Six months after a first experience training at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland, three of China’s BMX Racing athletes are back training at the centre and extending their European racing experience.
Mengyao Wang, Wanyi Liao and Quanquan Gu first came to the UCI WCC in November last year, as part of a group of five athletes selected during a talent identification process led by the UCI WCC’s BMX Racing Coach Twan van Gendt. The three young women returned to the UCI WCC on 5 April this year and will remain until at least the end of June. It is the second phase of a multi-year strategy – in collaboration with the Chinese Cycling Association (CCA) – to further develop the discipline in China in the run-up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Several coaches are also included in the strategy, spending time at the UCI WCC to observe and learn.
The Chinese athletes’ major goal of 2025 are the 15th National Games of the People’s Republic of China (9-21 November), a multisport event organised every four years. Indeed, some of the athletes on the UCI WCC – CCA programme could not participate in the current phase due to training commitments with their respective provinces and teams for these Games.
For Mengyao, Wanyi and Quanquan, the progress since last year is impressive, according to Van Gendt, three-time Olympian and 2019 UCI World Champion.
“They have especially improved their bike skills. When they arrived here, they could sprint because they are quite strong in the gym and it’s relatively easy to work on. But when it comes to finesse on the BMX bike, how to land, where to position themselves mid-air… they could not control that. But they are getting better and better.”
The athletes are competing in races while in Europe, continuing to acclimatise to tracks that are configured to produce higher speeds than those they ride on in China. This difference means that the UCI WCC coach is gradually changing their bike setups.
At the UEC BMX Racing European Cup last weekend, Wanyi Liao made the final eight of round three in Zolder, Belgium.
“The aim was not to achieve a result but to provide a baseline so they know their current level and know where they need to get to,” explains Van Gendt. “So already making a final was great.”
Wanyi Liao is under no illusion when it comes to the different levels of riding: “In Zolder I could see the gap with the other girls in Europe and my long-term vision is to be among the good European riders. I really need to concentrate on details and on the technical aspects like jumping, manuals, double manuals and the start gate.
“It’s so valuable to be here for a long time and it makes me really want to do something good in terms of training and racing. Sometimes it’s stressful, but Twan does a good job of relieving that. It’s good to train with the guys here (at the UCI WCC) because I can see how confident they are and how much they enjoy riding.”
Twan Van Gendt said the Chinese riders’ presence benefitted both the visiting athletes and the UCI WCC’s long-term BMX Racing group: “The Chinese riders are doing all the sessions with our own group. They’re riding together with the boys and copying them. On the other hand, our trainees are learning about a new culture, a different country and how it works. There’s a really good team atmosphere, both in training and on the road and the Chinese athletes are included in that. Thumbs up to all the athletes for being supportive and helping them out.”