COMBO POWER
TSG, TSC bank on local and foreign riders
POWERED by a strong mix of local and foreign talent, both Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) and Team Sapura Cycling (TSC) will lead Malaysia’s hunt for glory in Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) which flags off today.
The absence of pro tour teams will make this year’s race a more open affair and even the riders themselves are unsure of who the favourites are.
The return of Genting Highlands, after a long absence, will however favour teams with strong climbers.
TSG know what it takes to do well at LTdL, having won the yellow jersey (overall winner) last year with foreign help — through Artem Ovechkin.
They have retained the Russian, who will look to defend his title this year, and have also strengthened their squad with the addition of 2015 overall winner Youcef Reguigui (Algeria) as well as Eritrean Metkel Eyob, who is also strong in the climbs.
The highly experienced Saleh brothers Harrif and Zamri, as well as Nur Amirul Fakhruddin complete the TSG line-up.
Reguigui, who rode for MTNQhubeka when he won in 2015, admitted that this year’s race will be tougher for him with Genting Highlands in the mix.
“Winning LTdL is the best memory I have in my career,” said the 29-year-old.
“But it will be harder than when I won in 2015 as the climb is totally different this time. The plan for TSG is to play our cards right in the race.
Harrif, who finished on the podium twice in LTdL last year, is optimistic of their chances during the more sprinter-friendly stages.
“We spent three weeks in Melbourne preparing for this race and everything has gone smoothly for us so far,” said the sprinter.
TSC’s charge in the GC will likely rest on the shoulders of their Australian climber Benjamin Dyball who will be competing alongside fellow countrymen Jesse Ewart and Marcus Culey.
Moldovan Christian Raileanu, Zawawi Azman and Nur Aiman Mohd Zariff complete TSC’s lineup this year.
Zawawi said the team have set a high target this time.
“The team management have set a target of winning the overall title in the GC as well as in the team classification.
“It is also an important race for the Malaysian riders as we want to collect as many UCI ranking points as possible to help us qualify for the (2020) Tokyo Olympics.”
Zawawi pointed out that Pro Racing Sunshine Coast (Australia), Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec (Italy) and Bardiani CSF (Italy) are the teams to watch out for this year.
LTdL will feature eight stages over 1,200km. The first stage will start today at Kuala Lumpur and end in Tampin, covering 179.6km.
It will be a challenging day for the sprinters with four climbs at Ampang lookout point (cat 3), Genting Peras (cat 2), Bukit Tangga (cat 3) and Bukit Putus (cat 3).
There will also be intermediate sprints at Hulu Langat, Ampangan and Kuala Pilah.