On to Sri Aman after major Miri upset

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The two Miri cyclists pose with Lee (centre), coaches and officials.

MIRI: The SSC/MSNS Cycling Roadshow in Miri was a big disappointment with only two cyclists from Miri and four from Bintulu turning out for the trials.

However, Sarawak coach Leon Schepers who led a team of four coaches and two officials were undaunted as they took the opportunity to talk to the potential cyclists from Bintulu.

The Bintulu group who took the trouble to take a bus to Miri for the talent hunt in fact included cyclists who have already been identified.

One of them Tay Choon Liang won second placing in a regional junior championships held in Lubuk Linggau in Sumatra for mountain bike competitions recently.

After the speed tests for the six cyclists on trial, Assistant Minister for Tourism Datuk Lee Kim Shin dropped by at the Miri Stadium where the meeting with the cyclists and officials were held.

Members of the press were briefed on Sarawak’s plan to become a powerhouse in cycling through talent search such as the Roadshow.

Immediately, a training camp will be held in Sibu and the DBKU mountain bike track in Kuching with selected cyclists from the Sibu and Miri roadshows.

“We will work on the cyclists on the skills which include such techniques like cornering, braking and how to ride with one had for example.

“All these skills need to be imparted as they are very important points for competitive racing.

“We embark on a mission to scout for new talents with the blessing of the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim (Rahman Hamzah) and his assistant minister Snowdan Lawan,” said Schepers.

The Cycling Roadshow which had earlier covered Sibu where about 100 turned up is a state-wide search for talents to take part in Suksar and eventually form the team for Sukma.

While there was much fanfare in Sibu which took place at the shopping centre in Wisma Sanyan with slide show, talks on the Sarawak cycling programme and lucky draws for those who turned up, the Miri leg was a simple affair due to the poor response.

After the trip to Miri, the cycling team will move to Sri Aman next where they are hoping for a better response.

The Cycling Roadshow, which is organised for the first time on a state-wide scale, covers the various disciplines in competitive cycling such as BMX, road race or mountain bike for the Inter-Zone teams competing in Suksar (Sarawak Games) in December and Sukma XIX Games in Perak next year.