Hong Kong cycling star Ceci Lee does championships double after mindset shift
The 24-year-old storms to time trial and road race wins. Chu Tsun-wai takes men’s time trial title, with Ng Pak-hang taking road race crown
Herve Dagorne said star rider Ceci Lee Sze-wing’s twin National Road Championships triumph this weekend highlighted the 24-year-old’s psychological transformation over the past 12 months.
Lee made good on her pre-race promise to go in all guns blazing for her first Hong Kong time trial title.
She delivered a personal best performance of 22 minutes, 10.258 seconds on Saturday to upstage two-time defending champion Chloe Leung Wing-yee, who was condemned to second place despite covering the 15km (9.3-mile) time trial course in her own personal best time.
Meanwhile, in the men’s time trial, Chu Tsun-wai took the top spot with a time of 19:57.507, ahead of Vincent Lau Wan-yau, who finished second.
On Sunday, Lee sprinted clear of runner-up Kwan Tsz-kwan towards the end of the 70km course to secure her third straight national road race crown. Ng Pak-hang, the 2023 champion, won the 120km men’s road race.
“Ceci really wanted to win the time trial,” Dagorne, the Hong Kong head coach, said. “In the past, she would ask if I thought she could win. I’d always say she was physically capable, but she had to really want it.