China finishes 1-2 in women's mountain bike cross-country at Asian Games

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept 24 (Xinhua) -- China's Wu Zhifan and Liang Zhenglan claimed gold and silver respectively in the women's mountain bike cross-country event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday.

Wu pulled away from her teammate on the final lap to cross the line first in one hour, 26 minutes and 14 seconds, while Liang finished 51 seconds behind. Indonesia's Dewi Sayu Bella Sukma took bronze in one hour and 28 minutes.

The race, held at Obata Ryokuchi Park, featured 16 riders competing over seven laps and a total distance of 25.9 kilometers.

Unlike road cycling, mountain bike cross-country courses feature natural and artificial obstacles including rocks, tree roots and steep drops. Riders must constantly adjust their pace and racing lines on climbs and descents, testing both endurance and bike-handling skills.

Dewi led after the opening lap, with Wu and Liang in second and third. The two Chinese riders moved into the top two positions on the second lap, but Dewi remained close behind. By the end of the fourth lap, she had cut the gap to the leader to just 11 seconds.

"The rider behind us was pushing quite hard in the first few laps, so we took turns at the front. Whoever felt better would set the pace," Wu said after the race.

"Our first priority was to open up a gap over the others, because we both felt that the most important thing was to make sure the gold medal belonged to China," she added.

The Chinese pair gradually extended their advantage over the rest of the field, while the battle between them remained close. On the final lap, Wu broke clear and built a 51-second advantage before crossing the finish line.

Speaking about their exchanges at the front, Liang said that once they had established a sufficient gap over their rivals, "whoever had the ability could go ahead."

Although she missed out on gold, Liang said she was equally pleased to see her teammate win.

"It doesn't matter whether she wins or I win. We're both representing China," Liang said. "As long as the gold medal goes to China, that's what matters."

China coach Tong Weisong said the team had conducted heat-acclimatization training in Yunnan Province ahead of the Games and carried out race simulations focusing on training volume, intensity and technical weaknesses.

Mountain biking became an official Asian Games sport at Bangkok 1998. China has won the women's cross-country gold medal at every edition of the Asian Games in which the event has been contested.

Tong said the race had provided valuable major-event experience for the Chinese riders, while noting that they still trail leading European and American competitors in technical ability.

He added that the team would continue to work on technical skills over obstacles, high-speed riding and endurance.