Wilmar earns double victory for Team Sapura Cycling

YAN: Newcomers Team Sapura Cycling ( TSC) claimed their first Jelajah Malaysia (JM) stage win and King of Mountain ( Polka-Dot jersey) when Wilmar Jahir Perez Munoz conquered the challenging 1,217m Gunung Jerai peak here, yesterday.

The 31-year- old Colombian won the fourth and penultimate stage of 101.3km race, from Kulim to Gunung Jerai with hors status climb of 10km towards the peak in two hours, 50 minutes and 41 seconds for the double victory, leaving Samuel Volkers of CCN Cycling Team ( 2: 51: 22s) and teammate Victor Nino Corredor (2: 52: 31s) for the second and third place.

Wilmar received 25 points for winning the hors category climb today to accumulate a total of 29 points for a comfortable seven point lead against closest rival, Brendon Davids of Oliver’s Real Food Racing from Australia.

As today’s final stage of the 53rd edition of the tour in Alor Setar, only has one category four climb in Wang Tebus, which of fers maximum four points, Wilmar confirmed the title.

However, TSC missed out the chance to wrest the overall leader title ( yellow jersey) from South African Brendon, when another Colombian rider Victor Nino Corredor was placed second with only 24 seconds difference behind Brendon who leads with 13: 26: 09s.

“Our plan was to win the stage and yellow jersey, but Oliver’s boys were too hard to chase.

But we are very happy with the stage win, King of Mountain title and lead the Best Malaysian rider (red jersey).

“Tomorrow we will attack, use our sprinters to win the race and hope to not lose any jerseys,” team director Sergio Escobar Roure said after the prize- giving ceremony.

Founded in January this year, Team Sapura Cycling had stage wins at the Tour de Lombok through Wilmar in April and Tour de Molvccas through Akmal Hakim Zakaria last month.

Meanwhile, local riders Nur Amirull Fakhruddin Mazuki of Terengganu Cycling Team and Muhammad Zawawi Azman of TSC retained their King of Sprint ( green jersey) and best Malaysian rider (red jersey) titles respectively.

Australian Ryan Thomas of Oliver’s Real Food Racing also retained his overall best young rider ( grey jersey) title since the first day with a total of 13: 28: 37s.

The fifth and final stage of 132.8km, starting and finishing at Menara Alor Setar, has three sprint zones in Jitra, Pokok Sena and Alor Setar, besides a climb in Wang Tepus. — Bernama