A cross-border road cycling race which doubled as a test event for the National Games held in the Greater Bay Area next year went ahead smoothly on Sunday. A total of 67 cyclists set off from Zhuhai at 9am for the men's individual 230-kilometres event. The peloton arrived in Hong Kong about 90 minutes later via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. The cyclists continued east along the North Lantau Highway, and headed back to the mainland after passing Hong Kong Disneyland in Sunny Bay. The race offered authorities a chance to gauge disruption to traffic. Lanes in both directions on the cross-border bridge were closed in staggered intervals to allow the cyclists to pass through. Traffic fully resumed shortly after 12:30pm. But some Hong Kong travellers arriving the border checkpoint were unaware of the temporary arrangements. "I didn't know the roads were closed today. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come. I plan to go home, and return this afternoon," Mr Fong said. "Maybe I wasn't paying attention, but there wasn't much information available. I'm really frustrated because I have no idea how to get to Zhuhai," another man bemoaned. "I think they should definitely issue more information or reminders on the MTR. There should be announcements at every station. If I'd known in advance, I could have made alternative plans," said another traveller. The unique nature of the race drew a lot of interest from locals. "I saw the news yesterday, so I wanted to come here and take pictures. I used to take part in road cycling races ... I hope Zhuhai will continue to develop this sport and hold similar events every year,” a Zhuhai resident said. Another man said he came all the way from Zhongshan to support his former teammates who participated in the race. "I arrived in Zhuhai two days ago because my former teammates also arrived early to acclimatise to the environment. I came here to cycle with them. It really brought back memories of us training together," he said. Sports minister Kevin Yeung said his colleagues would review the arrangements with their mainland and Macau counterparts, and seek further improvements. He said as a result of the road closures, travellers to and from the airport spent 20 to 25 minutes longer on average this morning. "That was already less than what we forecast at the beginning. So I think overall, the test event has been carried out very smoothly,” he said. Yeung noted three cyclists had to abandon the Hong Kong section of the race, although there were no accidents. Meanwhile, Yeung Tak-keung, the head of the National Games Coordination Office, revealed the General Administration of Sport of China has not decided how many cyclists can sign up for the actual race next year.
