Iran's road cyclists aim at scoring the best results for Asian riders in the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games after a strong bidding at the recent Tour of Qinghai Lake.
"We will ride to take the best results for Asian riders in Beijing. The course has a bit of a mountain, so I think that we will be able to ride in a good position," said Hossein Askari, who just won the title of "Best Asian Rider" in the Tour of Qinghai Lake one week ago.
Iran has qualified three riders for the Beijing race, and it was the first time for Ghader Mizbani Iranagh, Hossein Askari and Mehdi Sohrabi to compete in the Olympic Games.
Rohani Ahad Poorfarajolah, general manager of the Iran team, warned his team to be aware of the ferocious competition and keep a low profile.
"Tours are completely different than road races. It is difficult to predict if our riders will make a success, but we will try," Poorfarajolah said.
The Olympic road race course is one of the hilliest ever seen at an Olympic Games, and the Iranian riders showed their incredible strength on the mountain stage and seized top three of the "King of Mountain" ranking in the Tour of Qinghai Lake.
The men's road cycling race is set to be held on August 9 in Beijing, one day after the opening ceremony.
The route starts from Yongding Gate to Juyong Pass, covering a distance of 248.5 kilometers.
(Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2008)