Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts

Friday, March 28, 2014

Asian Games old-style cycling track

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Cycling is a major source of potential medals for Hong Kong, whose ranks include top contenders such as Sarah Lee Wai-sze, Jamie Wong Wan-yiu, Cheung Kin-lok and Kwok Ho-ting and the venue will play a pivotal role in enabling them to perform to their best.


As hosts, South Korea, one of the major track cycling powers in Asia, will benefit from being able to practise on the track.

"You can't say there is any foul play by the organisers as long as they follow the rules of the international federation," said Hong Kong Cycling Association chairman Leung Hung-tak.

"Both the 250-metre or 333-metre venues are legitimate according to the International Cycling Union, although I would say 333-metre tracks are rarely used for international competitions these days.

"I know the Incheon outdoor venue has been there for a long time and perhaps the organisers want to save money by not building any new facility but by using the existing one."

Leung said the Hong Kong team had to adjust their build-up for the Games because of the venue issue.

"Normally we train in Guangzhou's velodrome, which was built for the 2010 Asian Games, but now we need to travel to Qinhuangdao, in northern China, where they have a similar track," said Leung.

"We want the riders to get used to the outdoor environment, including wind conditions and lighting, so that they can remain competitive."

Hong Kong coach Shen Jinkang, meanwhile, is considering sending a women's sprint team to Incheon to increase the city's medal chances.

Lee has been a dominate force in the individual sprint but it has been difficult to find a suitable partner for her in the team.

Meng Zhaojuan, who also took part in the individual sprint in the Guangzhou Games, in 2010, may be a logical choice, while Diao Xiaojuan, who will represent Hong Kong in the omnium in Incheon, is another option.

"We still have to check out the racing schedules before we make a decision as we need to find out how close these events will be," said the coach.

"The two individual events - sprint and keirin - will still be Lee's first priority."

The Incheon Games will include only the 10 Olympic disciplines, which means Lee will not be able to defend her title in the 500-metre time trial, an event in which she is the Asian record holder.

Hong Kong won a total of four golds, four silvers and one bronze medal in cycling in Guangzhou four years ago.
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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Taiwanese Cyclist Grabs Gold!!!: 蕭美玉贏得金牌!!! - video

Chinese language news sources are reporting that the Taiwanese cyclist, Hsiao Mei-yu has captured the gold medal in today's 100km road race at the Asian Games in the Chinese city of Guangzhou.

Hsiao crossed the finish line in 2:47:46, defeating Santia Tri Kusuma of Indonesia by a mere 51 hundredths of a second.

With this amazing victory Hsiao becomes the first Taiwanese female cyclist to win gold and tops her bronze medal performance in the 500m Time Trial earlier in the games. Hsiao's gold medal performance brings Taiwan's gold medal count to 10 for the games with 49 medals in all.

Here is some video of the event:


Another report following the 500m TT:
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Taiwan wins gold in cycling road race

Guangzhou, China, Nov. 23 (CNA) Cyclist Hsiao Mei-yu won Taiwan's 10th gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou Tuesday by winning the 100-kilometer women's individual road race.

Hsiao won gold in a time of 2 hours 47 minutes and 46.12 seconds, edging out Indonesia's Santia Tri Kusuma and China's Zhao Na by roughly half a second in a sprint finish.

It was Hsiao's second medal of the Asian Games. She won Taiwan's first medal at the multi-sport competition on Nov. 13 by taking bronze in the women's 500 meter time trial.

Hsiao's win increased Taiwan's gold medal haul in Guangzhou to 10, surpassing the number won at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, and equaling the total won at the 2002 Asiad in Busan, South Korea.

