Overachievers TSG eye bigger things
TERENGGANU Cycling Team (TSG) chief executive officer Che Ku Izmuddin Che Ku Mahmood believes his riders should aim for bigger things following their outstanding performances in Turkey.
After almost a year of not racing internationally, TSG did well to win three out of the six UCI 1.2 one-day races in Turkey recently.
Che Ku said he was proud of the team’s achievement, especially Hariff Saleh’s victory in the Grand Prix Velo Manavgat on Feb 20.
“We had actually set a key performance indicator (KPI) of three podium finishes in Turkey, but they exceeded that,” said Che Ku.
“It was a surprise to win three races and finish on the podium on two others, considering that they had not raced for a year.
“It was not easy in Turkey as they were competing against European cyclists.
“Furthermore, the hilly routes were also challenging.
“We are also proud of Harrif as he is now the first Malaysian to win a road race in Europe. Hopefully, the achievements will motivate the team this season.”
TSG’s Carlos Quintero had notched victories at the GP Velo Alanya (Feb 21) and GP Gundogmus (Mar 7), while Eritrean Metkel Eyob was third and second in those races.
Harrif just missed out on a podium spot when he finished fourth in the GP Mediterranean (Mar 6).
Irwandie Lakasesk and youngster Wan Abdul Rahman Hamdan had finished in the top-10 in the same race.
Che Ku said half of the squad will remain in Turkey for the Tour of Mevlana on April 1-4.
“Initially, we had planned to compete in the Tour of Thailand in April, but it has now been postponed to May 11-16,” said Che Ku.
“So we have decided to race in the Tour of Mevlana, which is a UCI2.2 tour, and will later race in the Tour of Thailand and Tour of Rwanda in May.”
Che Ku disclosed that Harrif and TSG’s foreign riders will compete in the Tour of Mevlana, while the rest, including Irwandie, Nur Aiman Zariff and Abdul Rahman, will return to Malaysia today.