KUALA LUMPUR – National road cycling coach Mohd Yusof Abdul Nasir is looking to bring in talented youngsters to his squad after losing four riders from last year’s Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL).
Yusof has lost riders such as Mohamad Izzat Hilmi Abdul Halil and Muhamad Zawawi Azman to Malaysia Pro Cycling, Zulhelmi Zainal to Nusantara, and Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli to Terengganu Cycling Team.
“I had to make drastic changes to the selection for this year’s national road team.
“So my plan for this year is to recruit two to three under-23 riders who excelled at the recent National Championships.
“I have roped in Muhammad Adam Ramdzan Razali, Tsen Ren Bao, and Abdul Azim Aliyas.
“These are among the youngsters who put up the most impressive performance at the National Championships,” said Yusof.
Yusof is pleased to enlist inexperienced riders, just as he did with the core of Team Sapura Cycling, which had nowhere to go after the continental team closed shop.
“I want to promote these youngsters, just as we gave opportunities to Izzat Helmi, Zulhelmi, Aiman, and Zawawi.
“Now look at them, they are with continental teams and putting on a good show for their new teams.
“My job is to identify these youngsters and provide them with a platform to showcase their talents.
“I want people out there to recognise their talent and consider recruiting them for their professional teams,” added Yusof.
He will lead his new national squad to compete in the Tour of Thailand from April 1 to 6.
Afterwards, they will take a short break for Hari Raya Aidilfitri before resuming preparations for LTdL.
Meanwhile, Yusof said that this year’s route is among the most challenging in the 28-year history of the ProSeries race.
“The back-to-back climbs on Stage 3 and Stage 4 will be gruelling.
“Last year’s race had plenty of flat stages compared to this year, where the focus is more on climbs.
“The riders need to rest and recover properly, or else they won’t have the legs to get to the end of the race,” said Yusof.
This year’s edition of LTdL will run from September 29 to October 6 and cover a distance of 1,191.1km. – March 21, 2024