(CNA reporters and Deborah Kuo)

enditem/ls

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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Silver medal at Asian Games won with broken bones

wong wan yiu asian games
Pile up at the Guangzhou Velodrome during the Asian Games 2010.
Hong Kong cyclist Wong Wan-yiu was caught in an epic pile up during the women's 20 kilometer cycling points race at the Asian Games.
The cyclist was in second place when she touched the wheel of leader Liu Xin and triggered the incident. Wong suffered a broken rib and a dislocated arm after being run over by other contestants.
Three of the athletes could not carry on racing, but Wong hopped on a replacement bicycle and completed the remaining 37 laps despite her pain. The heroine got a silver medal.
Wong was determined to finish the race as this was her last chance to gain enough points to qualify for the London Olympics. She said to Apple Daily that "you have to be willing to sacrifice in order to achieve anything; it's all give and take."
wong wan yiu asian games
Receiving medical attention before hopping on a replacement bike to complete the race.
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Overcome with emotions during the medals presentation.
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Finally going to get her rib and arm fixed.



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Saturday, November 13, 2010

HK cyclist Lee wins Asian Games gold





















Hong Kong cyclist Lee Wai-sze has won the SAR's first gold medal at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, which got underway this morning.Lee came first in the women's 500 metres time trial with an Asian record time of 33.945 seconds.
She said afterwards that she had been determined to win, and now hoped to make her mark on the world stage.
Lee added that the veteran Hong Kong cyclist Wong Kam-po had been an inspiration to her, and had taught her a great deal about the sport.

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Friday, November 12, 2010

Zolkples wants Malaysians to seize their moments of glory

COLOURFUL flowers, state-of-the-art competition venues, friendly smiles and intense battles.
It's all systems go for Guangzhou to showcase the biggest Asian Games ever in the 16th edition of the series.
The Games will officially open today with a grand and spectacular ceremony on Haixinsha Island, on the famous Pearl River, and the superior China contingent – boasting Olympic and world champions – are expected to sail away as the overall champions once again.
And Malaysia are ready to share some of the limelight as they seek to write their own piece of history in Flower City.
The Malaysian contingent of 333 athletes have been challenged to meet a realistic nine-gold medal target to beat the previous best haul of 8-17-17 achieved in Doha four years ago.
Men at work: The Malaysian 4km team pursuit riders (from left) Mohd Akmal Amrun, Amir Mustafa Rusli, Mohd Adiq Husainie and Mohd Harrif Salleh in training at the Guangzhou Velodrome.
Chef-de-mission Datuk Zolkples Embong said that it was time for the athletes to soak in the Games atmosphere and seize their moments of glory.
"This edition of the Games goes into the history books as the biggest-ever. And we are proud to be part of it as one of the biggest contingents," said Zolkples.
"The world will be able to see the six years of hard work invested by a massive team in Guangzhou to make this a successful event. I take my hats off for their excellent organisation."
It was confirmed yesterday that Guangzhou would be the hosts of the biggest ever Asiad, attracting 9,704 athletes from 45 countries fighting for honour and glory in a record high of 42 sports.
In fact, even Kuwait, who were banned from participating in international tournaments for two years for some violations at the Youth Olympics in Singapore in August, will compete under the banner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Games department manager Haider A. Farman said in a press release yesterday that that the total number of athletes was 184 more than that in Doha four years ago.
The Asiad has certainly evolved since its humble beginning of seven sports in New Delhi in 1951.
Said Zolkples: "All the countries are getting more and more serious in their preparations. The level of competition will be high in Guangzhou.
"The stage is all ready and it is now up to our athletes to deliver the goods. I will not be surprised if our team surpass the nine-gold target.
"Preparations have been solid and, more than that, I am impressed with their determination to break barriers."
Besides winning medals, Zolkples is also hoping for Malaysia's new stars to bloom.
"We are hoping for squash, cycling and bowling to deliver. There are also hopes on karate, wushu, badminton and sepaktakraw," he said.
"But it will be also a great achievement if new stars emerged for Malaysia
"Diver Pandelela Rinong proved herself at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last month. And, now, we want to see more youngsters make the big leap into stardom."
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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Josiah all pumped up for another strong showing in Asiad

