KUALA LUMPUR – National road cycling coach Mohd Yusof Abdul Nasir heaped praise on emerging talent Tsen Ren Bao, son of 1995 Thailand SEA Games gold medalist Tsen Seong Hoong, for his outstanding performance, which led to him winning the best young rider award at the Tour of Thailand recently.
Speaking to Scoop, Yusof said Ren Bao’s climbing ability is valuable to the national team heading into Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) in September.
“He has not been given a proper opportunity to represent the country before this.
“After losing a few of my riders from last year to pro teams, we have been lacking good climbers, so Ren Bao’s climbing ability is very valuable.
“He has a shot at making the LTdL squad, and I have told him that he needs to maintain his performance as he studies and lives in Australia,” said Yusof when contacted.
He added that Ren Bao performed well during the Tour of Thailand, but the 21-year-old’s inexperience showed during the race.
Yusof intends to expose the Kuala Lumpur-born rider to more major races to give him the experience he needs to excel at the LTdL if chosen.
“The LTdL seats in the national team are still open, those who are here cannot feel comfortable.
“We have young riders like Muhamad Iqbal Daniel Mohd Nawawi and a few others that are chomping at the bit to be included.
“So, I will see who performs the best before making up my mind,” said the former national cyclist.
Meanwhile, Yusof said he is happy with the national team’s ninth-place finish at the Tour of Thailand, which concluded on April 6.
He added that previously, the national team would finish in the bottom five, but this ninth place finish out of 15 teams that competed is a marked improvement, especially with only a little over a month to prepare for the six-stage race. – April 15, 2024