Three top cyclists, who in two weeks will race up the 2,008 stairs of Shanghai's 88-story Jin Mao Tower, have been undergoing grueling training programs in their hometowns.

One contestant, Zhang Jincheng, the Guinness record keeper, is a 23-year-old from Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province.

His two challengers are 28-year-old Andorran Xavi Casas and 34-year-old Colombian Javier Zapata.

The trio agreed to the race on August 8 and decided to welcome the new year by holding the competition on December 31.

"We are not allowed to inhale oxygen during the game," Zhang said. "Doing so will cost a deduction. So I spent the past few months on physical stamina training at mountainous areas in Yunnan and Jiangxi provinces where air was thin.

"After the return, I focused on some acrobatic gymnastics such as mountain climbing, jumping and standing on a small-wheeled bike."

He said the longer distance of the coming contest was not a problem but he was uncertain about whether he could beat the other two in speed. "Xavi is a speed master," Zhang said. "He took only 40 minutes to ride up the Eiffel Tower's 1,374 stairs. Zapata, though the eldest of our three, has the richest experience."

Zhang said the most crucial thing was to regulate emotions and mood. Zhang took about 100 minutes to ride up 1,958 stairs of Jin Mao Tower on December 31, 2006, when he set a Guinness world record.

Meanwhile, Xavi received knee surgery specially for the contest. "I recovered very well and the leg is more agile than before," he said. "Through the training in the past few months, I have calculated how much time it will take me to ride up the Jin Mao Tower - but let me keep it a secret for the time being."

Zapata who overcame Torre Mayor, the tallest building in Latin America, in 2003, said he was confident of reaching the top in the shortest time.

The race will start from the B2 floor of the skyscraper and reach the 88th floor, covering 2,008 stairs on a 348.8-vertical-meter course. When ascending the stairs, the three will ride on their bicycles while standing on the wheels. The person who reaches the top without stopping and in the shortest time will be crowned the victor.

(Shanghai Daily December 18, 2007)