PETALING JAYA: Track cyclist Josiah Ng (pic) made Malaysian cycling history with a gold medal-winning effort in the Delhi Commonwealth Games early this month but he has consigned it to the back of his mind.
The preparations for the Guangzhou Asian Games take centre stage and Josiah resumed training in Melbourne with the rest of the track squad under coach John Beasley last week.
His triumph in the keirin event in New Delhi and a bronze medal from the team sprint have invigorated Josiah and he is all pumped up for another strong showing in Guangzhou.
Two-time world championship silver medallist Azizul Hasni Awang had finished first in the Commonwealth Games kerin final but he was disqualified for what was deemed a dangerous sprinting move. To Malaysia’s relief, Josiah was the second-place finisher to be promoted to gold medal position.
Josiah, who has been riding for the country for the past decade, is looking forward to competing in the Asian Games for a third time with plenty of optimism.
“It used to be Azizul alone taking the pressure but I’m glad I got my level up at the right time,” said the 30-year-old.
“It has been a difficult couple of years as I was always in the limelight before and along came Azizul. It was tough for me, especially as Azizul and Rizal (Tisin) were winning medals at the world championships and World Cup.
“These younger guys provided me with the push I needed to find myself again. But everything is behind me.
“It’s now back to Asian Games training.”
In the two previous Asiad, Josiah won a silver medal on both occasions. It was in the keirin event in 2002 (Busan) and he got on the rostrum in the same position for the sprint in 2006 (Doha).
Malaysia secured their best-ever haul of 1-1-1 in Commonwealth Games cycling in New Delhi and Josiah is keeping his fingers crossed that they can match or better it in Guangzhou.
At the Delhi games, Rizal started the ball rolling with a silver in the 1km time trial.
“The Commonwealth Games is A-class and we surpassed our expectations. Keep in mind, we got four medals but we were robbed of one,” he said.
“We want to go to China and match it but we really have to improve a lot. But if we get everything right and hit our peak, we will be lethal at the Asian Games.”
For the Guangzhou Games, Josiah is down for the individual keirin and sprint events with Azizul.
The Melbourne-based track squad will be leaving early for Guangzhou next week ahead of the competitions beginning on Nov 15.
The only time Malaysia won gold medals in Asiad cycling was 40 years ago. Malaysia won two gold medals then in Bangkok in 1970 through Daud Ibrahim and Ng Joo Ngan. It was 32 years later in Busan that Josiah ended a medal drought for Malaysia with the silver in keirin
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Thursday, October 21, 2010

