The 29-year-old Li Fuyu is competing in Xihaizhen at his fifth Tour of Qinghai Lake. This time, the dazzling Discovery Channel team jersey not only gave him a new look but also did a boost in standings.

In the first two stages at this year's Tour of Qinghai Lake starting on July 14th, Li mounted the platform twice with the blue jersey and managed a 15th placing in the total of 139 competitors.

"I believe I have made improvements in all aspects," said Li, who became the first Chinese rider to sign with a UCI (International Cycling Union) professional team at the beginning of this year.

"Now, I can adjust myself to the competition more quickly and be much tougher during the race," said the Shandong native.

Ekimov Viatcheslav, the team manager of Discovery Channel at the race, was even more confident about Li's progress. The 41-year-old Olympic gold medalist believed that the moment Li joined the team, he had made a huge progress.

"It meant that he was able to compete on a much higher level," said the 15-time Tour de France participant, "and he was surely stronger while competing with such a strong team."

Li had taken part in dozens of races with Discovery Channel team and managed to take seven Pro Tour points in the team time trial in Eindhoven, the Netherlands last month, which practically means that he qualifies for the Olympic road race in Beijing next year.

"The team is very strong and we fight as a group," Li repeatedly insisted during the race. But it's still unknown if there is any teammate to assist him at the Olympic Games.

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