Bicycle racing course rated among best after acing Olympic test

The world's top cyclists have ranked the Beijing Olympic road course one of the most "beautiful and professional" in the world.

Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans was gushing with his praise after finishing overall champion of the two-day "Good Luck Beijing" International Road Cycling Tournament last weekend.

"It is a great course," he said afterwards.

"It is one of the most professional courses I have ever seen."

The cycling course is now just waiting for next August, according to event manager Cao Zengsen.

Last weekend's test event started from Yongdingmen, an ancient site in Beijing, and covered 174km through a number of scenic spots, including the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Lama Temple, Temple of Earth Park, the Beijing Olympic Tower and the capital city's landmark tourist attraction, the Summer Palace.

The route will provide the world a thorough look at Beijing's most beautiful landscapes.

"It was very hot and humid but the scene was beautiful, it is a real nice route to compete on," Evans said.

"But this is a very difficult route, I have to say. There are a lot of mountains and even the best riders cannot take the lead for granted here in Beijing."

Italian cyclist Bosisio Gabriele, who won the men's road race on Saturday, described the course as "an emotional one".

"The course was perfect, and the scene was beautiful, especially when you climbed the Great Wall - it was emotional," he said.

International Cycling Union President Patrick Mcquaid echoed Gabriele, commending the course as the most beautiful for a road cycling event in Olympic history.

"The test event is really a dress rehearsal for the competitions that will take place during the Olympic Games," Mcquaid said.

"Everything in the Chinese capital has been ready for some time.

"We are convinced that this event will confirm the quality of preparations for the Olympics."

Beijing enforced a traffic limit during the event, alternately banning cars bearing even or odd number plates between August 17 and 20.

The event's organizing committee called on more than 500 volunteers and 400 security personnel to guarantee everything went smoothly, the cycling manager said.

"We are happy to see the event was successful," he said.

"We did our best to provide the best service for cyclists and officials, especially to guarantee their safety.

"After the test event, we are much more confident of our ability to deliver a successful Olympics.

"We gained more experience in organizing the road cycling event, and for the Olympics."

As one of the 42 test events for Beijing Olympic venues, last weekend's event attracted teams from 18 countries and regions including cycling powerhouses Australia, Russia and Italy.

The men's individual time trial circles a course between Juyongguan and Badaling with the full length of the track 23.8km.

(China Daily 08/21/2007 page22)