Chinese women cyclists believed they could do better in the international arena after wining the best result in the cycling road race at the Olympic Games in Beijing on Sunday.

Gao Min finished 16th in the day's race, the best result Chinese cyclists have achieved in road race history.

"I felt happy about the result and firmly believe we could do better in future international competitions," said Gao.

"We have indeed made some progress during the past two years, although compared with top European cyclists, we still have a long way to go,especially in techniques," he said.

Three Chinese women's cyclists qualified for this year's Olympics. But only two entered the race because Asian champion Li Meifang was out due to injuries.

"That made it hard for us because we used to bike in a team. This sport need team work. Look at how Britain got the gold. They have three girls, " added Gao.

Her teammate Meng Lang placed 48th. Meng fell to the ground and had to put their bike's chain back before returning to the race.

"I expected it would rain today, but I did not think it was this heavy. " Meng said.

In early 1980s, Chinese women cyclists got their best days when they dominated cycling in Asian Games and Asian Cups. In 1986, Chinese women cyclist Wang Li even won the eighth place in Tour de France.

However, Chinese women cyclists received a heavy blow in 1990s after failing to win their Asian champion back for eight years.

Under the guidance of Chinese Hong Kong coach Shen Jin Kang, Chinese women's road cycling team made great progress during the past two years.

In Gao's eyes, their progress came from joining the professional team to compete in international competitions and scientific training.

"Three years ago, I only competed in three to five matches every year, but since joining the Giant women's professional team, we almost participated in matches every week. Sometimes, we need to compete three to four times a week," added Gao.

The 26-year-old has already set her eyes on the future, saying : "Our next goal is to compete in the world championships in Varese in September. "

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2008)