THE NEW PAPER Saturday, August 14 2010
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DREAM CYCLE
KENNETH GOH
kengohsz@sph.com.sg
H
E SOLD off his drum set to pay
for his bicycles, which are built
for competitive cycling, at the
beginning of this year.
Alvin Phoon, 17, had to put his jam-
ming sessions on hold to focus on chas-
ing his cycling dreams. With these
equipment, he hopes to pedal to suc-
cess at the Youth Olympics Games.
The Mayflower Secondary School
student will be representing Singapore
in the road race and BMX (bicycle mo-
torcross) individual events.
The road race involves a cycling
route that spans 50 kilometres, while
the BMX event is a race, in which cy-
clists navigate their bikes through an
obstacle trail.
Alvin said: “Qualifying for the YOG is
my biggest sporting achievement yet,
and I hope to win at least a bronze
medal in the road race event.”
He reserves two days a week for train-
ing, which rotates between Mount Fab-
er and Changi coastal road. He trains
with his coach, Daniel Loy.
FAST FACTS
WHAT: YOG Cycling - BMX
WHEN: Tuesday to Thursday
WHERE: Tampines Bike Park
TICKETS: $30
The training at Mount Faber hill in-
volves shuttling up and down the hill
up to eight times, while he cycles a
distance of 80km along Changi costal
road. The sessions last more than two
hours.
“These intense sessions train up the
‘explosive burst’ of my pedalling pow-
er,” said the Secondary Five student. He
then “cools down” by cycling from the
training sites to his home in Seletar.
There’s also the twice-a-week gym
sessions to work on his upperbody
strength, which is essential for stunts in
the BMX obstacle trail.
The workouts leave him with little
time or energy for anything else.
“By the time I reach home, it is 6pm
and I am too tired to go out, so I finish
up my homework (his GCE O level ex-
aminations are at the end of the year)
and watch television to unwind.”
51
Cycling
On weekends, he cycles 40km
around the Sengkang estate to build up
his endurance and stamina.
It took a trial ride on his friend’s
bicycle to spark an interest in the sport.
“I was fascinated by the stunts that
the cool disc brakes can pull off at high
speed, so I bought a $600 bike,” he
recalled.
He has since garnered a few wins in
the Cyclone race series of cycling com-
petition last year and claimed the 10th
position in the men’s category of the
OCBC Cycle Singapore this year .
Alvin has also been receiving sup-
port from his school, friends and fami-
ly. His school even made a banner in
support of his efforts and hung it out-
side the general office.
“I get embarrassed by the attention,”
he admitted. “Sometimes my school-
mates discuss the banner, without
knowing that I am within earshot.”
And Alvin’s ambition won’t end with
the YOG: He hopes to qualify for the
2013 South-east Asia Games and take
part in a versatile mix of downhill, BMX
and velodrome cycling competitions.
“I want to be a more well-rounded TNP PICTURE: JACINDA YEO
cyclist and possibly be Singapore’s best ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS: Alvin Phoon hopes to
cyclist in three years’ time,” he said. get at least a bronze medal.