The 139 kilometre route was the longest of the three stage of the International Cycling Union (UCI) Women’s World Tour event but a bunch sprint was still expected at the close of the race in Xincheng Park.

Italy’s Anna Trevisi and Russia’s Olga Zabelinskaya attempted to defy expectations by attempting to move clear of the peloton in the final 40km

Double London 2012 bronze medallist Zabelinskaya, who accepted an 18-month doping ban in February after testing positive for the banned weight loss stimulant octopamine in March 2014, was unable to hold off the field with her breakaway companion.

The pair were unable to stretch their lead to over a minute as Wiggle-High5 and Team Liv-Plantur increased the pace in the chasing group with an eye on setting up their sprinters for a stage win.

Having caught the pair inside the closing 15km of the stage, a sprint became a formality, although Wiggle-High5’s chances took a blow when Australia’s Chloe Hosking and British team-mate Lucy Garner where separated as they approached the finish.

As the sprint opened on the finishing straight, Huang powered through the field to earn a shock victory for the Chinese Tapei team in a time of 3 hours 21min 24sec.

Canada’s Leah Kirchmann finished as the runner-up ahead of Hosking, with the duo awarded the same time as the stage winner.

Huang, winner of the women’s road race at the 2015 Asian Cycling Championships, will begin tomorrow as the overall race leader on a flat 112km stage around Chongming Island.