New Shanghai Velodrome poses fresh challenges for national riders
KUALA LUMPUR: National track riders competing at the Shanghai World Championships on Oct 14-18 will have to adapt quickly to conditions at the Shanghai Velodrome, China's new flagship indoor track.
National track cycling riders are set to compete at the Shanghai World Championships from October 14-18, facing new challenges at China's new flagship indoor track, the Shanghai Velodrome. Harnizam Basri, head coach (sprints), revealed that the squad has no prior experience racing at this venue, as it is the first time they are hosting a major international competition.
The lack of data on the track has prompted the team to conduct several training sessions to determine the best racing strategy, with a focus on selecting the appropriate gears. Harnizam noted that the track shares similarities with the Izu Velodrome in Japan, where the squad recently competed during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, but is described as "heavier" due to its sea-level conditions and higher barometric pressure.
The Shanghai Velodrome, officially opened in May 2024, is located on Chongming Island and serves as a UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) Continental Development Satellite. The world championships will kick off on Wednesday with Malaysian riders participating in the men's team sprint and women's team sprint events, with former world keirin champion Azizulhasni Awang set to compete in the men's keirin race on Thursday.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
