Q & A for Me

What was your background as an athlete?Surprisingly enough, I had no background in sports.  I was only a kid with too much energy.  None of my family members were into sports.   What do you like about racing, training?I love to push my body to its limits.  The feeling of adrenaline I get just before a competition and the rush I get when I do well.   What are your goals and what motivates you?I’m always pushing myself to reach a higher level.  Success motivates me.  I want to set up a good future for myself.  My competition also motivates me.   Who did you look up to as a young athlete?  What other books or people influenced you?I looked up to Florian Rousseau who was France’s top track cyclist in the mid nineties.  He had such intensity when he raced and you could see it in his eyes.   On your blog on your website you said that we are all surrounded by negative people and influences and that it’s important to never believe the negative people around you.  When did you make this discovery and how has it helped you?I’ve come to realize this over the last few years that a lot of people try to discourage dreams because they don’t believe in themselves and those around them.  Those are the people who live life just going through the paces with no passion.  I use that negative energy as motivation to push harder to live my dream.   Did you really have to sneak out of the house at 3 AM to train, until your parents kicked you out?When I first started cycling I had to do that a few times.  After awhile, my parents relented.  I even got grounded once for going on a 16 mile bike ride with my best friend.  My father was angry with me because I went for that bike ride instead of going to church.   Describe what kind of excitement you feel in important races.  Usually in big races like the World Championships or Olympics, there are a lot of build-up and hype in the media.  Those hype and expectations make me nervous and stressed out sometimes.  It is tough to cope with but I like that feeling of intensity.   How much risk have you taken in your career in life?  How often have you failed and faced serious setbacks?  How important has taking these risks been?Oh man, my failures lists a lot longer than my success.  I think that in order to succeed, you have to have failure.  It also gives success a lot more meaning.  The same is with risk.  If you take a risk and it pays off, the feeling of success is heightened.  I took a risk by choosing sport over the more traditional and safe bet which would have been getting a degree.  But now I get a lot of my parent’s friends having an admiration for me because I stand out with my accomplishments and what I’ve done with my life.   How do you handle the daily grind of intense training?I take care of my body by eating well and having good recovery.  I do a lot of ice bath hydro -(hot/cold) therapy.   I also get weekly sports massage.  All of this is vital for recovery, not only physically but also mentally.   How often do you visualize and focus on your goals?Not enough!   I have been distracted lately with things outside of sport and I need to refocus for next week’s world cup!   

Facilities N Such

There is some truth to what the writer had to say in today’s article in The Star. But well, I’d say that the National Sports Council is taking good care of us, the few of us Malaysian track cyclists in Australia. We train at the Joe Ciavola Velodrome. So far it’s been great. We have to make do with the facilities we have. At the end of the day, we have to produce regardless of environment.

Brickendon-buried – but we can rise from the ashes

COMMENT BY RAJES PAUL

SO, the Brickendonbury project is finally dead and buried. 

The English county has said no to Malaysia’s multi-million pound plan to set up a High Performance Training Centre (HTPC) at the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC). 

The NSC’s application to set up the HTPC was shot down by the East Herts Council Development Control Committee on Wednesday.  

A whopping 13 of the 19 councillors said no thank you to Malaysia. 

It was a wise, if not entirely unexpected, decision. Many who have been critical of the plan had known from day one that, given the way England works – by the rules – this was a project doomed to failure. 

One journalist actually visited the site, inspected the rather tardy grounds, spoke to the councillors and came back convinced that there was no chance of the HTPC getting approval. Yet, the NSC would not listen. 

There were many things wrong about this project. The swimming pool was almost of the kind one would find in Zakaria Deros’ mansion, certainly not one for Olympians. Upgrading it would be costly. To make things worse, it could not be used for much of the year when the weather gets too cold. 

For that, we would need a heating system and a big enclosed area. 

It was quite clear that the local folk would not agree to anything like that and allow anyone to destroy their heritage. 

Yet, this exercise in futility has been expensive. So far, reports say, about RM2mil has been spent.  

