(Beijing, September 22) The men's cross-country event of the "Good Luck Beijing" 2007 International Mountain Bike Invitational Competition turned out to be rather grueling, with only 8 of the 47 riders finishing the entire course. Unfortunately the whole Chinese team was wipedout, with none surviving the challenging test.

Five of the world's top 10 riders, including the first three, took part in today's race. Compared with the world best the Chinese riders lag far behind either in techniques and tactics, experience or physical ability. To help them gain more experience through such a high-level event, the organizing committee also invited some local teams to join in the competition.

Although those world strong teams were unfamiliar with the course, they soon gained the upper hand over the lcoal riders and enjoyed a comfortable lead throughout the race. With more and more riders leaving the course after being overtaken by others for one lap, only eight remained the race after the eighth lap. Many attributed the phenomenon to the short distance of the course, the high level of the world's best riders and the low level of the rest of the competitors.