Cycling coach Jeong Sang Sub of South Korea leads the Myanmar team on his motorbike around their training circuit in Thingangyun township, Yangon, on August 11. Pic: Douglas Long

THERE’S unlikely to be a Team Myanmar on the Tour de France anytime soon, or in any pro-cycling event for that matter, but the national cycling federation is confident the sport is on the rise in Myanmar as it gears up for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December.

South Korea’s Jeong Sang Sub has been brought in to steer the country’s top cyclists as they prepare for their first showing at the SEA Games in 10 years and only the third in 30.

Myanmar picked up a bronze in the 1977 edition before a 20-year hiatus from the region’s premier sports event saw a Myanmar rider cycle away with a 4th place finish in 1997.

This year, the Myanmar Cycling Federation is being realistic and is promising no podium placingss, but Myanmar Cycling Federation (MCF) vice president U Thet Win says the team is sure to gain their rivals’ respect.

“We know we won’t be getting any medals at the coming SEA Games. But I am certain others countries will acknowledge our efforts when they see our riders’ improvement,” U Thet Win told The Myanmar Times.

Spearheading that improvement is Jeong Sang Sub, a 54-year-old veteran of Korean cycling who arrived in June to replace U Maung Maung Soe and Daw Hnin Nandar, both of whom are now helping Jeong implement his rigorous training program.

For the past three months, Myanmar cyclists have been putting in seven hours a day, covering 100-200 kilometres every day but Sunday.

The heart of their training program is a concrete oval that runs around a football pitch beside the Thuwunna Youth Training Centre in Thingangyun township, Yangon.

It’s a far cry from the polished-floor velodromes many of Myanmar’s SEA Games competitors will be training on, but for now it is the riders’ only path to track excellence. For road racing, the cyclists train on the highway to Thilawa port in Thanlyin township.

“Because we don’t have enough facilities, like a velodrome, the players have to work even harder,” Jeong said through a Korean-Myanmar translator. “We need a lot of time to achieve success in this sport.”

U Thet Win insisted a velodrome was essential if Myanmar were to have a serious shot at international titles.

“The Ministry of Sports has provided a compound for a velodrome to be built at, but the project has not yet been implemented,” he said, adding that the Myanmar Olympic Committee and the president of the MCF, Shwe Than Lwin company owner U Kyaw Win, support Myanmar cycling with as much funding as they can spare.

Jeong, meanwhile, has been given full responsibility for selecting the Myanmar SEA Games squad and monitoring their nutrition.

Pushing themselves to prove their worth are nine of the country’s top cyclists. Jeong dropped five others from the 14 who had impressed the MCF during time trials in May.

A local coach assisting Jeong said the Korean taskmaster is keen on motorpacing, riding a motorbike ahead of the pack around the Thuwunna circuit to set the pace. To build strength he sometimes ties a car tyre to the back of bike which the cyclist must then drag around the course, the assistant coach said.

Jeong added: “We are also planning to prepare the riders for events in the mountains by sending them to train in the hills around Mandalay and Taunggyi.”

At this stage, preparation is paramount. The MCF had entertained thoughts of sending a team to the high-profile Asian Cycling Championship in Bangkok, Thailand from September 2-6 but last week decided to drop the idea to focus on a more realistic grade of competition.