State cycling squad continue training indoors
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah road and track cycling squad are taking a safety first approach as training continues during the current Movement Control Order (MCO).
Coach Louis Pang said the priority was to keep the state athletes safe by complying strictly to the MCO, which was enforced nationwide to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
In fact, the state squad which are preparing for the now postponed Malaysia Games (Sukma) 2020 has ceased gym training even before the MCO was announced to reduce expsoure to risk, he said.
“Safety first...the priority is keeping our athletes safe,” he said while expressing his gratefulness to one of the team sponsors, Borneosew Medical Trading, for providing disinfectants for hands and surfaces when they used to train in public areas since mid-January.
Pang went on to say that the team had now switched to indoor training as the anxiety and risk of contracting the virus was not worth being outdoor.
“We have switched to indoor cycling even before MCO was announced. Thankfully, our team are well equipped to train indoors.
“MSN Sabah (Sabah Sports Council) has provided us with indoor trainers since 2018. We have three-and-a-half years of experience with power-based smart training.
“We also use cloud-based training program. I prescribe the training online and every athlete gets their individual program on their phone...they know exactly what to do everyday.
“With a trainer and power meter, they can complete their training and upload the training data to the cloud.
“The app records GPS, heart rate, power, cadence and speed. Whether the athlete trains with me in Kuala Lumpur or back in Sabah, the data is recorded and analyzed.
“This keeps everyone accountable,” he added when replying via email on how the state team train and cope with the current Covid-19 situation.
On the postponed Sukma, Pang said they have reduced training load until a new date is announced for the 20th edition of the country’s premier multisport event.
“With Sukma postponed and new dates unknown, we are dealing with a lot of uncertainty. Until there is a new date, we will reduce the team’s training load.
“There is no point to place the athletes on stressful training loads...dealing with Coranavirus is stressful enough.
“Our goal now is to stay safe, maintain some level of fitness and be supportive of the athletes whether they are in Kuala Lumpur or Sabah,” he concluded.
The Sukma 2020 that Johor was supposed to host from July 11 to19 has been postponed and a recent meeting by the main organising committee proposed two options for it to be held later in December depending on the situation or bring it to 2021.
Meanwhile, Sabah won the Under-19 Individual Time Trial and Road Race gold both through Waldron Chee at the Junior Cycling Malaysia race held in Kelantan from February 28 to March 1.