Use Asian Games Snub To Succeed At SEA Games



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The cycling team were not picked for next month's Asian Games but national cycling coach Yafiz Jamaludin (pic) wants his athletes to use the snub as motivation to train harder for next year's Southeast Asian
Bandar Seri Begawan - Yafiz Jamaludin wants to use the national cycling team's Asian Games snub to inspire his cyclists.
Cycling was not chosen as one of the five sports to represent Brunei at the Nov 12- 27 Games in Guangzhou, China, but the head coach agrees with the Ministry of Culture, Youth- and Sports' decision.
Nine athletes from karate, wushu, fencing, cue sports and equestrian will be competing in the Asian Games.
"They think our standard is not at the Asian level yet and I have to admit I agree with them," said Yafiz on Wednesday.
"We are still far away from that stage. If we go to the Asian Games we can complete the races but we can't provide a fight.
"But we are not going to let that affect our morale.
"It's a challenge for us, a challenge for us to succeed.
Our target now is next November's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia and we will use this as motivation ahead of the SEA Games, for us to work harder in preparation for the SEA Games.
"I hope we will be able to get the support of all parties as we prepare to embark on a systematic and strategic plan to peak in time for the SEA Games," added the Malaysian.
An ex-state and national cyclist for Selangor and Malaysia, Yafiz was the only full-time coach to be hired by the Selangor State Sports Council (MSNS).
A sports science degree holder with a major in coaching from Universiti Malaya, Yafiz also helped nurture the National Sports Council of Malaysia's (NSC) development team.
He took over the reins of the national cycling team in December and has helped the Brunei Darussalam Cycling Federation (BDCF) notch up increasingly impressive results.
Though the SEA Games is more than a year away, Yafiz has already started preparing.
The "systematic and strategic plan to peak in time for the SEA Games" he was talking about is a "periodisation plan" which is used the world over.
Four of the Sultanate's five cyclists at last Sunday's Siol X-Treme Mountain-Bike Challenge 2010 in Kuching, Sarawak, finished in the Top-5 of their respective events, with the fifth coming in sixth.
It was a result which would have been hard to imagine before Yafiz took over, but the coach believes his cyclists could have done better.
Since the Hari Raya break the national team have been in the first stage of the periodisation plan, the General Preparation Phase (GPP).
The Malaysian said that if the team were at a more advanced stage of their training, they could have returned with better results from Siol.
Muhammad Raihaan Abd Aziz came in second in the cross-country event after clocking 1:32.1 while Mohd Nurjamri Johari (1:33.8) and Muhammad Rafiuddin Zikara (a lap behind) came in third and fourth.
Yafiz said that in the cross-country race the trio could keep pace for half the distance (six of the 12 2.5km laps) but because they weren't training for speed during GPP, they couldn't maintain their speed when the eventual champion attacked.
Set to last until the end of the year, the GPP stage involves nonspecific training and focuses on endurance and strength.
The next stage, Specific Preparation Phase (SPP), will see the riders focus on their respective disciplines such as cross-country, downhill and road race.
Yafiz said that he expects to start the three-month SPP stage in January, where the focus will also shift to working on strength and speed.
In the five-month Pre Competition (PC) stage which starts in April, the riders will be concentrating on improving their speed and power.
"We will be competing in a lot of races and we are targeting an overseas training stint," explained Yafiz.
"It will be less training but more competition," he added of the PC stage.
If an overseas stint works out during the PC stage, the cyclists will be back in Brunei in August for centralised training, where high speed training will be the name of the game.
The three stages all build up to the competition stage, where cyclists will be able to go "maximum speed".
"This is the system that most high-level coaches use. Athletes can't be expected to go 100 per cent all the time, they have to trained so they peak just in time for a tournament," said Yafiz.
"You need to go through the stages.
You can't build power if you don't have speed, you can't build speed if you don't have strength, and you can't build strength if you don't have endurance.
"Let's not talk about logic; this is the system that world-class cyclists use." -- Courtesy of Brunei Times
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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Vinokourov targets Asian Games time trial

Alexander Vinokourov in Liège for Liège-Bastog...Image via Wikipedia
Astana leader wants Menchov, Kreuziger or even the Schlecks for 2011
Alexandre Vinokourov has told Cyclingnews that the time trial in the Asian Games in November is his only remaining goal of the 2010 season.

The Kazakhstani veteran will be 37 on September 16 and has already ridden the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France this season, finishing sixth in the Giro and 16th in the Tour.
Since returning from his ban for blood doping in August of 2009, he has raced intensely and won the Chrono des Nations, the Asian Cycling Championships Time Trial, a stage at the Tour de l'Ain, a stage and the overall at the Giro del Trentino, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and stage 13 at the Tour de France.
“I’m definitely going for the time trial”, he said after first hinting that he might do it in his post-stage win press conference in Mende during the Tour de France. “I’ll only ride the time trial though. It’s a dead flat course and I think I have a good chance of winning. Other riders like Maxim Iglinsky might go for the road race.”
Thanks to finishing second at the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday, Vinokourov has secured Kazakhstan’s place in the top 10 of the UCI world ranking. However, since only two Kazakh riders are in the ranking, they won’t be allowed to line up with nine riders at the world championship in Melbourne in October. Kazakhstan can have six starters but Vinokourov won’t be one of them.
“I’m going to take a break now. I might ride the two ProTour races in Canada in September but it’s not sure yet. As part of my preparation for the Asian Games, I’m interested to defend my title at the Chrono des Nations on October 17,” he said.
Vinokourov, 36 confirmed he will race for one more season in 2011, but he’s also very involved in the future of the Astana team he founded in 2006 on the ashes of Liberty Seguros.
Asked by Sud-Ouest newspaper who will be the leader of the team after the departure of Alberto Contador to Saxo Bank-SunGard, he answered: “We’re thinking about [Denis] Menchov, [Roman] Kreuziger and why not the Schleck brothers. I don’t think their deal is signed yet.”
 
