FOR the Filipino cyclists to be globally competitive, they must expose themselves more often to international races.
This was the evaluation of the Philippine team’s cycling head coach to the recent Singapore Southeast Asian Games, Christopher Allison after the Filipino riders managed only a single gold medal in the biennial event.
In his terminal report for the recent Sea Games, Allison stated that what the Filipino riders really need to become globally competitive is for them to join and expose themselves more in international races.
“There is much more informality in terms of teams organizing strong lead out sprints in our local races. It is quite difficult to produce results in those international races when other countries like Malaysia have perfected the technique through years of international racing experience,” he said in his report.
Allison also said that among those who saw action in the 2015 Sea Games, only “Marella Salamat has Asian Games medal potential in the future (with proper support).”
Salamat brought home the lone gold in cycling for the Philippines after she topped the Women’s Individual Time Trial, which was raced through a flat loop with a small bridge.