Lorena Wiebes celebrates her first UCI Women's World Tour title in China ©UCI

Lorena Wiebes completed her set of three stage wins in the Tour of Chongming Island, thus earning her first title on the International Cycling Union (UCI) Women’s World Tour.

The 20-year-old Dutch rider, representing Parkhotel Valkenburg, had arrived at the third and final stage of this sprinter-friendly race near Shanghai in China with a 17-second lead.

At the close of the third flat stage, she had stretched to 22 seconds that advantage as she produced another unanswerable sprint finish.

She finished the 118.4 kilometres stage in 2hr 52min 01sec, with Jutatip Maneephan, of the Thailand Women’s Cycling Team and Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky – one of the pre-race favourites – second and third on the same time.

Wiebes finished with an overall classification time of 8hr 26min 14sec, with Maneephan 22 seconds adrift.

Kopecky, riding for Lotto-Soudal Ladies, was third at 27 seconds, followed by Wiebes’s compatriot Nina Kessler, riding for Team TIBCO-SVB.

Britain’s double world junior champion Lucy Garner, who recently joined the Norwegian team Hitec Products-Birk Sport team, was fifth.

The Women’s WorldTour continues with three stages at the Amgen Tour of California, before returning to Europe for the four-day Emakumeen Bira in Spain’s Basque Country.

Meanwhile, men’s racing in the Tour of California gets under way tomorrow, with many in the field using this race, rather than the Giro d’Italia which started today, as preparation for the Tour De France, which this year runs from July 6 to 28.

Three former champions are in the field.

Slovakia's three-times world champion Peter Sagan, who has won a record 16 stages in the Tour of California, is among those starting the 2019 men's race tomorrow ©Getty Images
Slovakia's three-times world champion Peter Sagan, who has won a record 16 stages in the Tour of California, is among those starting the 2019 men's race tomorrow ©Getty Images

The 2017 winner George Bennett is riding for Jumbo-Visma, 2015 winner Peter Sagan is competing for Bora-Hansgrohe and 2013 winner Tejay van Garderen, representing new team EF Education First, will be riding with team-mate Rigoberto Urán of Colombia.

Three-times world champion Sagan, who has earned the nickname “King of California” having earned a record 16 stage wins, will be hoping for what would be only his second win of the season.

Australia’s Richie Porte will make his debut in this race with Trek-Segafredo, while fellow Australian Rohan Dennis, who has finished second twice in California, will return this year with Bahrain-Merida.

Men’s racing in the Tour of California runs from tomorrow to May 18, with the women’s race taking place over the last three days.     .