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Saturday, July 31, 2010

No seeding in Asian Games – Tolentino

INTEGRATED Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling) President and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino clarified that there would be no seeded cyclists for the Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Reacting on a report that there are two cyclists who could be seeded in the quadrennial meet, Tolentino told The Manila Times Friday that it is not fair to all cyclists who sacrificed a lot if he will allow an “instant entry” to the RP cycling team.

“Well anyone can be included in the line-up but if they don’t proceed to the process of qualification, so why I issue license on them?” said Tolentino, also the secretary general of National Chess Federation of the Philippines.

“That’s why we have an Asian Games qualifying race,” said Tolentino, referring to the recently concluded track events of National Cycling Unification in Amoranto Veledrome and next week’s road race and mountain bike in Tagaytay City.

“It would not be fair to everybody if I will allow it.”

The two cyclists identified as Filipino-American Jeremy Moore and two-time Southeast Asian Games gold winner (2005 and 2007) Alfie Catalan may possibly become seeded, according to Col. Alberto Taberdo of the other cycling group.

But Tolentino, who is recognized by the Union Cycliste International (UCI) and Asian Cycling Confederation, has turned down the idea.

“Fil-Australian Apryl Eippinger came from Australia just to qualify, so I’m hoping other riders would also realize the importance of this qualification race,” he said.

So far, there are already 15 qualified cyclists for the Asian Games.

Nilo Estayo, Reinhard Gorantes and George Oconer will comprise the Men’s Olympic Sprint; Reinhard Gorantes, Lloyd Lucien Reynante, Mark Julius Bonzo and John Mier will carry the torch in the 4-kilometer Individual Time Trial (ITT) and Men’s Team Pursuit.

Lady riders Apryl Eppinger, Maritess Bitbit and Annalisa Dysangco took the women’s slots as they are adjuged the bests in the 500-meter ITT, 3-km Individual Pursuit and Points Race.

Others are Warren Davadilla, Arnold Marcelo, Jan Paul Morales, Tomas Martinez and Ronnel Hualda.
JOSEF T. RAMOS
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Monday, July 26, 2010

Taiwanese cyclists win gold in Commonwealth Games test event

New Delhi, July 24 (CNA) Taiwan won two gold medals Friday in the 2010 Commonwealth Games' cycling test event, coach Yang Tung-chen said Saturday, adding that the competition served to help the Taiwan cyclists prepare for the Asian Games in November.

Taiwan's Yi Fang-ju won the women's 3km individual pursuit event in a time of 3 minutes, 54.84 seconds, overtaking the Australian who was in the lead in the fifth lap.

In the women's 500m trial event, Huang Ting-ying of Taiwan, finished first in a time of 35.91 seconds, holding on to her lead from the start of the race.

"She completed the first lap 0.4 seconds faster than expected, " Yang said. "The races helped the athletes to improve in the area of speed control."

The invitational races were a warm-up for the athletes and allowed them to become familiar with the wooden tracks similar to those that will be used in the 16th Asian Games Nov. 12-27 in Ghuangzhou City, China, he said.

Huang had trained on a similar track in Switzerland two years ago, and has since made good progress by concentrating on muscle training, he said.

The Commonwealth Games cycling test event began on July 23 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, which is equipped with a 250m wooden track. The test event will run through Sunday.

Yi and Huang are part of the Taiwan team that will compete in the 2010 Asian Games. (By Ho Hung-ju and Elizabeth Hsu) enditem /pc

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Fil-Aussie speedster rules unity bike race

