AMS rolls off with a Sarawak flavour
I was a little bit surprised with the top ten but I did feel really strong in the race.
KUCHING: The 2 018 Asia Mountain Bike Series ( AMS) rolled off last weekend with Team Sarawak in the mix.
The flag dropped on the series on March 9 in the Philippines at Binangonan, some 40kms from the capital city Manila.
There was a strong Malaysian presence with Terengganu, Pahang and Kuala Lumpur vying with Sarawak for the valuable UCI points on tap, especially in the junior categories.
The junior events was especially valued as it was part of the UCI Junior XCO Series which meant the winners would get way more points compared to a normal race.
The Binangonan event was dominated by the Japanese as they pursued a place on their Olympic squad ahead of Tokyo 2020.
This was especially evident in the elite men’s race with Japanese riders hogging the podium.
Ari Hirabayashi won the 25.2km race in 1hr 22mins 43secs with teammates Toki Sawada and Kohei Maeda close behind.
Kazakhstan’s Kiril Kazantsev, last year’s series winner, took the fifth spot as he looked to defend his title.
Sarawak’s Laurel L. Adrian was the surprise top Malaysian when he finished ninth in 1hr 29mins 55secs.
He would be the first to point out that one of the reason he was the top Malaysian was the absence of Team Giant Malaysia’s M. Fauzan and Muaz Abdul Rahim.
“I was a little bit surprised with the top ten but I did feel really strong in the race,” said Laurel.
The UiTM sports science graduate is also coach of the Sarawak mountain bike squad.
Fortunately at Binangonan, he had Sarawak Sports Council’s Aidan Wing along to do the managerial duities as they had two other riders competing.
The other Sarawakian in the elite men’s race was debutant Tay Choon Liang.
It was baptism by fire for the 19year- old Tay.
“I think he was quite shocked at how fast the race was,” said Laurel.
Tay was credited with a 26th place finish out of a field of 35 riders.
In the men’s junior race, Sukan Sarawak (Suksar) gold medallist Brandon Lau put in a strong effort to finish in 1hr 6mins 2secs for tenth in his first race against top junior racers.
Japan’s Koutarou Murakami, a World Championship competitor, won the 17.2km race in 1hr 7secs with Kazakhstan’s Denis Sergiyenko a close second.
Mohd Fahmi Khairul was the top Malaysian when he came third, 34secs off the pace.
This year’s AMS is taking a big leap forward with a total of ten events compared to last year’s five.
Malaysia have the most slots at three with the Philippines and Japan having two each.
Brunei, Timur Leste and Bali, Indonesia are the other stops in the series.
The Siol, Petra Jaya leg of the series in November will be the eighth stop with Brunei taking the penultimate leg.
The Siol event has been accorded the UCI Junior XCO Series race which should mean an even stronger interest from Southeast Asian racers.
Tambunan, Sabah will be the finale of the series.
With Borneo having four stops in the AMS, it is time for Sarawak racers to get their UCI racing licence.
It is now a requirement to have a full licence to race in a UCI event.
Whereas in the past a weekend licence would suffice, it is no longer the case as the UCI has stopped this.
The four Borneo legs also means it has never been easier for Borneo riders to compete against top Asian riders. There is still time for them to source for sponsors, if needed, to go to these events.
Laurel L. Adrian, Sarawak’s mountain biker