The Tourism Board called on riders not to wear clothes containing political elements and organizers might allow law enforcement to handle those who do not cooperate.

Only 3,000 fully vaccinated cyclists, aged between 16 and 70, who test negative for the coronavirus will be allowed to compete in the race. They will start in batches, the Tourism Board said in a press briefing yesterday.

As the route this year is considered to be challenging, riders must have successfully completed at least one race of more than 30km from 2015 to 2018 to ensure that their road cycling skills meet the requirements of the cyclothon.

Riders will set off at the bridge's Hong Kong port, riding all the way through the Scenic Hill Tunnel as well as the overpass at the airport channel and western waters, before turning back at the Hong Kong-Guangdong border.

"This would be the first time the cyclothon has been held on the 55km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge," said Dane Cheng Ting-yat, executive director of the board.

It is also the first major sporting event that has been held on the world's longest bridge-cum-tunnel sea crossing since its opening in 2018.

Apart from that, there will be a virtual race, where citizens can also catch a glimpse of the scenic route through the virtual world.

Cyclists around the world could also use that for practice, Cheng said.

Event organizers have taken a number of anti-epidemic measures: riders must complete their Covid-19 vaccinations 14 days ahead of the race, test negative within 48 hours before the race and sign in with the LeaveHomeSafe app.

Mason Hung Chung-hing, general manager of the event and product development department of the board, also called on cyclists not to include political elements in their attire.

"It's a sporting event, an event for the public," Hung said. "We will advise participants not to wear uniforms or display slogans carrying political meanings, and those refusing to comply will be referred to law enforcement."

Runners in the Standard Chartered Marathon were asked to change clothes which contained political slogans, and tattoos had to be covered with bandages.

Hung also said the organizers will deploy patrol cars to slow down cyclists if the wind speed exceeds 35km per hour, and the event will be cut short if the wind speed fails to drop in the following 10 minutes.

Former Hong Kong cyclist team member Domino Chau Dor-ming, who gave the route a try earlier, reminded cyclists not to stop and film with mobile phones or cameras.

He noted that such behavior during the course of competition might cause accidents on the road.