KUAH: A number of Malaysian sprinters will be gunning for the podium when they begin their Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) campaign tomorrow (Sept 28).
Carrying Malaysian hopes will be Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) duo Harrif Saleh and Wan Abdul Rahman Hamdan.
At 37, Harrif may not be the force he once was but the three-time LTdL stage winner – the most by a Malaysian rider – definitely has the experience needed to finish strong as he is set to make a record 16th appearance in the UCI ProSeries tour this year.
Abdul Rahman, better known by his nickname Achik, has long been tipped as Harrif’s successor though has only started to win races this season.
The 26-year-old won two races in Turkiye this year.
This will be the first time the duo will be racing together in LTdL.
“Achik has improved a lot in recent seasons and his ability to find spaces is much better now,” said Harrif today (Sept 27).
“I believe we work well with each other. We have strong understanding and communication which is important.
“Either of us can be the lead-out man, it is not fixed. Whoever has the opportunity should go for it.”
Harrif admitted that he has struggled with illness and injuries this season but remains as determined as ever to finish on the podium in LTdL.
“I had influenza earlier this year and was forced to rest for two months. After coming back, I crashed at the Tour of Binzhou (Sept 9) and it took a few weeks for me to recover,” said Harrif.
“My shoulder still feels a bit sore but I am determined to put in a good performance here.”
Harrif suffered a gruesome facial injury in Binzhou and also suffered abrasion wounds and contusions across his body.
The other Malaysia sprinters expected to be fighting for podium positions in LTdL include Malaysia Pro Cycling’s (MPC) Izzat Hilmi Abdul Halil and national team rider Elmi Jumari.
Climbers Syawal Mazlin (MPC) and Ren Bao Tsen (St George Continental) will be looking to become the first Malaysian rider to crest Fraser’s Hill (stage five) this season. Syawal took the honour at Cameron Highlands last year.
Meanwhile, TSG’s sporting director Saiful Anuar Aziz said they are gunning for a top-10 finish in the general classification (GC) through their foreign riders Mathias Bregnhoj (Denmark) and Adne van Engelen (Netherlands).
Saiful is also hoping Vadim Pronskiy (Kazakhstan) can recapture the Asian riders’ classification jersey he won with Astana in 2023.
LTdL begins with a 96.7km loop around Langkawi Island tomorrow featuring intermediate sprints at Harbour Park, Bayas and Padang Matsirat followed by a category four climb at Bukit Malut.
– NST
