BMX Racing athletes from China are immersing themselves in the training environment at the UCI Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland, this month.
The one-month training camp is the first phase of five in a multi-year strategy leading up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, and is in line with the mission of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and its education and training centre to develop cycling worldwide.
The five young BMX Racing athletes, all women and aged 17 to 25, are based in Aigle until 1st December. They are being coached by UCI WCC resident coach and 2019 BMX Racing UCI World Champion Twan van Gendt, of the Netherlands. They have also been sharing training sessions with the UCI WCC’s long-term athletes, including Switzerland’s Zoé Claessens, who won bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and silver at this year’s UCI BMX Racing World Championships.
It’s the icing on the cake for Wanyi Liao: “I watched the Olympics on TV, but at the time, I never thought I would find myself training with Zoé. It’s exciting and inspiring,” said the 24-year-old, who finished 2nd at the 2023 Asian Championships and won the National League the same year.
“The facilities here (at the UCI WCC) are great, and the staff and athletes from all over the world are friendly,” she continues. “The track is very different from the one I train on. It’s very smooth with a good flow. The whole training environment here is very relaxed.”
The Chinese athletes invited to Aigle were detected by UCI WCC staff, led by Twan van Gendt, during a visit to China in June to scout for talent at national-level races. The UCI WCC coach said they had been selected for their potential and physical strength, which they now had to learn to transfer onto the bike and use more efficiently.
Two of China’s BMX Racing coaches are also in Aigle to learn techniques that will help them nurture their national riders.
As UCI WCC Director Jacques Landry explains, the idea behind the two-pronged approach is to develop the discipline in China in a sustainable manner: “Our focus is on training athletes and coaches in parallel so they can all go back with more knowledge and skills. Better athletes, and more knowledgeable coaches will raise the level generally in the country. The idea is to make China more autonomous so they can prepare their own athletes better.”
He added that even one success at international level could help considerably grow the discipline: “For example, a Chinese athlete who medals at a major international event will become a role model and more people will want to take up BMX Racing. It has a knock-on effect.”
Mr Landry said that the UCI WCC had worked closed with the Chinese Cycling Association on this project and it was envisaged that the young women would return next year, accompanied by other BMX Racing athletes who had also been detected but were unable to attend this month. The project could also be extended to include male riders.