UAE’s top cyclist Yousif Mirza is determined to impress on his Asian Games debut.

Mirza is one of four cyclists who will be representing the Emirates at the 17th Asian Games, and he believes he can pull off a surprise in the road race.

The 25-year-old has spent the last 40 days at a training camp in France where he also participated in several events, coming first in the category 2 race Grand Prix du Pays Saint Pourçinois and third in a category 1 race in Lyon.

Mirza will be leading the UAE charge in the cycling events in both track and road races. He will participate in the 140km road race while in track, he will partner Ahmed Al Mansouri in the Team Pursuit and will take part in the Omnium.

He said: “I am very optimistic about my chances in the road race. We had a great training camp in France and I did very well in the races I took part in there. I feel I can get on the podium at the Asian Games, why not?

“In the road race, luck always plays a factor. The top contenders will be focusing on each other which means I can always take advantage of that and cause a surprise. This will be the first time for me at the Asian Games and for the road race, the distance isn’t too long, just 140km. The weather is good for us, around 25 degrees, so I’m optimistic.”

Mirza believes the team’s chances will be less in the track events and he says they will be using it more as a preparation for the upcoming Arab Championships.