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Saingan LTdL 2012 bermula


ALEXANDRE Vinokourov (tiga dari kiri) bakal menjadi tumpuan dalam acara ujian masa yang bermula di Putrajaya hari ini.

KEJOHANAN lumba basikal Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2012 akan membuka tirainya hari ini dengan peringkat pertama melibatkan saingan ujian masa individu di Putrajaya.

Meskipun saingan hari pertama ini hanya melibatkan perlumbaan di sekitar Putrajaya, namun semua mata peminat basikal tempatan sudah pasti tertumpu kepada pemenang empat peringkat perlumbaan Jela- jah Perancis, Alexandre Vinokourov.

Pelumba Kazakhstan dari pasukan Astana itu akan turun buat kali kedua dalam LTdL dan sudah pastinya mahu membuktikan reputasi sebenarnya dalam kalangan pelumba-pelumba lain di hadapan peminat tempatan.
Begitupun, Vinokurov, 39, sedar cuaca panas di Malay- sia mungkin menjadi penghalang buatnya, sekali gus menjejaskan misinya meskipun mengakui pasukannya menurunkan barisan terkuat pada LTdL 2012 ini.
“Perasaan saya gembira sekali apabila dapat kembali semula untuk berlumba di Malaysia,” kata Vinokurov.
“Ini kali kedua saya datang ke sini selepas LTdL 1997, jadi sudah tentu saya mahu mencatat pencapaian yang lebih baik pada edisi ke-17 ini.

“Begitupun, cuaca panas di Malaysia akan menambahkan lagi cabaran pada perlumbaan ini.
“Ia juga akan menyukarkan lagi misi saya untuk mencatat keputusan yang baik iaitu sekurang-kurangnya memenangi satu pering- kat perlumbaan di sini,” katanya.

Vinokourov akan dibantu oleh lima lagi pelumba dalam pasukan Astana iaitu Alexandre Dyachenko (No. 9 dalam Kejuaraan Dunia 2011), Assan Bazayev, Dimitriy Gruzdev, Valentin Iglinskiy (juara Jelajah Hainan 2010 dan 2011) serta An- drey Zeits naib juara Jelajah Turki tahun lepas.

LTdL tahun ini juga mencatat sejarah baharu apabila enam bekas juara bertahan kembali bersaing dalam satu perlumbaan yang sama dengan misi memburu gelaran kedua.

Mereka terdiri daripada juara edisi 2003, Tom Daniel- son, Freddy Gonzalez (2004), Anthony Charteau (2007), Jose Serpa (2009), Jose Rujano (2010) dan Yonnatta Monsalve yang sudah pasti ingin mempertahankan kejuaraannya tahun lepas.

Untuk rekod, hanya Paolo Lanfranchi sahaja yang berjaya memenangi kejuaraan keseluruhan LTdL sebanyak dua kali iaitu pada tahun 1999 dan 2001.

Cabaran Malaysia pada kejuaraan kali ini akan digalas 13 pelumba tempatan yang akan beraksi dalam empat pasukan berbeza iaitu skuad kebangsaan Malaysia, Terengganu Pro Asia (TSG) serta pasukan Champion System dan OCBC Singapura.



Oleh SHAHRIL NIZAM ABDULLAH
shahril@kosmo.com.my

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