DOHA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- High winds forced organizers to shorten the men's cycling road course at the 15th Asian Games here on Sunday.

    Cycling officials decided that the high winds would have increased the time of the race and the riders would therefore havef inished after nightfall.

    "The predicted high winds have had the cyclists finishing in the dark, so we have reduced the race from four laps to three for the safety of the riders, " said Graham Sycamore, cycling competition manager.

    The distance of the men's road race has been shortened from 199.7km to 156.4km.