Hong Kong cyclists get National Games warning, as provinces ask ‘famous faces’ for help
Head coach Herve Dagorne says four-medal target ‘difficult to access’, as mainland rivals dominate and star rider Ceci Lee has strategy blip
Herve Dagorne has issued a sobering warning to Hong Kong’s cyclists after a tough showing at the China Track Championships.
Entering Tuesday’s climax of the six-day competition in Shanghai, which serves as a a key warm-up for November’s National Games, the city team’s senior riders remained empty-handed.
On Monday, leading light Ceci Lee Sze-wing opened up a 12-point omnium lead after three disciplines, only to slump to seventh following a closing points race where Dagorne said “she did not execute the strategy we agreed”.
These championships, like their China road equivalents last month, gave head coach Dagorne a rare opportunity to study their rivals at close quarters.
“Strategically, they’re making good choices, which makes our lives more difficult; they’re very strong,” Dagorne said.
The Frenchman also noted that the provinces had been busy adding “famous faces” to their staff, with Vasil Kiryienka, the Belarusian former Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana stage winner, among a host of coaches from his country and Russia working for Chinese teams.