Sapura’s Shaiful, our climbing hope
Sapura Cycling principal Sayuti Zahit believes Shaiful Adlan Shukri’s strong performance at the Tour of Thailand also bodes well for the national team.
The climber had finished fourth in the final stage on Monday, crossing the line just two seconds behind Thailand’s Sarawut Sirironnachai (third).
Shaiful took fifth spot overall in the tour’s general classification.
He was one of two Sapura riders in the top 10, with Muhsin Al Redha Misbah finishing ninth overall.
Sayuti, who fielded an allMalaysian lineup for the Tour of Thailand, was pleased with his young charges’ performances.
“Overall, I am quite satisfied with our performance as we fielded six local riders.
“We were third overall in the team GC, despite not having raced for so long,” said Sayuti yesterday.
“It was Shaiful second appearance at this level of racing, and he did very well to prove his ability.
“This is good news for both Sapura and also Malaysia. Besides Shaiful, we also have Muhsin, while Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) have many promising young climbers as well.
“It is huge progress as Malaysia have been lacking strong climbers in recent years.
“We are hoping that both Shaiful and Saari Amri (Abd Rasim) will improve as they gain more international race experience.”
Saari had finished third in the second stage of the Tour of Thailand. Both Saari and Shaiful are 23 and were signed by Sapura in 2019.
TSG’s Jambaljamts Sainbayar emerged as the overall winner of the Tour of Thailand.