After all, Malaysian officials had to make several trips just to make sure that everything was shaping up well; athletes were used as guinea pigs – they made use of nearby grounds, not the one at the TARCC – and there were pilot projects; and of course they needed to hire consultants and experts to spell out their case. 

The money spent for the consultants, the building plans and the applications could have been well spent on some local athletes.  

Still, it’s better that the project ends now before more money is gobbled up. 

Otherwise, it would be RM67mil (£10mil) for a centre that only a small group would get to utilise. 

Why the National Sports Council (NSC) bulldozed it through despite the many cries of opposition will remain a mystery.  

Pride? Ignorance? Or was there something more than meets the eyes? 

But Malaysia could have avoided the embarrassment by looking at other venues, knowing full well that they were banging against the wall by sticking to Brickendonbury. 

The idea of having a forward base for athletes is in itself laudable.  

NSC already have established a few. Squash player Nicol David is in Holland; cyclist Josiah Ng is in Australia; and there are links with universities in Nottingham and Loughborough; an athletics training centre exists in Leipzig, Germany; and our gymnasts train in Kunming. 

Some of these athletes – especially Nicol and Josiah – are doing great but they are a small lot. 

Malaysia also have a good working relationship with the Cuban and Australian sports councils. Potential athletes could be based there to raise their level of standard.  

There are also neighbouring Asian countries – Thailand, China and Iran – which are more affordable venues with similar environments and conditions. 

These would be for the small group of world-class athletes that we have. 

The idea, of course, is to groom more such world-class athletes. 

It is still not too late for that. 

There is a place that Malaysian athletes from all sports could use to train and achieve great heights, a place that could be the springboard for world glory. 

It’s called the National Sports Complex. 

With better administration and less politicking; fair play; efficient management of money; and some good and committed coaches, it can all happen right here in Bukit Jalil. 

Malaysia may yet appeal the decision by the Herts Council. If they do, it will probably be more money down the Thames. 

It may be better to work with the Herdforshire University – yes, the one close to TARRC – and use that as a base before the 2012 Olympic Games in London.  

The university has the facilities and can even offer some good sparring partners before the Olympics.  

And guess what? It will be cheaper. Much cheaper. 

Source: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2007/11/18/sports/19508482&sec=sports

Men’s Health (Nov 07)

 

Josiah, 101 Ways to Cheat Death? Red Hot Sex Secrets? Just kidding. That was not the article was about.

Introducing the best ever title, “Survival of the Foetus Fittest”. You can always count on writer Kenneth Tan to come up with such quirky lines. That picture on the right was recently taken during the Asian Championships at Bangkok.

This picture was taken during the Athens Olympics 2004.

Introducing StevenSunny from Blackstage Gallery, who made me up. Covered my broken collarbone scar and put foundation on my face.

Did I forget to mention, oil too? Here’s the end result. Flabs or muscles, you decide. I really wasn’t at my best, at that time of the year. Sprinters tend to be “beefier”.

Yup, I’m on every newstand. Grab a copy of Malaysian Men’s Health at your nearest dealer for only RM10.00 per copy. If you’re kind enough, you may buy it, read it, and then don’t discard it but donate it back to me. To donate to me, contact press@josiahng.com

Thanks Kenneth for a great write-up, StevenSunny for hair and make-up and Hilal for the make-up.

Perth Grand Prix

Perth went quiet well.  It was a very long day but I came back content with how I rode.  I qualified 4th in the sprints with a 10.60, tied with Matt Crampton of GB.  Chris Hoy qualified first in front of Mark French and Ross Edgar.  In the first round I faced off against  Matt.  I controlled from the front and coming in a lap to go he made his move and we dragged raced through the back straight.  I lost it on the line so I think my finishing speed is a bit lacking. I’ll have to work on that in the next few weeks.  In the team sprint, I joined the two Aussies,  French and Leonard against the Brits.  It was going quiet well when Frenchy pulled off for me to take over but Joel couldn’t finish it off.  The keirin final was a quality field of 7 including the current world champion, Chris Hoy and World bronze medalist, Ross Edgar, Mark French,  Joel Leonard, 2000 World Champion Jan Van Eidan, and Matt Crampton, and myself.  It was a fight for the motor from the start as everyone wanted to be up front.  The pace was high from the get go.  The motor must have pulled off at close to 60km/h.   With two to go, Jan made the first move from the back.   I was in fourth position.  With 200m to go I made my move on the outside and threw my bike at the line, just missing out on 2nd place, French.  Chris Hoy crossed the line first in a convincing win.   I think I’m in good form leading up to the world cup season and I can hardly wait for more action!

