Riyadh Hakim Lukman, Ng Chee Kiong and Tsalina Phang land double national titles each, as national mountain bike events took place at outdoor trails for first time since start of pandemic
PHOTO: SINGAPORE CYCLING FEDERATION (SCF)
Singapore, 11 June 2022 - Organised by the Singapore Cycling Federation (SCF), the OCBC Cycle National Championship, featuring Mountain Bike Cross-Country - Cross-country Short Track (XCC) and Cross-country Olympics (XCO) categories, took place at the Centaur Sports Park trail on the weekend of 4-5 June 2022.
This was the first time the national mountain bike events took place at outdoor trails since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE CYCLING FEDERATION (SCF)
The first day of competition saw 59 riders over 11 race categories, including 4 Cadet categories for kids take part in the XCC event, a relatively new format of cross-country mountain biking (since 2018) that is shorter (in this case, 820m per lap) and more intense compared to the XCO.
An XCC course typically ranges between 1km to 1.5km long, taking just 2-3 minutes per lap.
Meanwhile, the XCO is the most practiced and common mountain bike discipline around the world, both for amateurs and competitors.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE CYCLING FEDERATION (SCF)
XCO Elite Men's and Women’s events usually last between about 1.2 to 1.4 hours consisting of several laps around the course (in this case, 4km per lap), which is a greater test of endurance compared to the newer XCC format. The XCO event on 5 June had 35 riders from over 10 race categories.
Race highlights
Returning to Singapore from his maiden Southeast Asian Games participation in Vietnam last month, national mountain biker Riyadh Hakim Lukman (Burgeon MTB racing) successfully defended his 2021 national title with double wins as the national champion of both the XCC and XCO races in the Men’s Elite categories.
Ng Chee Kiong (SantaCruz Singapore), who clinched the 2021 national title in the Men’s Masters category, also won double national titles in the XCC and XCO events in the Men’s Masters categories for 2022.
Another big winner was Tsalina Phang (Team AttitudeBikes) who also scored double national titles in both events in the Women’s Elite categories this year.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE CYCLING FEDERATION (SCF)
Singapore Cycling Federation Vice-President (Mountain Bike) Muhammad Faroz Marzoki was ecstatic about the good turnout at the races.
Faroz, 34, said: "We carried the flame of racing spirit from SEA Games back home and hosted two national championships back to back over a weekend. The athletes showcased their talent, displayed resilience and tenacity, worthy of the our national colours."
PHOTO: SINGAPORE CYCLING FEDERATION (SCF)
"The reigning champions once again proved their ability to earn the top spots to be crowned National Champions. The race formats may appear similar to some but the race courses were primed for fast full-gas flat-out performances. There was enough room for strategic overtaking opportunities and race strategies were executed confidently in ever-changing conditions."
"With just a weekend’s break in between, we will head to our next instalment of
National Championships - mountain bike downhill. It will be an interesting race
incorporating technical features such as steep chutes, jumps and tight turns, in which
marginal gains will differentiate the good from the best."
Full results from the event can be accessed at this link here.