Hong Kong Sports Institute cycling head coach Hervé Dagorne on Monday hailed as a success Sunday's cross-border road race, an event that was largely seen as the first major test ahead of the 15th National Games to be held next year. Dagorne said the organisation of the race, which featured dozens of cyclists traversing a 230-kilometre route that included a crossing of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, was behind the positive result. "I was very impressed with how smooth it all turned out," Dagorne said. "This was the first time we could hold such a race passing through a bridge. "It's one of the longest bridges in the world, so for us, we were able to gain more knowledge on how we can manage the actual race come next year. We were all very excited, and interested to see what we can achieve in the National Games." Dagorne also highlighted the obstacles that came with organising the large scale sporting event, and noted what needs to be done ahead of the Games. "The matter of immigration is an important aspect when it comes to organisation [of the race]." he said. "We must also determine how wind and slope can affect athletes – as such factors can be difficult to predict while passing a bridge compared to when on a car or bus." The race is set to be the first national sports event that connects Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.
