XINING, China, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Uruguay's Guillermo Thomas Silva claimed the yellow jersey from Spain's Manuel Penalver after winning the second stage of the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai on Monday, a grueling 151-kilometer ride marked by two punishing climbs.

The 23-year-old from Spain's Caja Rural-Seguros RGA Team clocked a time of 3 hours, 36 minutes and 5 seconds on the stage from Duoba to Huzhu in China's Qinghai Province. With the victory, Silva topped the general individual classification with a cumulative time of 6:07:31.

"It's a very difficult day with the climbs," Silva said after the race. "It's very hot today, and there was a hot sprint at the end."

The second stage featured two steep ascents. The first was a 10-kilometer climb from Dangaer Ancient City to Beishan Yakou, rising from 2,600 meters to 3,371 meters. The second was an 18-kilometer ascent from Laoye Mountain Scenic Area to Shuobei Yakou, climbing from 2,500 meters to 3,033 meters.

Silva credited riders from Kazakhstan's XDS Astana Team with pushing him throughout the stage. "They challenged and pushed me a lot in the race," he said. "I feel lucky and happy with the win in the end."

Astana, the only UCI WorldTeam competing in the race, is widely seen as a contender for the team title. Eritrean rider Henok Mulueberhan, who placed third in the stage, took the Green Jersey as the day's top sprinter.

Swiss rider Simon Pellaud of the Li-Ning Star Team claimed the Polka Dot Jersey as best climber. "I am not a climber, and the team asked us not to break away in order to save strength," Pellaud said. "But when I passed the first climbing point, I thought I should give it a try for the Polka Dot Jersey, even though I had no support from teammates."

Iran's Saeid Safarzadeh of the Tianyoude Hotel Cycling Team was awarded the Blue Jersey as the stage's best Asian rider.

Formerly known as the Tour of Qinghai Lake, the event was rebranded this year as the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai. Since its inception in 2002, it has become one of Asia's premier high-altitude road races, known for its diverse terrain and average elevation of 3,000 meters.

The 2025 edition includes eight stages totaling 1,400 kilometers and features more than 150 professional riders from 11 countries and regions. The race runs through July 13.

Tuesday's third stage covers 220 kilometers from Huzhu to Menyuan and includes a challenging 34.3-kilometer opening climb from 2,500 meters to 3,485 meters above sea level. ■