BG tightens its grip on National Cycling Championships

A tale of two races:

A new cycling star is born on Sunday Aug.11 in Bickfaya: 18-year-old Elias Abourachid, an engineering student sporting an entry-level Specialized Allez, a 9.5kgs aluminum beginners’ bike with basic components.

Elias stunned his competitors with his explosive power on the steep climbs of hilly Bickfaya as well as sprints on flats. He beats Youssef Nader, the defending champion, who could not believe he was being passed by a rookie. But Elias’s outstanding performance did not come out of the blue.

It is the result of a long high-intensity training program tailor-made by 3-time Lebanese Champion, Zaher El-Hage (a PhD in Sports Science) who, on that same day, scored another win in the Dhour Shweir MTB race. A race where he has, yet again, demonstrated his outstanding race strategy capabilities.

Racing is not just flat-out raw power rush, it is a subtle game of how and when to unleash your power without depleting your energy reserves to win a race. Elias, his mentor Zaher and the whole BG Team know that only too well. In a single day, they have just taken road bike and MTB racing to the next level.

Hail to the BG Champs!