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GRAND
DOUBLE FOR HARIFF; ABREKOV SECURE IN YELLOW
12th May 2012
 IPOH
(12 May 2012) 每 On the day when Hariff Salleh of the Terengganu
Cycling team made it a grand double with his second stage win in
two days, Yusup Abrekov of Uzbekistan Suren is almost as good as
having secured his first overall title of the Jelajah Malaysia.
The 27-year-old
Abrekov, who had been wearing the leader＊s yellow jersey since
Stage Two, had only his team mates to thank for yet another day
of hard work they put in. Abrekov is still 21 seconds ahead of second-placed
Jai Crawford (RTS Racing team) and third Yasuharu Nakajima (Aisan
Racing team) heading into tomorrow＊s sixth and final stage.
With Abrekov
unable to converse well in English, the current scenario going into
the final stage tomorrow 每 a 199.5km ride from Ipoh to Dataran
Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur 每 is well summarised by today＊s stage
winner Hariff, who completed the 193.4km Stage Five from Sungai
Petani to Ipoh with a time of 4:34:40.
※I think that the yellow jersey is as good as gone. Shinichi (Fukushima)
is quite close on seventh in the GC but there＊s only one stage
tomorrow so it will be tough to make things happen. It has to be
a spectacular ride to change the inevitable,§ said Hariff, who
had also won Stage Four from Kangar in Perlis to Sungai Petani in
Kedah the previous day.
※We made a
mistake in the second stage when we threw everything we had into
protecting the yellow jersey (which was worn Shinichi then). That
costs us not only the yellow jersey but also a better classification
in the team GC (TSG are currently placed 12th).§
Immediately
after the neutral zone, several breakaways took place but Uzbekistan
Suren were maintaining a tight grip to make sure that they allowed
only those riders posing no threat to Abrekov, their leader in yellow,
to get by.
The eight riders
who managed to break away were Sofian Nabil Bakri (Terengganu),
Rauf Misbah (Selangor), Al Ghazali Hamid (Malaysia Development),
Suherman Heryadi (Putra Perjuangan), Umardi Rosdi (TSG), Khairul
Azhar (Kedah), Shahbana Agung (Putra Perjuangan) and Kyle Marwood
(Genesys).
They opened
up a lead of more than three minutes heading into the first sprint
at Megamall Penang with Sofian Nabil going on to take the first
sprint, ahead of Suherman, Umardi and Al Ghazali.
There was no
effort on the peloton to give chase as they allowed the front group
to be comfortable hovering around three minutes in the advantage
as they head into the second sprint at Bagan Serai (marker 84.7km).
A crash just
2km from the second sprint saw three Pure Black Racing team riders
getting entangled as Sofian Nabil went on to pick the sprint as
well at Bagan Serai ahead of Al Ghazali, Rauf and Suherman.
The three Pure
Black riders 每 Roman Van Uden, James Williamson and Michael Torckler
每 have all re-joined the race.
After 120km,
the gap between the breakaway group and the peloton was reduced
to just over two minutes as Agung Ali Shahbana (putra Perjuangan)
took the Cat 4 climb in Padang Rengas to be followed by Marwood
(Genesys) and Khairul Azhar (Kedah).
※There＊s two
more climbs tomorrow but I feel comfortable that we can protect
it all the way to the finish,§ added Dadi Suryadi (Putra Perjuangan),
the current KOM leader in the red jersey.
Torckler tried
in vain to catch up to the front group but failed as Suherman (Putra)
went on to take the third sprint at Talang to be followed by Sofian
Nabil (Terengganu), Umardi (TSG) and Rauf (Selangor).
※It is another
long stage tomorrow. And while I feel confident, it is also important
that I do not take risks and get involved in accident or anything
like that,§ quipped Muhammad Adiq Husainie Othman (Malaysia Development
team), the leader of the green jersey.
Not too long
afterwards, the peloton finally pushed forward to reel in the breakaway
group.
And as they
head past the 150km marker, a new front group was formed with Lee
Rodgers (RTS), Dani Lesmana (Polygon Sweet Nice), Timo Scholz (CCN
Cycling team), Van Uden (Pure Black), Zamri (TSG), Aristya (Putra)
and Bambang Suryadi (Polygon Sweet Nice).
But into the
last 4km into Ipoh City, the peloton replied to bring in all the
front riders back into the fold as they prepare for another bunch
finish for Hariff to take his second consecutive stage win ahead
of Nor Ridzuan Zainal (Armed Forces) and Alex Carver (Genesys).
Tomorrow＊s
sixth and final stage will be a 199.5km ride from Ipoh, Perak to
Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.
PODIUM
RESULTS 每 Stage Five
Stage winner 每 Hariff Salleh (Terengganu Cycling team)
Yellow Jersey - Yusup Abrekov (Uzbekistan Suren Team)
Green jersey - Muhammad Adiq Husainie Othman (Malaysia Development)
Red jersey 每 Dadi Suryadi (Putra Perjuangan)
White jersey (Best Malaysian) - Muhammad Adiq Husainie Othman (Malaysia
Development)
Blue jersey (Best Asian) 每 Yusup Abrekov (Uzbekistan Suren Team) |
