KUALA KANGSAR: Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) rider, Izzat Hilmi Abdul Halil, once again proved his ability to compete at the front of the pack by finishing Stage 3 of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) in fifth place today.
Izzat Hilmi, who completed the 189.7km race from Sungai Petani to Kuala Kangsar, had to take risks in the final stretch to wedge himself into the sprint group, though he was still unable to break into the top three.
He clocked 4 hours, 31 minutes and 59 seconds, matching stage winner Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana).
“Alhamdulillah, thank God. Most importantly, my teammates and I are safe. There were many challenges trying to get into the final sprint. Being brave is one thing, but you also have to look at luck and the available space.
“If we push through without space, it’s a choice between crashing or staying safe. You really have to take risks, and I used every bit of strength I had earlier. Getting fifth place, Alhamdulillah, and thank you to my teammates who helped me,” he said.
Izzat Hilmi added that a lack of lead-out riders or “pacers” was one of the main challenges when facing teams with larger, more organized lead-out trains in the sprint group.
“What’s most important is actually having a pacer. Teams like Astana have pacers leading the race up front. I lacked support in that area to pull me forward.
“I understand my teammates are smaller in build, so I can’t expect them to go up against the bigger riders from Astana. I understand that, but that was the challenge I had to face in Stage 3,” he said.
He must get through several mountainous stages before eyeing another opportunity in a bunch finish.
“Tomorrow and the day after are mountainous. My target is Stage 6, where I will try to stay safe just like today. If there is a bunch finish, there might be a chance for me to try and secure a podium place.”
– NST
