Hong Kong cycling star Sarah Lee to miss International Cup next month, as city squad readies for Asian Championships
- Head coach confirms Lee will be missing over May 26-28 but says event will provide a chance to see how riders stack up against some of best in region
- Eleven overseas teams will join the hosts as preparation for Asian Championships and Asian Games
Hong Kong’s cyclists hope to make the most of home advantage at next month’s International Cup, as the squad prepares for two major regional events later this year.
Head coach Shen Jinkang said he would send more than 20 top riders for the three-day event at Tseung Kwan O velodrome, but double Olympic bronze medallist Sarah Lee Wai-sze would not be among them.
With the Asian Championships in June, and the Asian Games in September, Shen said the competition over May 25-28 was an early chance to see how his riders stacked up against some of the best in the region.
“The Asian Games remain the most important event of the year and therefore we have to make full use of the regional championships,” he said.
“We don’t have too many chances like this. We skipped the Asian Championships last year because of Covid-19 and many Asian countries are coming through recently while Japan, South Korea and China remain always the regional powerhouses.”
Considered a Class 1 event by the sport’s world governing body, the International Cycling Union, next month’s competition will feature 12 teams, with riders coming from New Zealand, Romainia, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong.
