Asia Mountain Bike Series wraps up in Tambunan

KUCHING: The Asia Mountain Bike Series (AMS) ended recently in Tambunan, Sabah with Sarawak riders in the mix.

The final three races were held in Malaysia and neighbour Brunei, beginning with Siol International in Petra Jaya here last month.

Brunei hosted the penultimate leg on Dec 2 with the finale in Tambunan on Dec 9.

Kuching-based riders Laurel L Adrian, Charles Diking, Lee Yong Hui, Brandon Lau and Ivan Ong were in the fray for the Brunei leg.

In Brunei, Kazakhstan’s Kirill Kazantsev lived up to his favourite tag to win the elite men’s XCO with Sabah’s M Fitri Jumah finished second and Brunei’s M I’maadi A Aziz third.

Team Corbusier’s Laurel L Adrian was trailing in third for most of the race but faded to finish fifth.

In the junior men’s XCO, Sabah’s M Faizikry Jumah emerged as champion with compatriot M Zakiy Wahhi in second and Giant Kuching’s Ivan Ong in third.

Team Thong Sen’s Brandon Lau was fourth.

Lee had a tough race in the master’s event as the sweltering heat took its toll on him despite being in the top five at one point.

From Brunei , t he racers embarked on a road trip for the Sabah finale.

In Tambunan, Japan’s rising star Ari Hirabayashi topped Thailand’s Keerati Sukprasart for the elite men’s XCO title with Kazantsev in third.

Laurel improved with a fourth place finish. A day before, he had successfully defended his national XC Marathon title.

The junior men’s XCO was won by Thai land’s Phunsiri Sirimongkhon with Sabah’s Faizikry Jumah in second.

Kuching’s Ong and Lau had to settle for sixth and seventh respectively.

Lau also had a good outing in the Eliminator where he made the semis and ended in fourth place.

Corbusier’s evergreen Supian Nor was fourth in the Masters event.

Kazantsev retained his AMS overall champion jersey with 118 points and Ari in second at 80 points.

The women’s tit le went to Taiwan’s Tsai Ya Yu who dethroned Filipino Ariana Dormitorio who suffered technical problems in Tambunan that cost her the title.

Sabah’s M Fitri Jumah and Ainie Markus both were awarded scholarships to train at the UCI’s World Cycling Centre in Korea.

The AMS is now a big time nine-race series, with two each in Japan and Philippines, and three in Malaysia.

It is expected to get even bigger in 2019.

Lightening sparks in the sky atop of the Louis II Stadium as Monaco’s players warm up before a French League Cup match against Lorient. Monaco won 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals. — AFP photo

Asia MTB Series Tambunan race director Raijas Anang with elite men’s XCO winner Japan’s Ari Hirabayashi (third right), second-placed Keerati Sukprasat of Thailand (third left) in second and Kazakhstan’s Kirill Kazantsev (second right) in third.