Born-again rider Alexandra Yeung Kin-wa rediscovered the joys of competition just weeks after contemplating whether she should hang up her bike for good. It took her only three days - three days of an incredible experience in the Himalayas - to change her mind.
The 30-year-old Hong Kong rider, who represented the SAR in both the 2000 Sydney Olympics and this year's Asian Games in Pusan, reignited her passion for racing after finishing second overall in the recent Siemens Action Asia Himalayan Mountain Bike Series.
A professional for three years, the Sports Development Board scholarship athlete had trained seriously in the mountains of Colorado for the high-altitude of the Himalayas, where she raced at 2,300 metres above sea level. But nothing really prepared her for what she termed the 'toughest thing I have ever done'.
The setting for her 'comeback' could not have been more spectacular. Racing in the Kathmandu valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks, Hong Kong's top all-round female cyclist was overawed by the natural beauty of the world's most famous mountain region. 'It was an incredible experience. I wish this series had gone on longer as three days was not enough,' said Yeung, who competed in Nepal's biggest annual sporting event. 'This was the toughest thing I've done on a variety of levels.'
Yeung, who competed in both the mountain biking and the more traditional cycling track and road events in Pusan, finished second behind Germany's Verena Stitzinger in the Himalayas. Yeung managed one first-place finish and two seconds, but more importantly she brought the thrill of competition back into her life.
'The race made me realise why I love racing so much. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to go if I wasn't in this sport. It was a beautiful course and there was fantastic support from the thousands of local villagers who lined the course to cheer us on. It was an incredible scene with villages and school children lining the 30-40 kilometre course everyday to cheer all the competitors on, which was great on the hill climbs.