Sapura’s Zawawi wins red jersey
PROMISING Zawawi Azman is bent on improving himself as an all-rounder after a creditable outing at Jelajah Malaysia where he won the red jersey (best Malaysian rider).
Zawawi, who moved from NSC Mycron to Sapura at the end of last season, said he has learnt a lot since joining his new team.
“Last year I managed to win a stage here (at Jelajah Malaysia) and I wanted to do the same this time but I fell a bit short,” said the 23-year-old, who competed in three stage races in Spain and one in Portugal in May and June.
“However, I still feel I have made good progress. I was in the top three in the red jersey competition last season but this year I managed to win it.
“It is definitely a good confidence booster for me.
“I have gained a lot from racing in Europe with Sapura and don’t feel as nervous as I did in the past when competing in races.
“I want to keep improving as an all rounder. I am not really keen on focusing on a specific aspect such as time trialling or sprinting.
“However, I feel I can still improve a lot when it comes to climbing.”
Zawawi, who is equally comfortable on the track, competed in the omnium at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games but has made it clear that he is fully focused on road racing for now.
Despite narrowly missing out on the yellow jersey, where their rider Victor Nino Corredor finished second, Sapura emerged as the overall winners in the team classification as well as the mountains classification (polka dot jersey) through Jahir Perez. Fadhli Ishak and Azlan Muhammad Zain