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Link's flagship community event, Tour de Link 2023, has concluded successfully at the end of August. The contestants who are capable of winning the title of “Hong Kong Cycling Champ” are clearly the top performers among them. Channel 823 invites winners of Children Champ and Ace Team MVP, Men's Champ, Family Champ, and a member of Ace Team, to share their tips and unforgettable experience in the race, which can help others better prepare for next year's race.
With the addition of the Ace Team category this year, participants could form their own teams to compete for the title of Hong Kong Ace Team. Team Gold, a team co-founded by Hong Kong cycling legend Wong Kam-po, finally won the title. Yet not many people would have expected the MVP honour to go to 10-year-old Cherry. With a total cycling distance of 627.27 kilometres, she was crowned the MVP in the Ace Team category and also the Children’s Champ, making her a double winner.
Cherry participated in the race last year without winning any awards. Having entered both the children’s and Ace Team categories, she encountered Chun, a boy at her age, while competing at the Tseng Kwan O venue. As there were only five qualifying spots for the Tour de Link Elite Challenge, they pushed each other to their limit. “I cycle two to three times a week for three hours each time, and I think I have cycled 140 to 150 times during the race,” Cherry explained. Cheery and Chun were successfully qualified to compete in the Elite Challenge. Team Gold finally won the challenge under the leadership of Wong.
Cherry said that she has reached peak condition following the conclusion of the Elite Challenge. As such she immediately took part in the children’s category race at the Lok Fu Place, where she finished with her personal-best of 3.362 kilometres in three minutes. With that result, she won the Children's Champ title.
“I went to other venues afterwards, but couldn’t break my record again,” said Cherry. “And that’s why I believe it was the Elite Challenge that has raised my game on the day,” Cherry stated.
Cherry, who won two awards this year, hopes to continue participating in the race next year to challenge for Women's Champion. “Upon reaching 140 cm in height next year, I hope to participate in the Women's category and challenge my personal best in the 5 km,” Cherry said.
The desire to win and refusal to lose are qualities that define Chun, who made his debut in the competition this year. A Primary 5 student like Cherry, Chun has set his eyes on a spot for the Elite Challenge from the get-go. And he eventually reached that goal with a total distance of 300 kilometres over 148 sessions. His efforts paid off as he was shortlisted and competed in the Elite Challenge alongside Cherry and three other players.
While also taking part in the Children’s category, his results and placing were affected by the fewer sessions accumulated. So he shifted his focus to the Elite Challenge in which he joined the Team Gold team and was determined to win a place in the top five of the contest.
“I am interested in participating in the Elite Challenge, but I am afraid of being overtaken by others. During the competition, I cycled from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm every day, a total of 148 times, a total of 300 km!” Chun felt exhausted after each race. At the moment, he is looking forward to next year’s competition and to winning the Children’s Champ title.
As a “frequent racer” of Tour de Link, John, the “Hong Kong Men's Champ”, has participated in the race for three consecutive years. After three years of race, he achieved 4.59 km in five minutes and tasted the victory this year.
A graphic designer by occupation, John is both a cycling enthusiast and bike expert. During the pandemic, he even put his passion to good use by taking up a job with a takeaway delivery platform.
“I have been in the competition every year, and my goal of course is to win,” John said, adding that in each of the past two years, he has only missed the championship by “slight margins”. This year, he even worked out a “sure-win” plan for himself.
John said he would consume yoghurt before the race in order to enhance his performance. On the first day of the race, he spent time trying each bicycle to determine which was the most suitable for him. “There is a slight difference in resistance between each bicycle. For the race, I will choose a bicycle with the least resistance. The riders should have started the race at full speed as every second counts."
Yet the most crucial part of his “sure-win” plan, according to John, has been the support from his girlfriend, who has taken up the role of training partner.
“I will be able to perform better because of her. Moreover, she brought a mini fan to keep me cool during the race, which will also assist me in improving my performance.”
During the competition, John also encouraged his girlfriends and other relatives and friends to participate. John said the competition was well organised from the point of view of the racers, and he hopes to participate in the race next year and retain the championship.
Hailed from Tin Shui Wai, Steve and his son Carson’s first Tour de Link was a huge success – they took home the Family Champ with a total distance of 5.66 km in 6 minutes.
Steve said that they won the prize by “surprise”. On the day of the competition, the father and son were just passing by the mall and saw many of their neighbours and friends participating in the competition. At the urging of the venue’s Link staff team, they decided to give it a try.
With Carson on summer holiday and the racing venue located on their way home, the duo raced about 10 sessions altogether. “At the beginning we were a bit nervous, but as we rode more, we gradually got faster and better,” said Steve.
Carson enjoys sports and is a member of the school's badminton team. From the beginning he was determined to win. “As soon as we had finished a race, he immediately checked the ranking on the score board. That gave him more motivation to do better,” Steve said.
Steve believes that after three years, Tour de Link has now become a tradition and a major event for the community. He also praised the enthusiasm demonstrated by Link staff at the venue. As for Carson, having won the first-place this year with little preparation and expectation, he is now looking forward to next year’s competition.
