The TORX® journey doesn’t end in September with the last runner who crosses the finish line in Courmayeur, it keeps going, flying across borders to new destinations, getting bigger and even more exciting. VDA Trailers, the organisers of TORX®, have recently signed an agreement with the LetourSports company to bring the event to China.

LetourSports is a satellite company of the Kailas Group, another well-known international outdoor brand which organises sporting events such as cycling, climbing, canyoning, marathon and trail running. In the trail-running sector in particular, the events organised by LetourSports in recent years include the Guang Zhou Ultra Race 100, the Mogan UltraKailas, the Bejing 100 Ultra and the Mount Tai 100.

TOR DES GEANTS GOES TO CHINA: 2022-2027

This new five-year project means the TORX brand will be used for a series of competitions between 2022 and 2027, all having the same basic features as the original race: names and lengths of the races, number of runners, logistical organisation and uniqueness of the chosen location (involving an iconic passage similar to the Col du Malatrà), and including the eco-sustainability and fair-play elements of the competition.

Tor des Géants 2010 (© Stefano Torrione). Col Malatrà – Courmayeur.

TORX IN CHINA: YUNNAN- GUIZHOY PLATEAU (SUMMER2022)

The selected location is the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau in Southwest China, and the race will take place in summer 2022, health conditions permitting. The Guizhou region is one of the New York Times‘ fifty best places in the world to visit (2016 list).

Under the agreement, the new competition forms part of the TORX® eXperience circuit, which means finishers of the Chinese TORX® – final number to be determined – are entitled to PAX numbers and eligible to register for the Valle d’Aosta race without going through the draw. The number of PAX numbers is set to increase in the coming months to create a world-class TORX® eXperience by incorporating new races with the same unique features as the existing ones in the circuit – international prestige, high levels of competition and organisation, and high levels of difficulty to test the runners.

ALESSANDRA NICOLETTI (TORX) STATEMENT

“We’ve been developing the idea of expanding outside Italy for a couple of years,” explains Alessandra Nicoletti – President of VDA Trailers, “but of course the pandemic turned everything upside down for a while. The TORX® is a closed competition with a restricted number of runners, so we decided to set up other TORX® races around the world for two reasons: to provide opportunities to experience the TORX® for those who can’t afford to travel, and to broaden the range of runners who might be interested in coming to the Valle d’Aosta by offering a chance to take part in the original race. We’re starting with China, a place we’ve had close contact with for years, which has facilitated the introduction of a new race based on the original. We believe the oriental market is very promising. The long-term goal is to export the model to other areas of the world too, from America to New Zealand”.

YANG LONG, (LATOUR SPORTS) STATEMENT

“We are honoured and delighted to support the TORX® journey in the East,” says Yang Long, CEO of LetourSports, “committed to representing a new base in Asia and dedicated to creating a new, extraordinary, extreme experience which embodies the fundamental characteristics of the TORX®. By developing events in Asia, we hope to provide the best Chinese runners with the opportunity to participate in the TORX® in Italy.”

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