By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, June 26: Sarawak’s cycling squad is facing a major training bottleneck ahead of the 22nd Malaysia Games (Sukma), with limited access to velodrome facilities forcing the team to relocate its final preparations to West Malaysia.
Sarawak Cycling Association (SCA) president Irawan Sudarsono said the State squad is now entering a crucial phase of preparation and is expected to begin training camps in Selangor or other parts of Peninsular Malaysia as they intensify their build-up for the national multi-sport event this August.
However, securing track time has become increasingly difficult due to overwhelming demand for the Nilai Velodrome, which is currently the main training hub for multiple state teams.
“Right now, all the states are trying to get their hands on the Nilai Velodrome. So there is very limited space for bookings,” he said during a press conference held at Baitul Makmur 2 here today.
He added that the situation is further compounded by national-level preparations, with the venue also hosting training programmes for elite riders targeting the SEA Games, Asian Games, and World Junior Championships.
As a result, Sarawak is exploring alternative facilities, including the Johor velodrome, though Irawan acknowledged that the lack of a dedicated home facility continues to be a long-standing limitation.
“Of course, it would be wonderful if Sarawak could have its own velodrome for training, but this is the reality of the current situation,” he said.
Despite the setback, preparations across other cycling disciplines are continuing in Sarawak.
On the mountain bike front, two of the State’s top riders are currently competing in Uzbekistan as part of their preparation programme, where they are gaining valuable UCI ranking points and international race exposure.
The rest of the squad is training locally in Kuching, including BMX (bicycle motocross) Freestyle athletes who are using the skate park in front of Sarawak Stadium, while the Siol MTB Track continues to host preparations for the MTB (mountain bike) and downhill squads.
Irawan said the final training camp is expected to take place in the last month before Sukma, with athletes likely to depart for West Malaysia by end of next month for their final phase of preparation.
On medal expectations, he cautioned that cycling remains highly competitive despite Sarawak’s recent encouraging results at national level.
He noted that many of the State’s recent winners are younger riders aged 17 to 18, who will now face older and physically stronger competitors in their early 20s.
“Competition is still very fierce. We will put up a fight and I know our athletes will give their best,” he said.
He added that medal targets may need to be adjusted accordingly, with Sarawak currently aiming for around two to three gold medals, while still expecting additional podium finishes across various cycling disciplines.
“We are hoping for our first gold in either road or track events, but there will be more medals expected in other categories as well,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily
