CAMERON HIGHLANDS – It was an emotional moment for Malaysian Pro Cycling (MPC) rider Syawal Mazlin after he became the Best Malaysian Rider for the third stage of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) in Cameron Highlands today.
Syawal, a native of Brinchang, couldn’t hold back his emotions, visibly overwhelmed by the moment.
The 19-year-old cyclist revealed that he had lost his grandfather, Jaafar Sidek, just three days before the start of LTdL.
Adding to his heartache, his late grandfather had promised to wait for him at the finish line when he completed this race.
“Previously, my late grandfather wanted to wait for me here, but he passed away three days before LTdL. Allah loves him more. I brought his spirit with me here,” he said, as he immediately searched for his family upon crossing the finish line.
Syawal’s success also boosted the morale of his team, which had been shaken after several of his teammates were involved in an accident just under 100 meters from the finish line during the second stage of the race in Butterworth yesterday.
Syawal explained that, as a local, he had a good grasp of today’s race route, which helped him achieve a 44th place finish among 127 riders in the challenging ‘Queen Stage.’
His strategy was to stay close to several riders from the World Team until 30 kilometers from the finish line.
However, experience became a key factor as he had to acknowledge the exceptional abilities of the top climbers from Europe and South America.
“With just a few kilometers left, they were competing at a whole different level. I’m not quite there yet. Still, I fought hard because I know this course inside and out,” he added.
The third stage of the race, which began in Taiping and covered a distance of 170.3 km, was won today by Max Poole of Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, finishing with a time of four hours, 24 minutes, and 34 seconds.
Poole’s victory also saw him clinch the polka dot jersey (King of the Mountains), collecting 15 points after winning the third climbing zone, which was classified as Hors Class in Brinchang.
At the same time, he successfully took the green jersey, previously held by overall leader Gleb Syritsa.
The white jersey was awarded to Manabu Ishibashi of JCL Team UKYO, while the orange jersey (King of the Sprints) was claimed by his teammate Matteo Malucelli, who finished second in this stage.
The fourth stage will continue tomorrow, with a route from Kuala Kubu Bharu to Bentong, covering a distance of 131.2 km. – October 1, 2024
