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Local hero's determination keeps her on track
By Ni Yinbin |
May 15, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHONGMING Island locals were rooting for cyclist Huang Dongyan, one of their own, at last week's Tour of Chongming Island.
The 20-year-old who rides for Chongming Giant, eventually finished 56th in the three-stage event on her home turf.
With the deep tan of an athlete used to spending hours on end on the saddle, and seldom bothering with make-up, Huang cuts a strong and determined figure.
She was recruited to Shanghai's cycling team in 2010, and that year won the women's road cycling in the National Intercity Games.
Through her talent and hard work, Huang soon turned professional, made the national team and won several track-cycling competitions last year.
Numerous coaches have complimented Huang on her toughness.
An example occurred on the first day of the Tour of Chongming. Huang was among a group of cyclists who crashed as they rushed to the finish line along a stretch of wet and slippy road.
While some of the fallen cyclists were in tears after the hard fall, Huang was not among them.
In fact, Huang says she has never cried following any crash or other setback during a race.
In the Tour of Qatar last year, her first international tournament, Huang suffered a flat tire. She changed it and finally caught up with the pack, only to crash. But even then, Huang didn't give up. She got up and fought to the end. And she didn't cry.
"Never drop the ball," she says.
But despite this tough exterior, Huang admits that she does sometimes shed a few tears in training, and that this can serve as an emotional release.
Once when the team was training on an energy-sapping plateau in Yunnan Province, Huang thought she was near the finish line but was told there was still 15 kilometers to go. At this point, totally exhausted, she broke down and cried, Huang recalls.
But she still finished the session.
Perhaps part of Huang's determination comes from the fact that she comes from a modest background, and cycling offers a way to support her family.
Shortly after she was recruited to the city team, Huang's father and grandmother died in quick succession.
Her mother works as an ayi (domestic helper) with an income of about 1,000 yuan (US$162) a month.
When not training or competing, Huang lives with her mother in a two-story brick house built by her father in Chongming.
"My mother and I hang on together, though she's alone in this house most of the time," Huang says. "I only come home for one or two times a year from training. As there's only one bed, I sleep in the same bed with my mom."
Huang hands most of her earnings to her mother, taking only 1,400 yuan a month for herself.
"When I retire, I'll use my savings to redecorate my house," Huang says.
While as a cyclist, she strives to lead the pack, as a young woman, Huang jokes that she lags behind her peers.
The sacrifices she makes for her sport mean that she misses out on a typical 20-year-old's lifestyle.
"Sometimes I feel that I wasn't born after 1990," she laughes.
While Huang loves reading fashion magazines, she rarely buys dresses. "I don't want my legs to look thin, and in any case, who am I dressing for?"
"I spend half of the year overseas for tournaments and the other half training across the country," she says. "What time do I have to meet people, travel or just dress up?
"Every time I talk to my childhood friends, they always talk about their campus life, while I tell them in my life there are only tracks and hotels," she adds.
Recently, Huang made time to watch the movie "So Young," directed by Zhao Wei, about the lives of college students.
The cyclist admits she almost cried, not because she had the same feelings as the character in the movie, but because she admired the lives they were leading.
"I've never experienced that life. My life is devoted to cycling," she says.
However, Huang says all her sacrifices are worthwhile.
"In recent years, when we train on the roads, we meet amateur cyclists and they wave at us and shout greetings," Huang says. "More and more people are starting to love cycling, which makes me feel happy."
The 20-year-old who rides for Chongming Giant, eventually finished 56th in the three-stage event on her home turf.
With the deep tan of an athlete used to spending hours on end on the saddle, and seldom bothering with make-up, Huang cuts a strong and determined figure.
She was recruited to Shanghai's cycling team in 2010, and that year won the women's road cycling in the National Intercity Games.
Through her talent and hard work, Huang soon turned professional, made the national team and won several track-cycling competitions last year.
Numerous coaches have complimented Huang on her toughness.
An example occurred on the first day of the Tour of Chongming. Huang was among a group of cyclists who crashed as they rushed to the finish line along a stretch of wet and slippy road.
While some of the fallen cyclists were in tears after the hard fall, Huang was not among them.
In fact, Huang says she has never cried following any crash or other setback during a race.
In the Tour of Qatar last year, her first international tournament, Huang suffered a flat tire. She changed it and finally caught up with the pack, only to crash. But even then, Huang didn't give up. She got up and fought to the end. And she didn't cry.
"Never drop the ball," she says.
But despite this tough exterior, Huang admits that she does sometimes shed a few tears in training, and that this can serve as an emotional release.
Once when the team was training on an energy-sapping plateau in Yunnan Province, Huang thought she was near the finish line but was told there was still 15 kilometers to go. At this point, totally exhausted, she broke down and cried, Huang recalls.
But she still finished the session.
Perhaps part of Huang's determination comes from the fact that she comes from a modest background, and cycling offers a way to support her family.
Shortly after she was recruited to the city team, Huang's father and grandmother died in quick succession.
Her mother works as an ayi (domestic helper) with an income of about 1,000 yuan (US$162) a month.
When not training or competing, Huang lives with her mother in a two-story brick house built by her father in Chongming.
"My mother and I hang on together, though she's alone in this house most of the time," Huang says. "I only come home for one or two times a year from training. As there's only one bed, I sleep in the same bed with my mom."
Huang hands most of her earnings to her mother, taking only 1,400 yuan a month for herself.
"When I retire, I'll use my savings to redecorate my house," Huang says.
While as a cyclist, she strives to lead the pack, as a young woman, Huang jokes that she lags behind her peers.
The sacrifices she makes for her sport mean that she misses out on a typical 20-year-old's lifestyle.
"Sometimes I feel that I wasn't born after 1990," she laughes.
While Huang loves reading fashion magazines, she rarely buys dresses. "I don't want my legs to look thin, and in any case, who am I dressing for?"
"I spend half of the year overseas for tournaments and the other half training across the country," she says. "What time do I have to meet people, travel or just dress up?
"Every time I talk to my childhood friends, they always talk about their campus life, while I tell them in my life there are only tracks and hotels," she adds.
Recently, Huang made time to watch the movie "So Young," directed by Zhao Wei, about the lives of college students.
The cyclist admits she almost cried, not because she had the same feelings as the character in the movie, but because she admired the lives they were leading.
"I've never experienced that life. My life is devoted to cycling," she says.
However, Huang says all her sacrifices are worthwhile.
"In recent years, when we train on the roads, we meet amateur cyclists and they wave at us and shout greetings," Huang says. "More and more people are starting to love cycling, which makes me feel happy."
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