An Olympic champion was among cyclists who got together for a race to build Chinese and Spanish community spirit in Madrid.

People with a shared love of cycling took part in the first ever China-Spain Cycle Race on Saturday. It also marked the 50th anniversary of official China-Spain diplomatic relations and took place in the Usera neighborhood of Madrid, known as the biggest ‘Chinatown’ in the country.

‌Chinese and Spanish cyclists ripped up the roads in an 85-kilometer pro race, and there was also a shorter family fun event.

‌There was also a sprinkle of Olympic cycling stardust brought by Samuel Sanchez, a road-race gold medalist at Beijing 2008. He told CGTN: "Winning Olympic gold changed my life, it’s bigger than sport. It belongs to the entire society, and here I am 15 years later celebrating Spain and China’s 50 years of friendship with my bike, all thanks to the medal I won in China that will always be unforgettable for me.

"The best way to celebrate this anniversary is through sport, it was the right choice to hold it in Usera and Madrid because of the strong community spirit here. Whatever sport brings together, nothing can tear apart."

‌A wide age-range of cyclists also saw two participants telling Sanchez they were eight years old when he took gold in Beijing and he inspired them to get involved in the sport.

‌Many other local cyclists, both Spanish and Chinese, turned out to support the event, each with their own story to tell. At the start line of the professional race, CGTN found engineer and keen cyclist Ran Chen – who had cycled the whole way from China to Spain which took him a year and half.

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"For me today is very special, I am a cyclist and one of my biggest accomplishments is to cycle from Spain to China by bike," he said. "Now I practice the sport every weekend and to be able to be here for the first edition makes me really grateful and happy, to be here and celebrate the friendship between the Chinese and Spanish people is special."

Who won?

‌Despite the presence of an Olympic champ, a young cyclist named Han Ge came away with the prize after a chrono win timed over 4km of the 85km race.

‌The race rounded off a year of cultural events including a concert featuring Chinese and Spanish artists fusing musical styles like flamenco, opera, and traditional Chinese music together, held in Madrid and Barcelona, along with the unforgettable arrival of the ancient Terracotta warriors in Valencia.

‌On Saturday it was sport and cycling center stage as roads were closed in the Madrid barrio and two communities were brought closer together.

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