Veteran road racing cyclist Muhammad Elmi Jumaari believes that the good understanding he has forged with young sprinter Abdul Azim Aliyas can spur the national team to victory in the 2024 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) race, which starts on Sunday (Sept 29).
Muhammad Elmi, also a sprinter, said they’ve managed to click in the short time they’ve spent competing in several international assignments this year.
“During training sessions, he (Abdul Azim) always acts as my last pacer to move to the front. We started clicking two weeks ago at the Tour of Poyang Lake in China. “We seem to be hitting it off better and better as the day has gone by. Although he is still young, he is bold enough to try to get me into the best position possible,’ said Muhammad Elmi today.
He also hopes that 21-year-old Abdul Azim, who dominated the 2023 Tour of Negeri Sembilan, will gain invaluable experience in his maiden outing in the Sept 29-Oct 6 eight-stage LTdL.
The other riders in the national team for the LTdL are Muhammad Yusr
i Shaari, Muhammad Afiq Huznie Othman, Muhsin Al Redha Misbah and Tsen Ren Bao.
Meanwhile, the 34-year-old Muhammad Elmi admitted that he has been handed a heavy responsibility after being named the national team captain.
He is, however, thankful to head coach Mohd Yusof Nasir for trusting him to guide his teammates as they seek to get better results this time.
“We all have our own personal missions, not to mention our team mission. If possible, we hope to notch some stage wins in the eight-stage race,’ he said.
In previous editions, Nur Aiman ??Rosli created a sensation for the national squad when he successfully donned the white jersey (Asia’s Best Rider) at one stage.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency