(BEIJING, August 9) -- A combination of stunning scenery, historical treasures and the longest Olympic distance will provide a spectacular setting for the Men's and Women's Cycling Road Races at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
At 245.4km, the distance for Men's Cycling Road Race on Saturday is the longest in Olympic history. The Women's Road Race of 104.6km will be held on Sunday.
In another Olympic first, the two Cycling Road events will start and finish in different places.
Tian Junrong, deputy competition manager at the Cycling Road venue, said the aim was to design a route that would highlight Beijing landmarks.
"We thought the course could represent the past and the present of Beijing," he said.
Chinese, International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Cycling Union (UCI) officials began working in 2001 to create a beautiful yet challenging course that many are calling the most difficult in Olympic Cycling Road history.
Initially, officials discussed having a circuit course typical of international competition, with the start and finish in the same place. A loop on the Second and Third Ring Roads south of central Beijing was one early option.
Officials later talked about how to make the course more challenging and interesting for the cyclists, and use it as an opportunity to let the world see what Beijing had to offer.
Working with UCI technical advisor Charly Mottet of France (FRA) and UCI technical delegate Philippe Chevallier (FRA), Chinese officials settled on a course that starts at the Yongdingmen Gate south of the city centre and ends on a grueling climbing circuit finish near The Great Wall, about 70km north of the Beijing.
"The UCI and BOCOG all wanted the race to represent the beauty of Beijing through the cycling events," Tian said.
"And a course from A to B is more interesting for the riders."
Santiago Botero of Columbia was one rider who saw the course for the first time while training this week.
"It's amazing, it's an incredible route. It's beautiful with The Great Wall," he said.
"It suits the climbers. I am sure in the final there will be only few riders left."
Historical highlights of the Men's and Women's Cycling Road course include:
* The mass start road cycling race begins at Yongdingmen Gate, the largest among seven gates in the outer city of Beijing. Construction began during Ming dynasty in 1553. In Chinese, Yongdingmen means "keeping peace for ever." However, it took 215 years to finish the construction until the ruling period of Qianlong Emperor.
* The route then heads north, passing landmarks such as the Temple of Heaven, the Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen Square, the Imperial Palace Wall Relics Park, the Lama Temple, Temple of Land and the Yuan Dynasty City Wall Relics Palace.
* The course then passes the National Stadium and the Olympic Tower before exiting the city to the finishing loop, which the men complete seven times and the women twice.
* The finish line is at the Juyongguan Pass area of the Great Wall. Extensive walls, fortresses and temples line the ridgelines that were designed to prevent invaders attacking across the empire's northern boundaries.
* Near the finish line is a finely carved marble archway called the Cloud Platform.
* Both sides of the arch gateway are decorated with carvings of Buddha, four Celestial Kings, and the text of a Buddhist Sutra in Chinese, Tibetan, Sanskrit and three minority languages. The Cloud Platform is on the World Heritage List.
* More sections of The Great Wall await at the top of the Badaling Pass road, a key feature of road race.
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