Top cyclists for Asian event

The finest of contemporary cyclists, touching 800 and drawn from 30 Asian nations, will vie for eventual honours in what is being described as the biggest event in recent years. The 33rd senior and 20th junior Asian Cycling Championships will be held concurrently at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Velodrome and state-of-the-art Buddh International Circuit Track at Greater Noida from March 7 to 17.A The extravaganza, being organised under the joint auspices of the Cycling Federation of India (CFI) and title sponsor, Hero Cycles, will be the best organised event, assert the organisers. President of CFI, Paramjit Singh Dhindsa, told reporters here on Monday that they were confronted with problems when teams from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and China had issues at the entry level. Stating that cyclists from Iran and China were the best of the lot, he said that they were making last-ditch efforts to ensure their participation. He lamented that their non-participation would remove the sheen from the championships. 'The championships are third biggest sports event in the world and India is fortunate to have been allotted such a coveted event. The host team will be competing in para-cycling (slated for Tuesday) for the first time. Adding to the novelty factor is that the race would also be held on the Formula One track,' Dhindsa pointed out. According to Amar Singh, chief coach of the national cycling team, each member, fresh from training regimens in Melbourne and Italy, can give any competitor a run for his money. Pankaj Munjal of Hero Cycles, also spoke on the occasion. Indian team-Men: Bikram Singh, Chandra Sekhar Rajesh, Amarjit Singh and Amrit Singh; Women: Deborah and Mahita Mohan.