ISKANDAR PUTERI: After three brave attempts, Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) rider Nur Aiman Rosli finally earned a well-deserved reward by finishing second in Stage Seven of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) on Saturday (Oct 4).
The 214.9km stage from Melaka to Medini, the longest route of this year’s race, saw Aiman pull off a daring solo breakaway in the final 24km, pushing hard all the way to the finish line.
In a dramatic ending, Zeb Kyffin of Unibet Tietema Rockets caught and overtook him with just three kilometres to go to claim the stage victory in 4’37:39s. Arvid De Kleijn of Tudor Pro Cycling finished third.
Although Aiman had to settle for second place, the result brought immense satisfaction after several previous breakaway attempts had ended in disappointment.
To top it off, his strong finish also earned him the titles of Best Asean Rider and Stage Best Asian Rider.
The TSG sprinter admitted he was filled with emotion as he crossed the finish line, having kept his promise to secure a podium finish in his home state of Johor.
It was made even more special with his family there to witness the moment.
"Praise be to God. I’m proud today because my mother came to watch me race — she rarely does. So I really wanted to win since the stage was in Johor, my home state.
"Alhamdulillah, I managed to finish second. I’m at a loss for words because I’ve been giving my all since the first day until today, the seventh stage. I really don’t know what else to say," said Aiman.
The green jersey for the overall leader remains with Team TotalEnergies’ Joris Delbove, who leads with a total time of 23'27:28s.
The orange jersey for the sprint classification remains with Uno-X Mobility’s Erlend Blikra, who has collected 55 points.
Patrick Eddy of Team Picnic PostNL continues to wear the polka dot jersey as the mountain classification leader with 15 points, while the white jersey for the best Asian rider remains with Nicolya Vinokurov of XDS Astana with 23'27:29s.
Final stage on Sunday (Oct 5) will cover 180.2km from Tangkak to Kuala Lumpur, featuring three intermediate sprints in Alor Gajah, Seremban, and Semenyih, along with climbs at Setul, Bukit Hantu, and Ampang Look Up Point.
