Top cyclists ride in Siol with eye on Tokyo
KUCHING: Last Sunday’s Siol International Mountain Bike Challenge ( SIMBC) at DBKU’s Siol track attracted a number of top foreign riders.
With the Olympic cycle in full swing, the Bukit Siol event was an important stop for top Asian riders, in particular the Japanese, to earn UCI points to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The Japanese squad included their national women’s champion Miho Imai and Seiya Hirano, who is currently ranked second in their men’s UCI points standings.
But it was Kazakhstan’s Kirill Kazantsev who cruised to win the men’s XCO.
“I was confident I could win and very happy I did,” he said after clocking 1hr 35min 43secs in the 7-lap (29.4km) race.
The Kazakh thus deprived Hirano who was aiming to collect the 30 UCI points the Class Two event offered to the winner.
“I was hoping to win, so I am not happy with my result,” the Japanese said after finishing 35secs down.
“I was very close behind Kirill but I lost traction late in the last lap,” he explained his loss.
Despite being the host, Japan will only be allowed one rider for the XCO event in the Tokyo Games next year.
Hirano is quite far behind Japanese ace Kohei Yamamoto in points.
“I am still hopeful I can catch Kohei,” said the 32-year-old Team Bridgestone rider.
Compatriot Yoshitaka Nakaraha of Team Wiawis was third.
Laurel L. Adrian of Sarawak’s Team Corbusier was the top Malaysian.
He was locked in a battle from the start with Malaysian champ Muaz A. Rahim and former champ M. Fauzan.
The duo had mechanical problems, however, leaving Laurel with a front row seat.
All hopes for Muaz faded when he crashed in the first lap.
“Fauzan was in front of me when I saw his rear derailleur malfunction and then it just broke’ said Laurel.
Team Giant Kuching’s Tay Choon Liang won the Sarawak Closed with privateer Lee Yong Hui in second and Eason Chong third.
In the women’s XCO, Japanese champion Miho Imai outclassed Taiwan’s Tsai Ya Yu with Thailand’s Surattiya Buppha third.
“I am hopeful of making the Olympics but it is still a long way off,” said the Team CO2bicycle rider after posting 1hr 25min 22sec in the 5-lap (22.5km) race.
N. Deena Safia of Team Putrajaya was the top Malaysian finisher.
In the Mayor’s Cup four-rider XC relay event, Kazakhstan 1 squeaked past Team Celeste with Kazakhstan 2 in third.
The SIMBC is the second leg of the Asia MTB Series and the third leg of the Malaysian XCO series.
Kuching North Mayor Datuk Hj. Abang Abdul Wahap Julai gave away the prizes.