KUALA LUMPUR – Every edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) brings new challenges for national cycling coach Mohd Yusof Nasir, and this year is no different as he prepares to field an almost fresh lineup for the prestigious race which is set to kick off on September 29.
Speaking to Scoop, Yusof explained that he had no choice but to make these changes after several national riders who competed in last season’s LTdL moved to other teams.
Among them, Mohd Aiman Rusli moved to the Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG), while Akmal Hakim, Muhammad Zawawi Azman, and Izat Hilmi Abd Halil returned to Sayuti Zahit’s Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC).
Meanwhile, Zulhelmi Zainal received an offer to join Indonesia’s Nusantara Cycling Team. Only Muhsin Alredha Misbah remains with the national team this year.
The three new faces introduced by Yusof for this year’s edition are Muhammad Yusri Shaari, Abdul Azim Aliyas, and Tsen Ren Bao.
However, Yusof is relieved that two seasoned riders, Mohd Elmi Jumari and Muhammad Adiq Husaine Othman, will be back in the national team for this year’s competition.
“I wouldn’t say the strength of the team this time is vastly different from last year, we simply have three new riders.
“Although they are new to the squad, I believe our team’s strength remains comparable to last year’s because these three riders are highly talented, and this will be the biggest race of their careers.
“I have to go with the flow, especially considering the financial constraints and the limited resources available to these riders. Thankfully, we have support from the National Sports Council and the Malaysia National Cycling Federation.
“I see this as a challenge for me to adapt to the new riders, as this is a national team and not a club team,” said Yusof.
As a result, given the current lineup, Yusof is cautious about setting high targets, focusing instead on aiming for a top-three finish among Asian teams in this year’s LTdL.
“I don’t want to set unrealistic targets, but I believe that in the Asian Best Team category, we can challenge for it and aim to capture the white jersey at any stage of this year’s LTdL,” he added.
Last year, the Malaysian squad finished fifth out of ten teams in the Asian Best Team category.
They even captured the white jersey for the best Asian rider, thanks to Aiman Rosli, during the third stage of the race from Jeli to Baling. – September 23, 2024