Taiwan’s cycling team have settled down and ready to clinch medals at the 37th Asian Road and 24th Junior Road Cycling Championship.
With a delegation of 20 cyclists, Taiwan find themselves as one of the favourites to be crowned champions in different categories under the supervision of their coach Yang Tung Tseng.
With an experience of 29 years in coaching cyclists, Tseng was looking forward to his first visit to Bahrain for the championship.
“I’ve been to Doha twice but this is my first time in Bahrain. It’s a challenge here to be racing at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) being very spacious and windy. That probably is our toughest challenge,” he explained.
The cyclists also find it a challenge to be racing at the circuit as the tight turns make it very tough for them.
“It’s the first time I cycle on a Formula One Circuit so it is very special but also very hard for us cyclists. The management of the tight turns can be the difference between two drivers and with no experience on the tracks, it could cost some people medals,” 20-year-old Sergio Tu said.
Another cyclist who is a favourite for winning a medal is Ting Ying Huang who is competing at the Elite women’s category. She started her career moving to a cycling school which was then coached by Tseng.
She went from representing her school, to representing her city and then her country to be one of the best cyclists in Taiwan.
She had won the Elite Women’s category twice in a row in 2016 and 2015 and looks forward to winning it a third time this year.
The delegation also spoke of their familiarity with the environment.
“The weather is just a bit more sandy than what it is at home in Taiwan, the temperature is about the same so we don’t feel very strange here. But once again we need to always be looking out for strong winds,” Shao Hsuan Lu, 24, said.
Lu also put in almost 40 hours a week to prepare for the championship which he considers a tough one.