Defending champion Tony Martin sign-on a few minutes before the start in Tiananmen Square
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A closer look at the signatures reveals some cheeky cyclists wearing numbers 64 and 114...
The peloton is lined-up and ready to race stage one...
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The race speeds past the resting-place of Mao Tse Tung in Tiananmen Square
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Craig Lewis is back in business, back in China, and leading an escape of five riders...
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The peloton is in gentle pursuit as it passes the city centre of Beijing...
Rabobank has started to chase hard, led by Juan Manuel Garate...
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Lewis leads the escape around the finish circuit - but they only have a two-minute lead...
There's a Lewis look-a-like in Christian Meier - he's leading the peloton now...
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The peloton accelerates away from the Birds Nest Stadium with blue, cloudless skies keeping the air clean today...
Meier look-a-like Lewis is the most determined of the escapers - he's trying to get away from them in the last laps..!
Lewis look-a-like Meier is doing almost all of the chasing on the penultimate lap - the break's almost been caught now..!
Jesse Sergent and Alex Dowsett make a short-lived attempt to break away on the last lap - but they don't get far...
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Xu Gang is the Champion of China and wearing the brightest clothing in the peloton here..!
The sprint is on, with Boasson Hagen, Bos, Fenn and a man in green fighting it out...
Elia Viviani wins stage one ahead of Andrew Fenn and Edvald Boasson Hagen - and take's the leader's red jersey too..!
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There's a large set of curious eyes watching the Tour of Beijing today..!
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