Kwok Ho-ting to miss road championships
The 2011 scratch world champion has yet to regain fitness after undergoing back surgery
Troubled former world champion Kwok Ho-ting is a key absentee a the annual Hong Kong road championships this weekend.
The most important domestic competition of the year starts in Tin Shui Wai today with the 8km individual time trial and continues with a 105km mass-start road race in Tai Po tomorrow.
However, Kwok, the 2011 scratch world champion who missed the the Asian championships in May due to back surgery, was nowhere to be seen as the Hong Kong team prepared for the event, an opportunity to collect world ranking points.
With the extra financial support, we can raise the event to international standards and attract more young riders
"He is racing against time to get back to fitness," said Hong Kong Cycling Association chairman Leung Hung-tak on Friday.
"We are not sure he can recover in time for the Asian Games in September. If he can't, it will for sure be a big blow to us."
The talented rider was strongly tipped to take over the place left by retired veteran Wong Kam-po.
However, Kwok surprisingly announced his retirement after the East Asian Games in Tianjin last October, saying he had tired of the sport, changed his mind after talking to his coach.