PETALING JAYA: The Terengganu Cycling Team are racing against time to find a replacement coach ahead of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from Feb 27-March 8.
Frenchman Sebastien Duclos parted ways with the team last December after months of being at loggerheads with the management regarding the race programme and budget. He was responsible for the team’s success in becoming the UCI Asia Tour leader in his first season with the team in 2012.
Prior to his stint with the team, he was responsible for grooming former world champion track sprinter Guo Shuang of China and 2008 Under-23 road world champion Fabio Duarte of Colombia among others.
There is talk that the team are trying to bring in a coach from Britain to replace Duclos.
Former British road champion Julian Winn is listed as one of the assistant sporting directors with the team, according to the UCI website.
While the term coach is commonly used here, in Europe they are referred to as sporting directors.
A sporting director’s role is more than just coaching, he is also supposed to be an astute strategist.
Former Olympic cyclist Fazin Saad has taken on the double role of manager and sporting director for now.
“The management has been saying that it is looking to bring in a replacement for Duclos ... but nobody has come yet,” said team member Mohd Zamri Salleh.
“We’ll be going for our first race soon (the Herald Sun Tour on Feb 5-9) and then the big one is the LTdL. If the coach arrives by then, that’s good ... if not, we’ll just have to make do with what we have now.”
The LTdL is by no means a small event for the Terengganu team. With sprinters Mohd Harrif Salleh and former LTdL points competition winner Anuar Manan in the fold, they would welcome any help they can get as they seek a podium finish this year.
The team failed to get on the podium last year due to the presence of five World Tour teams.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
