Artur Ershov(M) from Russia's RusVelo (RVL) won the first place in the eighth stage of the 11th Tour of Qinghai Lake cycling race, July 7, 2012. [Photo by Zhang Meng/ Xinhua]

Artur Ershov from Russia's RusVelo (RVL) came first in the eighth stage of the 11th Tour of Qinghai Lake cycling race on Saturday.

Hossein Alizadeh of Iran's Tabriz Petrochemical Team (TPT) retained his yellow, blue and polka-dot jerseys, which represent the leader of general classification, best Asian rider and best climber repectively.

Luka Mezgec from slovenia's SAVA (SAK) secured the green jersey for the best sprinter.

The eighth stage, spanning 201 kilometers, started at Qilian County of Qinghai Province and finished at the city of Zhangye in Gansu Province.

This stage features a Hors categorie climb at an altitute of 3,685 meters above sea level and a Category 3 climb at an altitude of 3,014 meters.

The remaining five stages will take place in Gansu Province and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

This year's Tour of Qinghai Lake, which kicked off on June 29, will last 14 days and cover 2,680 kilometers, with the average altitude reaching 2,391 meters above sea level and the maximum standing at 3,865 meters. For the first time, it will span three provinces and autonomous region.