Attired in racing outfits, cyclists geared up to give their best at the 57th State cycling championship, which got under way at the Southern Railway Institute ground here on Friday. Over 250 cyclists from 23 districts are participating in the championship organised by Tiruchi District Cycling Association.
The event features track and road races for boys and girls (under-14, under-16, and under-18 categories) and for men and women. Track events are being held for the first two days while road race will be conducted on Sunday. Based on the performance at the championship, cyclists will be chosen for the national road cycling championship to be held in Haryana in October, and national track cycling championship to be held in Manipur in December, according to S. Radhakrishan, secretary, Tamil Nadu Cycling Association.
He said that the standard of Tamil Nadu cyclists has been constantly improving. “Cyclists from the State have been winning medals at the national-level and are also participating in international events.” Mr. Radhakrishnan said that the aim behind bringing the event to Tiruchi was to popularise the sport further. Earlier in the day, P. Mahesh, chief workshop manager, Golden Rock Railway Workshop, inaugurated the meet in the presence of R. Ravichandran, secretary, Southern Railway Institute, P. Kalaiselvan, district sports officer, C. Chandrasekar, president, Tiruchi District Cycling Association, and P. Rathnagiri, secretary.
