Riders demand more tracks
Hong Kong's rapidly growing band of mountain bikers has called for dedicated trails for the Olympic sport, after one of their riders was involved in a head-on collision with a government vehicle during the Gatorade Action Asia Off Road Series race at Tai Lam Country Park on Sunday.
Tsang Siu-keung, who represented Hong Kong at the world championship adventure race two months ago, was hit by an Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department vehicle while leading a field of nearly 200 competitors in the race which involved a 5km run and a 20km mountain-bike leg. The accident could have cost Tsang the race, as he finished only 14 seconds behind first-placed Neil Leonard.
'The Ag and Fish vehicle was coming right at me ... I was leading the race when the collision took place,' said Tsang, who was not hurt.
But the incident once again highlighted the difficult circumstances in which mountain bikers race and train. Chan Chun-hing, who last month qualified for Beijing 2008, trains in the mainland, citing a lack of venues in Hong Kong.
Andy Thomson, who finished third on Sunday, said he had to overtake a police car on a narrow stretch with a 100-metre drop off the side of the road.
'To avoid the type of problems we faced, cars should definitely not be on the road during a mountain bike race,' Thomson said. 'One of the main problems is that there is not enough trails for mountain bike races. With the sport growing so fast in popularity and now an Olympic sport, the government should consider building new trails for mountain bikers.'
Race organisers had a permit for the race but department officials refused to close the road despite pleas from the organisers, race director Michael Maddess said.
'How many people need to die before they [the government] wake up and take this seriously,' said Maddess. He was referring to the death in November, 2005 of cyclist Brendan Chiu Hsiu-hon who was killed by a minibus during a race in Hoi Ha Road, Sai Kung Country Park.
A department official said policy was that roads would not be closed for a race. However, she said the department could review the policy depending on the race and how many competitors took part.
High accident risk
The number of riders competing in the mountain-bike event at Tai Lam, for which roads were not closed: 200
