Tour of Greater Bay Area cycling event planned for November as officials try to bring top-class road racing back to Hong Kong
- Road cycling is among the most popular sports in Hong Kong but the city has not staged an international event since 2018
- The regional race is set to replace the former Tour of South China Sea, which was stopped after the 2010 event, but it depends on the global coronavirus situation
Association chairman Leung Hung-tak said it had been too long since Hong Kong last staged a high-profile road event. Track cycling has dominated the local calendar in recent years after the 2013 completion of a world-class velodrome in Tseung Kwan O and the success of twice Olympic bronze medallist Sarah Lee Wai-sze.
“We had a plan [to bring back road racing] for some time but because of the pandemic over the past two years, we didn’t think it would be possible to get overseas riders to Hong Kong,” said Leung, the former captain of Hong Kong road race team. “But we expect the pandemic may ease gradually in its third year and therefore we are considering staging an international event in November.
“Hong Kong will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the handover this year and we hope to secure some government funding to make it happen.”
The last road event organised by the association was the 2010 Tour of South China Sea, which featured a number of continental teams and covered cities in southern China.
The Tourism Board’s Hammer Series was held in 2018 and featured 11 top world tour teams competing in Hong Kong as part of the Cyclothon. The 2019 event was called off because of anti-government protests in Hong Kong.