Cycling: Victory on wheels – Gulf Digital News

Cycling: Victory on wheels – Gulf Digital News

Ahmed Madan, Bahrain’s young cycling prodigy, is once again home to celebrate Ramadan with his family and friends…but this time as the Asian champion, writes Abu George.

Wearing Bahrain’s colours with pride in Tajikistan, he raced in the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Asian U23 (Individual Time Trial) championship taking on 17 representatives from other countries over a 24km individual time trial.

Humbly, Madan, 21, admits that the course suited him, starting with a steady climb and an escalated incline towards the end, followed by a rolling downhill. A short-sharp climb was ‘very much to his liking’; considerably easier than the work he had been doing in Andorra and Spain. He thrived on the downhill finishing before the crowds in the capital Dushanbe.

Starting fourth on the ramp with riders released one minute apart, it was not long before Madan caught up with those ahead of him in the first climb. Though it is a race against the clock, he was soon leading from the front, quite literally.

With no more riders ahead of him, the Bahrain national champion was forced to focus on his own race and manage his outputs. It is testimony to his growing skills and maturity that he set a time