Riders from NSC-Mycron steal the thunder

MANY positives can be taken away but the Jelajah Malaysia, which ended on Saturday, was largely a mixed affair on and off the race course.

Favourites Pishgaman Giant Team of Iran left no room for surprises as they secured the yellow jersey and overall team classification after a dominant showing in only the second stage from Sungai Siput to Cameron Highlands.

The withdrawal of Skydie Dubai, whose Spanish rider Francisco Mancebo took the overall win last year, and Iranian compatriots Tabriz made it easier for them but there is no doubting their pedigree in the vital climbing stages.

Pishgaman’s Arvin Moazami Godarzi, who went on to take the overall win, Amir Kolahdouzhagh, Reza Hosseini and Rahim Emami ended the tour in the top four of the general classification.

Much was expected from Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG), especially with the last two stages ending in their home state. They notched a stage win through Harrif Saleh on the third day but were generally unimpressive.

Instead, it was the youngsters from NSC-Mycron, a team of track endurance riders that compete in road events as part of their training, that stole the limelight.

Sprinter Irwandie Lakasek, 21, did well to finish third and second in the third and final stage while Muhammad Zawawi Azman, 22, surprised many when he won the fourth stage and went on to finish second overall in the under-23 classification.

Their performance shows that Malaysian riders from teams other than TSG also have the potential to do well in UCI 2.2 level tours such as Jelajah Malaysia.

NSC-Mycron riders will be focusing on the Malaysia Sea Games next year but it will be interesting to see how they progress on the road once the latter is done with.

From an organisational perspective, the event was a significant improvement over the embarrassing edition last year, which was held only in the Klang Valley after it was almost cancelled half way due to lack of funds.

This year’s tour, however, was not entirely without problems as support staff of the race complained that they received only half their allowances, with some threatening to leave the event mid-way. But the tour managed to go on and drew praise from majority of the riders. By Fadhli Ishak