KARACHI, Feb 25: Hosts Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) won the 60th National Cycling Championship held at the National Cycling Velodrome in Lahore from Feb 20-24 while Pakistan Army bagged the second position followed by Punjab.

SSGC’s Noor Alam emerged as new national champion as well as the fastest cyclist of the championship who overall gained 55 points in the competition.

The winner’s and runner-up trophies were presented by the chief guest, Zuhair Siddiqui, managing director of the SSGC.

Munawar Baseer Ahmed, president of the Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF), paid rich tributes to the riders on stamina, skill and tenacity displayed by them during the five days of the championship.

Munawar thanked the hosts SSGC especially for extending its complete support and termed them as exemplary hosts who managed the entire proceedings flawlessly in a highly professional manner.

The six-member national selection committee under the chairmanship of Sheikh Ejaz meticulously monitored the performance of cyclists during the championship and earlier in the extended training camp. The committee would announce the national team on Feb 28 that will participate in the forthcoming 33rd Asian Cycling Championship to be held in New Delhi next month.

While concluding the ceremony, PCF’s secretary general Syed Azhar Ali Shah thanked all the participants and announced that the 61st National Cycling Championship will be held in 2014 in Lahore.

Amongst a large number of sports lovers and spectators, the eminent persons who enjoyed the tough competition on the closing day included president of the Athletics Federation Major Gen (R) Akram Sahi, president of the Gymnastics Federation Khawaja Farooq, Football Federation secretary Col (R) Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi, president of the SSGC Sports Board Yusuf J. Ansari and SVP of the Cycling Federation Colonel Asghar Bodla.

Following is the final tally of points bagged by the eight participating teams: 1. SSGC 220; 2. Pakistan Army 198; 3. Punjab 62; 4. Sindh 46; 5. Balochistan 28; 6. Islamabad 14; 7. KP 1; 8. Fata 0.—Agencies