NILAI: Cycling technical director John Beasley is hoping Azizulhasni Awang's decision to sit out the Hong Kong leg of the Track World Cup last week will pay dividends in Nilai this weekend.
Azizul will compete as the main Malaysian hope at the season-ending Nilai leg of the World Cup, which starts on Friday (April 24).
He will feature in the men's keirin and individual sprint events at the National Velodrome.
The 38-year-old Azizul will have fresher legs compared to his rivals and with age being a factor for the former keirin world champion, he will need them.
After romping to a stunning gold in keirin and bronze in the sprint at the opening leg of the World Cup in Perth, Azizul skipped the Asian Championships in Tagaytay, the Philippines, last month.
He needs to be at his best with multiple Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen and Britain's Matthew Richardson among the big guns racing in Nilai.
Lavreysen and Richardson split the keirin and individual sprint golds between them in Hong Kong last week.
"The decision not to race (Azizulhasni) in Hong Kong was made so that he could concentrate and get the best performance possible in Nilai.
"All the big superstars are about 10 or 11 years younger than Azizul and they can recover faster than him.
"But you also have to factor in the travel. They had some hard racing in Hong Kong, compounded by a big travel day to come here, that is where the fatigue can make a difference.
"So Azizul does have a slight advantage in that sense,” said Beasley.
National riders Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom, Mohd Ridwan Sahrom, Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri, Nur Alyssa Mohd Farid and Lau New Joe all saw action in Hong Kong last week but were unable to advance past the early rounds in their respective events.
Beasley is hoping for a better showing on home soil.
"To be honest, I am disappointed with some of the performances in Hong Kong.
"I think we are better than that. We certainly did not put our best foot forward there.
"Hong Kong's riders performed out of their skin there and I am hoping that is going to happen with our riders here.
"Our riders have always performed much better on our home track, in front of our home crowd. Hopefully everyone will put their best foot forward here."
Ridwan, who suffered a heavy crash in the keirin in Hong Kong, will not compete in Nilai as he has sustained acromioclavicular (AC) joint injury, which will likely require surgery on his shoulder.
