Sapura aim to ride high

Strong team of local and foreign riders eye yellow and Asian jerseys

SAPURA Cycling Team with other riders racing past the Petronas Twin Towers in last year’s Le Tour de Langkawi.

AFTER three months of preparations, Sapura Cycling Team are ready to shine in the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) on April 6-13. Team manager Sayuti Zahit said his team’s focus will be on the yellow jersey, apart from the Asian rider’s jersey through three promising young riders lined up for the eight-stage tour which starts in Kuala Lumpur and

ends in Langkawi, covering a total distance of 1,226.1km.

Sayuti noted that the fourth stage from Shah Alam to Genting Highlands will be the most important stage, and Sapura’s strategy will be built around that stage in their third appearance in the race, touted as Asia’s biggest race.

“We hope that in this year’s LTdL, we will be putting up a strong challenge, especially in the Queen stage up Genting Highlands, which will shape the strategy of the team,” said Sayuti.

“We will adopt a stage-by-stage strategy, and we hope our six riders will carry out the plan.

“We are now at the top of the teams ranking in the UCI Asia Tour and I hope we will remain in that position after LTdL and till the end of the season.”

Three local riders Zawawi Azman, Nur Aiman Zariff and Akmal Hakim Zakaria, along with foreign riders Benjamin Dyball and Jesse Ewart of Australia and Moldovan Cristian Relianue will be carrying Sapura’s challenge in the race.

Dyball will be their best bet for the overall title challenge as the former St George Continental Team rider has both the experience and the track record to do well in this race.

He finished second behind eventual overall winner Artem Ovechkin of TSG in the Cameron Highlands stage last year, and finished third overall behind Ovechkin and Lukasz Owsian of CCC Sprandi Polkowice.

He will be loaded with confidence coming into the race, fresh from his double victory in the road race and individual time trial at the Oceania Cycling Championships two weeks ago, before he finished third overall in the Tour of Tochigi in Japan last week.

Dyball’s quest for the yellow jersey will be assisted by Ewart, 31, who is building up his season well after finishing 12th in the Tour of Taiwan earlier this month and 24th in the Herald Sun Tour in January.

Sapura’s new signing is Raileanu, who made an impression with the Torku Sekerspor team last year when he won the yellow jersey in the Tour of Cartier and emerged the national champion of Moldova, along with second-place finishes in the Tour of Antalya and Tour of Mesopotamia.

Zawawi, Aiman and Akmal have been given sufficient exposure in the Herald Sun Tour, Tour of Taiwan and the Tour of Tochigi in preparation for LTdL.

“We hope Dyball and Zawawi will be able to provide a challenge in the race for the yellow jersey, especially in Genting Highlands, while Nur Aiman will be capable of challenging for the Asian rider’s jersey," said Sayuti.

LTdL begins with Stage One from KL to Tampin, covering 176.9km and ends with a Loop of Dataran Lang, Kuah in Langkawi.