FRASER’S HILL: It was a tough day for the Malaysian riders as none managed to impress in Stage Five of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from Temerloh to the peak of Fraser’s Hill yesterday.
Malaysia’s top performer, Tsen Ren Bao, was the best among the local riders, finishing 44th overall — a result he admitted was far from satisfying, especially after setting a higher target of finishing on the podium in the white jersey category for the best Asian rider.
Riding for Australian outfit St George Continental Cycling, Ren Bao found the climb up Fraser’s Hill to be a stern test that saw him slip into the middle group.
He also dismissed suggestions that his right shoulder injury, sustained during Stage Four from Terengganu to Kemaman, had affected his performance.
“The crash yesterday (Wednesday) wasn’t the reason. I just wasn’t good enough today (yesterday),” said Reb Bao.
“I was targeting a podium in the Asian category, but it looks quite far now.
“Before the turn heading to the Clock Tower, I was still comfortable, but once the peloton started to split, I just couldn’t close the gap.
“So I tried to save my energy and give it everything I had in the final eight kilometres. There was nothing left after that,” said Ren Bao.
The second-best Malaysian finisher of the day was national rider Kee Zhe Yie, who came in 48th, followed by Malaysia Pro Cycling’s Zawawi Azman in 53rd place.
Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) sprinter Mohd Harrif Salleh can count himself lucky after coming close to being eliminated from the race. He managed to complete the stage in 111th place, third from last, ahead of Chengdu DYC Cycling Team’s Yauhen Sobal and KPSO Professional’s Shin Byeong-hoon.
It was a miserable day for Park Tae-jun, who failed to finish the stage.
Harrif, however, did not escape unscathed as he was fined 250 Swiss francs (RM1,321) and docked 15 UCI ranking points for disposing of waste outside the designated litter zones.
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