April Effinger pulls off a surprise win over veteran Maritess Bitbit. (Photo by ALI VICOY)
April Effinger pulls off a surprise win over veteran Maritess Bitbit. (Photo by ALI VICOY)
Fil-Australian April Effinger should have been seeing action in the prestigious Australian International Sprint Invitational in Melbourne over the weekend.
But Effinger, daughter of an indigenous Filipina from Baguio and an Australian father, declined the invitation so she could fly to the country and vie for a slot in the Philippine cycling team to the Asian Games.
Facing little opposition, Effinger topped the women’s 500-meter individual time trial event of the Koten Unification Races National Qualifying tournament at the Amoranto Velodrome in Quezon City to assure herself of a slot in the RP Asian Games team.
Effinger is no stranger to competing for the country. She saw action for the RP team in the 2007 Thailand Southeast Asian Games and when the opportunity to race for her mother’s country rose again, she grabbed the chance.
She dominated the race, finishing in 40.06 seconds, easily beating perennial national team rider Maritess Bitbit (41.31) came in second and former triathlete Annalisa Dysangco (44.31) third.
"I think this event is very important for Philippine cycling. For a long time now, there hasn't been a team at all. So it's really sad to go to a competition without a (legitimate) team," said Effinger, 25, referring to the leadership controversy that cost the country its participation in the last SEA Games.
"So I knew I had to turn up here to be part of this momentous moment, and I'm really excited for the Asian Games," said Effinger, the 2003 Australian sprint champion whose mother, Agnes, is from Baguio.
In the men's 1-kilometer ITT, Nilo Estayo topped the event in one minute and 14.82 seconds despite coming off a two-year hiatus.
Estayo, 34, was followed by Ronald Gorrantes (1:16.17) and George Oconer (1:16.31), who also qualified in the ITT team.
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Friday, July 23, 2010

Cycling chief hits plan to seed riders

PhilCycling president Bambol Tolentino junked the proposal made by a rival group to seed two riders to the Philippine team for the Asian Games who did not join the unifying tournament.
"It's unfair for the other riders," Tolentino, the Tagaytay City mayor, said in Filipino on Friday.
Tolentino was reacting to the statement made by Integrated Cycling's Colonel Arnulfo Taberdo who disclosed plans to automatically seed Alfie Catalan and US-based Jeremy Moore in the RP team because they believe the two have strong chances of winning medals in the Asian Games.
"All riders should go through the qualifying races and no one should be exempted," Tolentino said. "This (proposal) is also not part of the MoA (Memorandum of Agreement) that we signed for this (unification) tournament."
Tolentino’s position appeared to have the backing of Asian Games chief of mission Joey Romasanta who reiterated on Friday that only those who went through quaifying will represent the country in the Asian meet.
It was Romasanta who put together the idea of a unified qualifying race to select a common RP team following the debacle in the Laos Southeast Asian Games where two RP teams were sent and none was allowed to race.
Taberda said his plan was only a proposal and that the final say will still be the officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee.
Tolentino will have none of it and cited the case of a Fil-Australian, Apryl Eppinger, who missed a chance to compete in a big Australian meet to be here.
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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Cycling officials may seed 2 ‘non-qualifiers’

Philippine cycling officials are planning to seed two players who did not compete in the qualifing races to the national team to the Asian Games.
Cycling officials are reportedly considering automatically putting Alfie Catalan and US-based Fil-American Jeremy Moore in the RP team because they believe these two have more chances of winning medals that those who topped the qualifying races.
Catalan is a two-time Southeast Asian gold medalist (2005 Manila and 2007 Thailand) in the 4-kilometer Individual Time Trial event, while the Houston, Texas-based Moore, 26, reportedly can be counted upon to contend in the 40-km road race.
Catalan could not be available for the qualifying races because of his Army training requirements, while Moore is busy with his studies.
Both said they would be available for the Asian Games if called upon to join the team.
Should they be included, this would violate a standing order that no player will gain berths to the RP Asian Games team unless one competes and qualifies.
A cycling official said no firm decision has been made and said the possible inclusion of the two athletes is only aproposal.
"Although we have already set the rules and policies here, the POC said if we can justify why the riders (who did not participate in the qualifying) should be exempted because of their records, then we can do it," said Integrated Cycling's Col. Arnolfo Taberdo, who is also the commissar of the qualifying event. "Perhaps, we will include them in the list (of qualifiers) and from there we will deliberate."
Some athletes who requested not to be identified said including the two athletes would be unfair to those who raced in the qualifying because some of them also had to give up previous commitments.
For instance, Fil-Australian Apryl Eippinger declined to join an Australian meet to compete in the qualifying races. Eippinger topped the women's 500m ITT on Monday.
Meanwhile, Romel Hualda secured a slot in the RP Asian Games team after topping the Sprint (200m) event by clocking 14.68 seconds. Ricky Calla joined him in the team after finishing second (19.16 seconds).
Arnold Marcelo, meanwhile, ruled the Keirin (5 laps) event in four minutes and 79 seconds while John Paul Morales came in second.
In the Point Race (50 laps), Warren Padilla ruled the event by posting 40 points. He was followed by Tomas Martinez who posted 30.
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Monday, July 19, 2010

