Siol Hill ideal for World Cup biking

KUCHING: The 3.8-km track at Siol Hill in Petra Jaya – venue for this weekend’s Sarawak Energy Siol International Mountain Bike Challenge 2016 – has what it takes to hold a World Cup event for the extreme sport in Malaysia.

This was echoed by Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Commissaire Geoffary Alan Kronenberg, who said the tracks at Siol Hill has all the elements required of a World Cup track.

He said these at a Q&A session during yesterday’s press conference for the Nov 5-6 event which has attracted formidable mountain bikers from Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Timur Leste, Portugal, Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia.

“But in terms of stepping up to make it into a World Cup track, obviously there are a few other things like logistics and a few organisational matters that need to be done and also improving the entries,’’ he said.

“Organising an event at World Cup level, you are looking approximately to at least 200 riders that come from North America, Europe, China, and more developed biking nations,” he added.

He said the venue and the track at Siol Hill had the basic fundamentals and the infrastructure that can hold a world-class event.

“All we need to know is to go for the second layer and that is very heavy promotion and broadcasting and Sarawak is no stranger to this kind of event. The state and the country had hosted a lot of international events,” he noted.

Kronenberg pointed out that it is a case of just taking the event from convention centre setting into a sports centre setting.

“That is the sort of transition that is needed to step up the track into another level,” he elaborated.

But Kronenberg figures such an event of this scale cannot be done next year but possibly in three years from now.

“For the moment, Siol Hill tracks are good enough to hold an international event for Asian level and to be world level “we need to develop further and it involves the community and the ecosystem surrounding it,” he said.

Kronenberg said hosting an international World Cup event is not just an investment in terms of sponsorship but rather an investment of state agenda, as with tourism or the like.

“It is not just about getting people into the state but also publicising Sarawak and its facilities to the world,” he enthused.

“It’s a co-operation of a multitude of stake-holders and community involvement and not just Kuching City Hall (DBKU) or a sponsor like Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) only,” he said.

DBKU Commission member Irwan Zulkarnian Muhammad Hasbie said as the event organiser, they would like it to be world class but to organise that depends very much on the sponsorship, promotion and media coverage.

Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) executive vice president of Corporate Service, Aisah Eden, said the event is not only leisure but is a sporting event.

As sponsor for this year’s event with a total prize money of RM78,905, she hoped SEB can continue to contribute at a greater level but it depends on their budget and other sponsors.

Also present at the press conference was race director Abdul Hakeem Hossen, DBKU principal deputy director Jumaini Haii.

Ilda Carina Pereira of Portugal, who is competing in the Women Elite category, was surprised with the natural track setting at Siol Hill.

The sole women rider said she never heard of this mountain bike challenge until she was at one such event at Timur Leste recently.

“I will definitely inform my biker friends in Portugal to notch it in their cycling calendar so that we can come here to compete,” she said.

Pereira, who started racing in the sport in 2010, hoped to reach the final round of competition for a podium finish.

DBKU’s team, the City Cycling Club (CCC) team captain Masri Gidi was enjoying Siol Hill after practice rounds yesterday and encouraged people to take up the sport and to make the venue renowned on the international scene.