New cycling initiative to send young riders to Spain

Top local cycling talent will get the opportunity of a lifetime to train in Spain with the UCI WorldTour Movistar Team, as part of a new high-performance initiative by the Singapore Cycling Federation (SCF).

- Melvyn Teoh

On Oct 31, the SCF penned an agreement with Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) — who are partners with Movistar Team — at the firm’s office at Millenia Tower.

SCF president Hing Siong Chen said: “We are proud to partner with Eastern Pacific Shipping on an initiative that goes beyond performance.

“The EPS-SCF Spanish training camp will give our athletes and coaches a firsthand experience of what it takes to perform at the highest level, while also igniting passion and belief within Singapore’s cycling community.”

The training camp, from Jan 13 to Feb 3, will see up to four junior men, four Under-23 men, two to four elite women and two national coaches heading to Spain to join Movistar Team.

A pool of 18 riders will have to go through the SCF’s selection process, with criteria to include their race times.

National junior rider Chen Yuk Hao, 16, is looking forward to the opportunity to train in Europe.

He said: “I think it’s going to be very beneficial for me. I’ve never been outside of Asia and I will be able to train with the pros there.