, held every four years, are China's highest-level and largest national multi-sports event. The last edition in 2021 saw over 12,000 athletes compete in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.
15th National Games' cross-region cycling race adds new connectivity in Greater Bay Area
China's first two-tonne-class tethered balloon entered trial operation in a major power transmission project on Monday, providing a brand-new solution for transportation in power grid construction projects in high-altitude and ecologically sensitive areas, according to the State Grid.
The project is a massive ultra-high voltage (UHV) power transmission line that will carry clean energy from Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China across thousands of kilometers to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in south China.
At the construction site, a large balloon with a diameter of 25 meters and a volume of 8,000 cubic meters slowly rose into the air.
As multiple mooring lines were simultaneously extended and retracted, the heavy construction materials suspended beneath the balloon were lifted off the ground and moved smoothly along a predetermined route toward the mountainous work site.
"This is our newly developed load-bearing tethered balloon. We have just completed a maximum load test of two tonnes at an altitude of 4,000 meters. Next, we will conduct a hoisting operation for power supply materials over a straight-line distance of 500 meters and a vertical drop of 120 meters," said Qin Jian, researcher at the Transmission and Transformation Engineering Technology Research Institute of the State Grid Electric Power Engineering Research Institute.
A heavy-lift tethered balloon involves launching a helium-filled balloon into the air and connecting it to the ground with one or several cables.
By adjusting the cable, the balloon's altitude and horizontal position are controlled to facilitate the transport of materials at high altitudes.
The balloon can travel up to 800 meters and carry a maximum load of two tonnes, with a positional accuracy of within 0.5 meters.
As the construction of new power grids is extending more rapidly into high-altitude, remote mountainous and ecologically sensitive areas, the transportation of materials for transmission projects has become a major challenge constraining construction progress.
Traditional road construction for transportation have long cycles and significant ecological disruption, while drones, though agile and flexible, face limitations in scenarios requiring heavy loads or prolonged continuous transport.
Tethered balloon transport technology effectively overcomes these difficulties.
"The construction section where this technology is applied is located in an uninhabited mountainous area at an altitude of over 4,000 meters. Many tower sites are situated on steep ridges inaccessible by road, making this the section with the highest altitude, most treacherous terrain and most challenging operations in the entire project. The two-tonne tethered balloon is better suited to high-altitude conditions characterized by thin air and strong winds, and its load capacity and stability can better meet transportation requirements," said Feng Tao, project manager of the State Grid Henan Power Transmission and Transformation Company.
China puts first 2-tonne tethered balloon into operation
