Skip to main content

National Riders Vows To Excel At 2010 LTdL

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- The just-unveiled national team have vowed to pedal their best for better standing and performance in the 15th edition of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL), starting this Monday.

The Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) has set the target of clinching the 12th overall position at this year's edition.

MNCF president Abu Samah Wahab Wednesday named season campaigner Ahmad Fallanie Ali (27), Mohd Zamri Salleh (27), Mohd Nur Rizuan Zainal (24), Mohammad Akmal Amrun (23), Amir Mustafa Rusli (23 - team captain) and Shahrul Mohd Amin (22) in the national line-up.

"Based on their current performance throughout a month of intensive training, we have set the target for the rider to be or to stay in the top 10 position in every stage.

"If all of them are able to achieve that position, the Malaysian national team will be able to achieve overall 12 placing," said national coach William Walker at a press conference at the 2010 LTdL Secretariat, National Aquatic Centre, here Wednesday.



Walker said his team had an intensive training since Jan 17 and would depart for Kota Baharu Thursday to continue their training before the competition begins on March 1.

"Our riders could be among the front runners and it all depends on which rider is capable to be in the breakaway before arriving at the finishing line in most stages besides the climb at Genting Highlands.

"The grueling climb has always been the toughest task for the Malaysian riders although they are familiar with the route. This year, we place the task on the shoulders of Fallanie, Zamri, Rizuan, Amir and Shahrul. We are banking on Akmal for the sprint," said Walker.

Walker said that the selected riders had to undergo a full-time training under proper guidance if they wanted to regain the 1997 glory when Malaysia won the best Asian team.

"We have only a limited time of training together as many state associations were reluctant to give up their riders due to the preparation for Malaysian Games (Sukma)," said Walker.

-- BERNAMA

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ex-coach's jail sentence cut to a year

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal yesterday sentenced former athletics coach C. Ramanathan to 12 months' jail for molesting two junior athletes 19 years ago. A three-man bench led by Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus unanimously dismissed Ramanathan's appeal against conviction, but varied the jail sentence of four years to a year, which was to run concurrently. Following yesterday's ruling, Ramanathan, 75, a former teacher, walked out a free man as he had served 10 months in Kajang Prison. Convicts get one-third remission for good behaviour while in prison. However, he will lose his pension. Hishamudin, who sat with Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail and Datuk Linton Albert, said the court found no merit to overturn the conviction. "However, in reducing the sentence, we considered Ramanathan's age and the long years the appeal has taken." Deputy public prosecutor Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud submitted that then High Court judge Tan Sri Abdull Hamid E...

Badminton: Fans rooting for all-Malaysian semis

Reports: RAJES PAUL KUALA LUMPUR: The home fans will be rooting for an all-Malaysian men’s singles semi-final between Lee Chong Wei and Liew Daren. But Chong Wei is more fancied to advance than Daren in quarter-final matches against Indonesian Simon Santoso and Dane Peter Gade-Christensen respectively at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil today. Yesterday, Chong Wei defeated Vietnamese Nguyen Tien Minh 21-9, 18-21, 21-7 in a second-round match that saw the world number one struggling to adapt to the draught in the stadium in the second game. And Daren continued a fairy tale run in his home Open, blowing away a toothless Hsueh Hsuan-yi of Taiwan 21-14, 21-12. Although Choong Wei had to slog for the win over Tien Minh, the top seed and defending champion felt that he was playing better by the day. “I got off to a good start but found it hard to cope with the draught. I tried to catch up after losing my momentum but that did not happen and I decided to conserve energy for ...

Rajagobal Let Off The Hook

PETALING JAYA, April 24 (Bernama) -- National head coach Datuk K. Rajagobal was let off the hook by the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) Disciplinary Committee after finding no evidence that he had violated FAM's Article 88, as claimed. FAM Disciplinary Committee chairman Datuk Taufik Abdul Razak said the committee had decided not to charge Rajagobal after carefully analysing the video of the post-match press conference by the 56-year-old coach. "After listening to the recording of the post-match press conference, we decided to drop the charge against Rajagopal as he did not make such a statement. "Maybe his (Rajagobal) assessment and comments of the match was misconstrued by the media. There was no mention of the FAM policy throughout his comments," said Taufik after emerging from a three-hour Disciplinary Committee meeting at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya, here, Wednesday. Rajagobal who does not mince his words when asked to com...