A full-strength Hong Kong team set off tomorrow for the Asian championships in Kuala Lumpur - their most important warm-up for December's Asian Games.
The riders returned empty-handed from last year's championships in India, but coach Shen Jinkang is confident his nine-member squad can do better this time.
'All the good riders in Asia are expected to come to these championships,' said Shen. 'Yet I still believe we have good chances in some events, such as the individual road race and points race.'
The Asian championships, which start on Saturday, will see the reintroduction, after an absence of nearly a decade, of the 100km team time trial.
'We have been training especially hard for this time trial,' said Shen. 'It should be no problem for us to finish in the top six, but it may be a bit difficult to win medals.'
Hong Kong's top road racer, Wong Kam-po, is likely to avoid the team time trial to focus on the road race - his pet event - the following day. 'This is the most important competition before the Asian Games,' said Wong. 'I hope the whole team, not only myself, can grab some medals.'