Fil-Aussie speedster rules unity bike race

April Effinger pulls off a surprise win over veteran Maritess Bitbit. (Photo by ALI VICOY)

April Effinger pulls off a surprise win over veteran Maritess Bitbit. (Photo by ALI VICOY)
Fil-Australian April Effinger should have been seeing action in the prestigious Australian International Sprint Invitational in Melbourne over the weekend.
But Effinger, daughter of an indigenous Filipina from Baguio and an Australian father, declined the invitation so she could fly to the country and vie for a slot in the Philippine cycling team to the Asian Games.
Facing little opposition, Effinger topped the women’s 500-meter individual time trial event of the Koten Unification Races National Qualifying tournament at the Amoranto Velodrome in Quezon City to assure herself of a slot in the RP Asian Games team.
Effinger is no stranger to competing for the country. She saw action for the RP team in the 2007 Thailand Southeast Asian Games and when the opportunity to race for her mother’s country rose again, she grabbed the chance.
She dominated the race, finishing in 40.06 seconds, easily beating perennial national team rider Maritess Bitbit (41.31) came in second and former triathlete Annalisa Dysangco (44.31) third.
"I think this event is very important for Philippine cycling. For a long time now, there hasn't been a team at all. So it's really sad to go to a competition without a (legitimate) team," said Effinger, 25, referring to the leadership controversy that cost the country its participation in the last SEA Games.
"So I knew I had to turn up here to be part of this momentous moment, and I'm really excited for the Asian Games," said Effinger, the 2003 Australian sprint champion whose mother, Agnes, is from Baguio.
In the men's 1-kilometer ITT, Nilo Estayo topped the event in one minute and 14.82 seconds despite coming off a two-year hiatus.
Estayo, 34, was followed by Ronald Gorrantes (1:16.17) and George Oconer (1:16.31), who also qualified in the ITT team
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Sunday, July 18, 2010

Cycling trials on

UNIFIED trial races that will determine the country’s cycling representatives to the Guangzhou Asian Games in November will start today at the Amoranto Velodrome in Quezon City.
Former Southeast Asian Games winners Victor Espiritu and Alfie Catalan will not be around but the rest of the country’s top cyclists will be there to dispute slots in the national team.
The event will mark the first time wards of Tagatay City Mayor Bambol Tolentino, who is recognized by the international federation of cycling, and Col. Arnulfo Taberdo, who is recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee, will clash.
To be disputed starting today are national team slots in the sprint, 1-kilometer individual time trial, 4-kilometer individual pursuit, Olympic sprint and team pursuit.
Also to be disputed in the five-day, 8-discipline event are road races.
The men’s and women’s qualifying for Keirin and Points Race will be held tomorrow also at the velodrome, while the road race individual time trial and massed start will take place in Subic on July 23-24.
On July 25, the trials end with downhill and cross country events for Mountain Bike also in Subic.
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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Bike tryouts to continue

THE series of tryouts which will determine the composition of the national cycling team to the 16th Asian Games will push through despite a change in leadership in one of the warring factions of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines.
Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who heads the Union Cycliste Internationale-recognized group of cyclists, made this assurance after learning that the rival faction recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee has ousted its head, Col. Arnold Taberdo last June 26.
“Tuloy ang tryouts. We are doing this in good faith. Why? Is the leadership part of the unification tryouts?” asked Tolentino.
The tryouts will begin with road races which be held inside the Subic Bay Freeport on July 9.
Secretary general Armando Bautista of the POC-recognized group said Taberdo was replaced by Ramon “Loy” Cruz, for allegedly withholding details of their talks with the POC. Peter Atencio
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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Unifying race still on despite leadership change in PhilCycling – POC

MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine Olympic Committee spokesman Joey Romasanta said on Tuesday the Olympic body would continue pushing for the unification race that would determine the country’s cyclists for the 2010 Asian Games even after POC-recognized PhilCycling group ousted its leader, Arnulfo Taberdo.
The faction of Taberdo and PhilCycling president Abraham Tolentino agreed to hold a unification race on July 19 to 25 to determine the members of the national team to represent the country in the Guangzhou Asiad.

The POC was informed on Monday that Ricky Cruz, a cycling patron and member of the board, has replaced Taberdo as the group’s head.
Taberdo is the other signatory in the memorandum of agreement also signed by Tolentino for the unity race to push through in Subic (road and mountain bike) and at the Amoranto Velodrome (track).
Dismayed over the development, the Asian Games chef de mission feared the cancellation of the race but promised to exert efforts in ensuring that Filipino riders would be able to compete in the Nov. 12 to 27 Asiad.
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Unifying race still on despite leadership change in PhilCycling – POC

MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine Olympic Committee spokesman Joey Romasanta said on Tuesday the Olympic body would continue pushing for the unification race that would determine the country’s cyclists for the 2010 Asian Games even after POC-recognized PhilCycling group ousted its leader, Arnulfo Taberdo.
The faction of Taberdo and PhilCycling president Abraham Tolentino agreed to hold a unification race on July 19 to 25 to determine the members of the national team to represent the country in the Guangzhou Asiad.

The POC was informed on Monday that Ricky Cruz, a cycling patron and member of the board, has replaced Taberdo as the group’s head.
Taberdo is the other signatory in the memorandum of agreement also signed by Tolentino for the unity race to push through in Subic (road and mountain bike) and at the Amoranto Velodrome (track).
Dismayed over the development, the Asian Games chef de mission feared the cancellation of the race but promised to exert efforts in ensuring that Filipino riders would be able to compete in the Nov. 12 to 27 Asiad.
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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Romero offers P1 million to cycling gold medalists

A P1-million bonanza awaits Filipino cyclists who will win a gold medal in the coming Guangzhou Asian Games.
The award was announced Sunday by former Philcycling (Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines) president Mikee Romero after learning that a unification race has been agreed by factions within the cycling community that would lead to the settlement of sport’s leadership row.
The two groups, one headed Ricky Cruz and Col. Arnulfo Taberdo and the other by Tagaytay Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, have reportedly agreed to conduct a joint elimination race to select the Philippne cycling team to the Asian games.
“The call for a unification race is one big step to unite all stakeholders in the cycling community, so I am supporting this move so that we can have a strong and competitive team for the Asian Games,” said Romero, who is the chief executive officer (CEO) and president of Harbour Centre. “So I congratulate POC for its effort to unite the two groups.”
Under Romero’s financial package, a silver medalist will receive P500,000, the bronze medalist P300,000. Romero’s financial incentive is different from that of the Philippine Sports Commission which also provides cash bonuses to all medalists.
At the same time, Romero, who has been away from the cycling scene for seven months, urged the group of Taberdo and Cruz and Tolentino to settle their differences amicably for the sake of the sport.
“I’m not anymore a party to any group nor a partisan to any side but I just want a united Philcycling Philippine team to the Asian Games,” added Romero, who is also known as having built a dynasty in the PBL that saw his Harbour Centre team win seven straight championships.
With a little over three months left before the Asian Games, Romero said the Filipino cyclists should now intensify their training knowing how stiff the competition is in the quadrennial event.
“We can’t achieve our goal if we remain fragmented, so I’m calling on all stakeholders to join in the race called by the POC,” said the co-owner of the Philippine Patriots that won the inaugural staging of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) last March
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