The 2011 Tour de Qinghai Lake International Road Cycling Race is set to add two new stages in northwest China's Gansu Province, making the Asia-top event cross-province for the first time, organizers said on Friday.

Tour de Qinghai Lake is held annually since 2002 in northwest China's Qinghai province. This year's event will go through from July 1 to 10, covering 9 stages daily by adding a new stage from Qinghai's provincial capital Xining to Gansu's provincial capital Lanzhou and a circuit race in Lanzhou as the closure.

This year's event will cover 1,540 kilometers, including 1,300 kilometers in cycling. Riders form 22 teams, including 5 UCI pro-continental teams, 6 UCI continental teams and national Olympic teams will take part, said Feng Jianping, head of the Qinghai provincial sports administration.

A tantalizing 500,000 U.S. dollars is up for grabs in this year's event, making the competition bonus the highest in Asia.

"This year will be the first time for the riders to cycle across provinces in this event. We hope the 10th Tour de Qinghai Lake will become a win-win event for both Qinghai and Gansu," Feng said.

Founded in 2002, the annual Tour of Qinghai Lake is the largest and top of its kind in Asia. Held on "roof of the world" the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is the "highest" international road cycling race.