Shore Cyclers Aim For Bejing

By Emily Savage
Staff Writer

A cycling team based in Belmont Shore is vying to compete in the 2008 Olympics in Bejing.

Momentum Cycling is a track cycling team that includes three members who raced in the 2004 Athens Olympics and one who is preparing for his first Olympic ride.

“Athens was incredible,” said Adam Duvendeck, a member of Momentum Cycling. “My first cycling coach went to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, so it’s always been a goal of mine.”

The four-person team was put together in May by friends who met at various international cycling events over the past couple of years, Duvendeck said.

Jennie Reed, Josiah Ng, Travis Smith and Duvendeck ride together every day of the week, except Sundays.

They ride track bicycles, also known as fixed gears, at the Home Depot Center four days a week and do road rides two days a week. They also lift weights at California State University, Long Beach, twice a week.

The biggest challenge they face is getting enough points to qualify for the Olympics, he said.

To do so, they must attend and win as many international competitions as they can, Duvendeck said.

The team director, Dr. Howard Marans, helps with the financial aspect of getting the cyclists to competitions, as well as emotional support, Duvendeck said.

“They needed someone to help them run the team,” Marans said. “They still need more corporate sponsors.”

The team is currently sponsored by Look Bicycles, a French company, but is actively seeking more sponsors.

“This type of cycling just isn’t that popular in the U.S. yet,” Duvendeck said. “Teams in other countries are fully backed and have a lot more support.”

The members of Momentum Cycling have two events, a match sprint and the Keirin ride. Both events are track events that take place inside a velodrome. The match sprint is a one-on-one ride.

“People have described it as a cat-and-mouse game,” Duvendeck said, “with each rider jockeying for position.”

The Keirin features six riders and is paced at first by a motorbike.The four have been preparing for these events for years, Duvendeck said.

“I started on mountain bikes, then quickly switched to road bikes and then to track bikes, six years ago,” Duvendeck said.

In addition to preparing for the Olympics, Duvendeck also coached University of California, Santa Barbara’s cycling team for two years.

This year, he’s focused mainly on his team, he said. From May of 2007 through early 2008, the team will prepare to cycle in as many international events as they can, to reach their goal of riding in the Beijing Olympics.

“These are legitimate, world-class athletes,” Marans said.

For more information on Momentum Cycling and their goal of getting to the 2008 Olympics, visit www.momentumcycling.com.

Source: http://www.gazettes.com/cycling11082007.html

Perth Cycling Grand Prix

My training partner Mark French and I will take a 3-4 hour flight to Perth, Western Australia tommorow to face of against the British Olympics team in the Perth Grand Prix.  They are having a training camp there and so it will be good for everyone to gauge how well we are going prior to the world cup in Sydney at the end of the month.  It will be a long day for us as we fly out tommorow at 10am, compete from 7-11pm and take the 12.30 red eye back to Melbourne and arrive at 6am on Saturday.  That will be almost a 24 hour trip so hopefully we can take bits and pieces of naps throughout.  Wish me luck!

Josiah on Ezyhealth (Oct 07)

I appeared on the front cover of Ezyhealth & Beauty. It’s nice to know that I encompassed some qualities of “health” because of my sporting lifestyle, but beauty as well? Awesome. Joan Fam, the editor, managed to bring out my past of how I started cycling. Thanks Joan for a wonderful write-up!

Ezyhealth & Beauty magazines are distributed in Guardian pharmacies.