WUWEI, China, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Italian rider Andrea Guardini of Bardiani CSF finished in first place in the 10th stage of the 18th Tour of Qinghai Lake.

Behind the Italian in second was Van der Bas of Monkey Town and Imerio Cima from Nippo-Vini Fantini.

"It's never easy to win," said Guardini, who has been the last one on the General Individual Classification list since stage 6 and now he is still the last one.

"I am in good physical condition today, and thanks to my teammates, they made their best to get me to the great position to start my sprint in the last 600 meters. I am very happy to be the first to cross the finish line."

Wednesday's route was a straightforward and relatively simple 116km race at a more forgiving altitude of 1,540m, with 2 sprints and a KOM.

The stage began in Jinchang after a well-deserved rest day and finished in the historic Silk Road town of Wuwei. With no wind and easy riding conditions, it was always going to be a stage where the group maintained a strong, consistent pace. The intense sun incentivized most of the group to stay together.

After this stage, Robinson Chalapud still leads the overall race and retains the yellow jersey with his time of 29:16:13.

The results before this stage for Guardini and his team were disappointing.

"As we know that the opponents and the riders are stronger year by year, we've been here a long time without winning. But today is a good day, for me and for my team. I am very confident for tomorrow's stage."

The 11th stage will cover 153 kilometers on Thursday.