Skip to main content

Ayabe ungguli pendakian Cameron Highlands


Takeaki Ayabe melepasi garisan penamat untuk menjuarai peringkat keempat Le Tour de Langkawi dari Ayer Tawar ke Cameron Highlands, semalam. - utusan/Izham Jaafar

CAMERON HIGHLANDS - Pelumba pasukan Aisan Racing Team, Takeaki Ayabe melakukan kejutan pada peringkat keempat Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2011 apabila menjadi pelumba pertama melintasi garisan penamat di Tanah Rata sekali gus membolehkannya menyarung jersi kuning.

Ketika tumpuan diberikan kepada pelumba Amerika Selatan dan Itali, Ayabe mempamerkan kayuhan bertenaga pada 500 meter terakhir apabila mengejar sembilan pelumba yang berada di depannya untuk meraih tempat pertama dengan catatan tiga jam 42 minit 15 saat.

Pelumba veteran, LeTua Cycling Team (L2A), Libardo Nino Corredor pula menamatkan saingan di tempat kedua manakala Amir Zagari daripada Azad University Cycling Team (IUA) di tempat ketiga.
Keputusan itu membakar semangatnya menjelang perlumbaan peringkat kelima dari Tapah ke Genting Highlands hari ini.

Menurutnya, dia tidak menyangka mampu menawan puncak Cameron Highlands, apatah lagi terpaksa 'bertarung' dengan cuaca berhujan selain kabus yang tebal ketika menuju ke garisan penamat.
"Pada jarak 500 meter terakhir, saya berada di kelompok depan yang melibatkan 10 pelumba. Ketika itu, saya hanya fokus dan memecut laju tanpa memikirkan keadaan di sekeliling walaupun keadaan jalan agak licin," katanya pada sidang akhbar selepas tamat perlumbaan, semalam.

Jelasnya, dia cukup gembira dengan kemenangan itu kerana dapat menewaskan pelumba-pelumba lain yang sememangnya cukup terkenal sebagai pakar bukit.


"Saya dan rakan-rakan sepasukan belum merancang sebarang strategi bagi menghadapi misi paling getir, menakluk puncak Genting Highlands esok (hari ini) melibatkan laluan sejauh 124.3 kilometer.
"Saya hanya berharap dapat mengekalkan konsistensi pada perlumbaan esok dan berazam untuk sekali lagi mencipta kejutan ke atas pelumba-pelumba handalan yang lain," kata ketua pasukan Aisan itu.

Ayabe berkata, jika dia dapat menempatkan diri dalam kelompok pelumba di hadapan di Genting Highlands, peluang untuk muncul juara pasti lebih terbuka buatnya saya.

Sementara itu, pelumba pasukan Fernese Vini-Neri Sottoli, Andrea Guardini terpaksa menelan hakikat Jersi Kuning yang disarungnya sebelum ini diserahkan kepada Ayabe.

Bagaimanapun, Guardini masih bernasib baik kerana Jersi Biru (Raja Pecut) kekal menjadi miliknya.
"Peringkat keempat bukan sasaran sebenar saya tetapi saya tetap gembira dengan prestasi saya hari ini. Saya akan cuba melakukan yang lebih baik pada saingan di Genting Highlands nanti," kata Guardini yang menamatkan perlumbaan semalam di tempat ke-94.

Selain Jersi Kuning yang telah bertukar tangan semalam, Jersi Merah (Raja Bukit) dan Jersi Putih (pelumba terbaik Asia) turut berubah.

Pelumba IUA, Rahim Emami kini pemegang baru Jersi Merah yang sebelum ini menjadi milik pelumba pasukan Skil Shimano Cycling Team, Koen de Kort.

Pelumba sensasi negara, Anuar Manan yang menggalas cabaran pasukan Terengganu ProAsia Cycling (TSG) pula terpaksa menyerahkan Jersi Putih kepada Ayabe.


Oleh FERZALFIE FAUZI
ferzalfie.fauzi@utusan.com.my

Comments

Post a Comment

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...
2 comments
Read more

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...
4 comments
Read more

Govt Always Gives Emphasis To Sporting Culture, Says PM

KUALA TERENGGANU, May 29 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badaw i said the government always gives emphasis on cultivating a strong sporting culture in achieving excellence at the international level. As such, the Prime Minister said, it was important to scout for young talents in sports. "I observe that the Malaysia Games (Sukma) has become one of the important platforms to do so. "In this arena, the potentials and skills of the youngsters can be identified for development so that they can achieve greater success in sports," he said in his message in the souvenir book of the 12th Sukma from May 31 until June 9. Abdullah said he was aware that competition in sports was very keen and challenging but this did not mean that Malaysian athletes were incapable of competing at the international level. "The fact is that we have all the characteristics required to be excellent. We must inculcate a strong fighting spirit so that we don't easily surrender,...
1 comment
Read more