Cyclist Cheung King-lok unlikely to return to professional team Orica-Scott next season

Struggling cyclist Cheung King-lok’s chances of extending his two-year stay with Australian pro team Orica-Scott are slim.

Cheung became the first Hong Kong rider to join a team competing on the UCI World Tour last year after clinching a double at the 2016 Asian Championships, winning the men’s road race and the time trial in Japan.

However, he missed the entire racing season with Orica this year, even though his name is on the team roster for the 2017 season – which ended with the traditional completion of the World Championships in Bergen, Norway last week.

Cheung enjoyed some of his best cycling in his first season with Orica when he raced in Europe ahead of the 2016 Olympics, but he dropped out of the scene after a disappointing 2016 Rio Olympic Games where he failed to finish the 240-kilometre road race.

“I still want to go back to Orica as I love racing at the highest level, especially those top races in Europe, but I know this is not my sole decision,” said Cheung, who also represented Hong Kong in Bergen but could not finish the 260km race won by Peter Sagan, the 27-year-old Slovakian becoming the first rider ever to secure three consecutive victories.

“There is also the Asian Games in Indonesia next year which will be the primary target for all Hong Kong team members. I’ll talk to the coach to see how he wants me to prepare for the Asian Games, but returning to Orica may not be that likely.