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“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That’s just a part of life. It’s all about the work-hard process that matters – and it will become our lifelong memory,” said Roger, the first runner-up at last year’s inaugural Tour de LINK who’s also a secondary school physical education (P.E.) teacher.
Born in the 1980s and never one to sit still, Roger was an average student in an academic sense. His athletic talents, however, was apparent from a young age. He ran, jumped, and swam -- regularly representing his schools and excelling at various sporting events. These were the venues where he shined.
Roger switched school after secondary five, as his results at the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination were not satisfactory. Yet that turned out to be the silver lining in the dark clouds as he met his truly respected teacher at the new school who had forever changed his life. “My mentor was the coach of both the swimming and basketball teams. He was the one who constantly pushed me to challenge myself in swimming and taught me the importance of perseverance,” Roger said, adding that his mentor, who was good at fostering positive thinking and attitude among his students, made him feel cared and valued. “He is such a role model inspiring me to think about, for the first time, if I can consider teaching as my profession.”
After graduating from the Education University of Hong Kong with a degree in Physical Education, Roger made a vow to himself to be a dedicated teacher focusing on nurturing students from disadvantaged background, helping them discover their own strength, and encouraging his students to find their ways in life.
Possessing traits of professional athletes, Roger prefers taking things step-by-step to build his students’ confidence. Starting from smaller-scale competitions, Roger would require his students to establish the training routines and gradually challenge them to excel. “For those who are very committed to regular trainings, I would sign them up for inter-school competitions. This is not only to help the school achieve good results, but more importantly, I want them to enjoy the journey of working hard towards achieving their goals.”
Though being a swimming lover, Roger dedicated more of his time in cycling in the recent years as most swimming pools were temporarily shut down during the peak of the pandemic – it turned out to be another blessing in disguise – as he was encouraged by his wife, who came across the ads for Tour De LINK, to join the inaugural competition last year and won the first runner-up among all participants. “I was just along for the ride at the beginning, but when I realised that my results were only fractionally behind the first-place rider’s, it drove me to think of ways of achieving better result.” The process of challenging himself to improve is exactly what Roger enjoys most about. “Being the best becomes less important, doing the best is all that matters,” Roger concluded with a smile.
Despite Roger had to settle for the second place at the Oi Man Plaza round of the first Tour De LINK, because of his motivated spirit, his result was good enough to garner the silver medalist among all Hong Kong participants and he was presented with a folding bike as the winning gift. “I gave the bike to my seven-year-old son. Not only do I hope that he will enjoy sports, but also that he can pass on the legacy of athletic perseverance.”
This year, Roger will not only have the chance to build on last year’s success by challenging for the championship of Tour De LINK 2022. He can also sign up for the “parent-child” category with his son, or let him take part in the children’s competition, while his wife can compete in the women’s category. It truly is a family event!
First round in Lok Fu Place, Kai Tin Shopping Centre and Wo Che Plaza already finished on 14 August with Lok Fu district taking the lead and accumulated the most cycling mileage of over 5,600 kilometres.
Date: 17 August (Wednesday) to 28 August 2022 (Sunday)
Time: 12 noon to 8pm
Locations: TKO Spot, T Town, Oi Tung Shopping Centre
At Tour de LINK 2022, riders are invited to compete in four categories: men's, women's, children’s and family. At each location, the first-place winner in each category will be awarded the “District Cycling Champ” title and will receive a commemorative medal. The best record in each category across all six districts will be awarded the “Hong Kong Cycling Champ” in their respective category, with each winner receiving a folding bike and a commemorative medal. The collective distance cycled by all participants in the same district will be generated as the total district result, and Link will donate $100,000 worth of meal coupons to elderly residents in need through non-government organisations in the winning district as a charitable gesture and to spread love throughout the community.
