Mongols invade Tabor for ’cross champs
- By Andrew Hood
- Published Jan. 31, 2010
- Updated Feb. 1, 2010 at 12:59 PM UTC
Hear the word “Mongolia” and one thinks of nomads, yurts and Genghis Khan, not cyclocross.
Nonetheless, the landlocked Asian nation, sandwiched between Russia and China, sent its first-ever squad to the world cyclocross championships this weekend in Tabor, Czech Republic, and their coach was satisfied with his team’s debut.
“This is the first time we’ve had a Mongolian team in cyclocross,” national coach Naran Zundui told VeloNews. “It’s a new sport in Mongolia. We just started training in September, so we were pleased to see both of our U-23 riders finish the race.”
Two starters in the elite men’s race didn’t fare as well. Naranbat Ariunbold was lapped with five to go and Bold-Erdene Boldbaatar was lapped with three laps to go.
“Too fast,” Ariunbold said with a smile. “Much fun, but I crashed.”
Cycling is far from the nation’s sports consciousness, where pastimes include wrestling, archery and horseback riding, traditions that date back across the millennia.
“Cycling is not big in Mongolia, but people like it when they see it,” Zundui said. “Races like the Tour de France can be seen now on TV. We are just starting. The sport needs to grow a lot more.”
Zundui is no stranger to cycling. Fluent in French, he raced two years for a small French amateur team in Nancy in the mid-1990s and participated in the 1992 Barcelona Games as Mongolia’s first Olympic-level rider.
The team came to Europe in December to prepare for the worlds and Zundui is using his European contacts to help build the team from scratch, tapping old friends and colleagues for help with material, accommodation and entry into events.
Tom Lankove, a Belgian cultural attaché based in Beijing, helps the team with coaching. And a more famous name is lending a hand, too.
“Johan Museeuw has been very supportive of us,” he said. “He’s helping us with bicycles and he’s very supportive of us.”
Right now, the team boasts about 25 riders on its national squad, racing mountain bikes, cyclocross and the road.
“We are a big country but with a small population,” he said. “Our dream is to develop a pro racer who can go to Europe.”
The Mongolian team stood apart in the cluster of grizzled Belgian, Dutch and French cyclocross veterans in the team technical area in Tabor. The riders wore fox-fur hats to keep warm in the Czech winter chill, which reminded them of home — and may eventually give them an edge in their newfound sport.
“We like the cold weather,” Zundui said with a smile. “It’s the hot weather that makes us crazy.”
FILED UNDER: Cyclocross / News / No Spoil TAGS: Cyclocross / Cyclocross World Championships / Mongolia
Andrew Hood
Hood cut his journalistic teeth at Colorado dailies before the web boom opened the door to European cycling in the mid-1990s. Hood's covered every Tour since 1996 and has been VeloNews' European correspondent since 2002. He lives in Leon, Spain, when he's not chasing bike races.