EVERS TAKES EARLY LEAD AT TOUR OF BORNEO

Labuan ITT Stage winners 

Muhammad Fauzan Ahmad Lufti of PDRM leads the Asian Rider classification

Craig Evers of Data#3 Symatec Racing Team leads the overall classification 

LABUAN, 31 October 2015 : Hot and windy conditions on the Labuan Island gave riders a challenging welcome to the Tour of Borneo but Australian Craig Evers and local hero Muhammad Fauzan Ahmad Lutfi both rose to the occasion to take the yellow and white jersey on the opening day.

Evers, who rides for Data #3 Symantec Racing Team, is known to be a time trial specialist and lived up to his billing as he took the 27.2km stage one time trial comfortably after clocking 36 minutes and 35.304 seconds.

Latvians Krists Neilands and Armands Becis (Rietmu-Delfin Continental Cycling Team) came in second and third on 37:37.576s and 37:42.262s respectively.

Evers, who competed in the Tour of Poyang Lake (China) in September, said it was a physically challenging stage from the onset.

"It is very, very hot here compared to Canberra (where he is from), even during the warm up I was sweating buckets," said the 25-year-old.

"I started well, however, I was struggling with the wind towards the end of the race. Obviously everyone faced the same thing, this is the nature of the individual time trial.

"I have been preparing for this stage for some time and I just stuck to my plan and it paid off in the end.

"We have the yellow jersey now and it would be good to defend that. I will discuss with the team how to go about tomorrow (stage two) and give it the respect that it deserves.

"I am going to give it (stage two) a good crack and we will see how it goes."

Fauzan, who is competing for the Polis Diraja Malaysia Team, emerged the best Asian rider after clocking 37:56.592s for fourth and will wear the white jersey in stage two.

The 29-year-old said he was happy to achieve his target of placing in the top five in stage one.

"I did pretty well in the first 10km but went off my target pace from then on due to the wind," said Fauzan.

"It was a bit tricky as there were both crosswinds and headwinds, if I was able to maintain my pace I would have been good for a spot on the podium.

"But I am still happy with the result and hopefully I can keep the white jersey tomorrow (stage two)."

Riders will cover 138.9km in stage two which will see them doing three laps of 46.3km around the Labuan Island.

Tour of Borneo is organized by Borneo International Cycling, held from 31^st October to 4^th November 2015. The 2.2 category Tour is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) and is listed in UCI Asian Tour calendar, it is hoped to promote Sabah as the ultimate sports tourism destination in Malaysia, and promote cycling in the state.

RIDERS READY FOR BORNEO SPECTACLE

Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG)

Organising Chairman Dato' Fredie Sua welcoming the teams, officials & media to Tour of Borneo 2015.

Data #3 Symantec Racing Team

LABUAN, 31 October 2015 : The stage is set for another exciting edition of the Tour of Borneo with some of the most formidable teams in the region ready to battle it out for honours over the scenic and highly challenging terrain of Sabah.

The tour kicks off with a 27.2 kilometre time trial in Labuan with much at stake for teams hoping to do well. The five-stage Tour of Borneo will see riders covering a total distance of 646.4km through Labuan, Menumbok, Kuala Penyu, Tuaran, Kudat and Kundasang.

Pegasus Continental Cycling Team of Indonesia, which won the overall team at Le Tour de Langkawi earlier this year are one of the teams expected to contend. Team coach Giacomo Notari of Italy is optimistic of a strong outing in Sabah.

"The target for every team is to win the tour, and it is no different for us," said Notari.

"We have some good time trial specialists and also climbers in the team and I believe we can do well in the first stage and last stage from Kudat to Kundasang.

"What is important is that we watch out for any breakaways in all the other stages and I believe we will have a chance."

Singapore Sea Games time trial gold medalist Robin Manullang is part of the Pegasus squad in Sabah while Dadi Suryadi is also strong in the event. Notari expects Odie Purnama Setiawan to excel in the mountaineous region of Kundasang.

Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG), Team 7-Eleven Roadbike Phillipines, Data #3 Symantec Racing Team p/b Scody (Aus), Rietumu-Delfin Continental Cycling Team (Latvia) and CCN Cycling Team (Laos) are the other continental teams expected to do well in the Tour of Borneo. Teams from eight countries are competing this year.

TSG's Mohd Harrif Saleh said he is expecting the competition to be stiff.

"I came here straight from the Tour of Hainan where Rietmu-Delfin were also competing," said Mohd Harrif.

"From what I saw there (in Hainan) they are a very strong team and will be dangerous if they can perform to the same level here."

Organising Chairman Dato’ Fredie Sua said he was happy to be able to bring together another edition of the Tour of Borneo. The event was not held last year.

"I am very grateful to be able to stage this tour again. It is a great opportunity for us to show what we can actually show to the world how our country, and Sabah is," said Fredie at the team presentation dinner yesterday.

"Despite all the challenges faced, we have managed to organise another edition of the race thanks to the strong determination and teamwork we showed."

Tour of Borneo is organized by Borneo International Cycling, held from 31^st October to 4^th November 2015. The 2.2 category Tour is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) and is listed in UCI Asian Tour calendar, it is hoped to promote Sabah as the ultimate sports tourism destination in Malaysia, and promote cycling in the state.

DEVELOPMENT THE TOP PRIORITY AS JELAJAH MALAYSIA ENTERS NEW ERA

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 October 2015 : The region's oldest stage race enters a new era with the Jelajah Malaysia 2015 set to run from December 9th to 13th featuring 20 teams set to light up the five stages.

Entering its 51st year, the Jelajah Malaysia will be run by new event manager Peloton Resources, headed by former national cyclist Musairi Musa with guidance provided by the able hands of the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).

At the launch today, MNCF president Dato Haji Abu Samah Wahab announced that six local teams to take on the best in the region will be Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM), Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM), Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG), National Sports Council (NSC) and Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL).

"We expect a strong lineup of teams for this edition, with a challenging route set to be announced at the later date. I am sure, with the capabilities and charisma of our new event managers, the Jelajah Malaysia will be a show that local cycling fans are eager to watch," said Dato Haji Abu Samah.

He added that the main focus for this edition will be the development of the next generation of riders, thus the white jersey for the Best Malaysian Rider previously has now been replaced by the white jersey for the top ranked under-23 rider. The rest of the categories will remain the same with the general classification contenders competing for the yellow jersey for the overall leader, the red jersey for the king of the mountains and blue jersey for the top sprinter in the race.

"We expect the local teams to be fully prepared and be able to challenge for the overall title this time around," added Dato Haji Abu Samah.

At the launch, the organisers also launched the new image of the Jelajah Malaysia with the theme of a new era for the race taking precedence.

"Being half a century old, we hope the Jelajah Malaysia will continue to shine and be a main feature of the annual national cycling calendar for years to come," said Dato Haji Abu Samah.

The Jelajah Malaysia is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.2 grade event on the UCI Asia Tour calendar and will feature some of the best teams from throughout Asia. The 2014 edition was won by Tunisia's Rafaa Chtioui of the SkyDive Dubai team, with TSG's Harrif Saleh taking the green jersey as the top sprinter, while Indonesia's Dani Lesmana of Pegasus Cycling emerged the best climber.

KL MAYOR UNVEILS OCBC CYCLE KL 2015 ROUTE

Genting comes in as ASEAN Cycle Fest main sponsor, to complement role of OCBC Cycle KL 2015 title sponsor OCBC Bank

Kuala Lumpur, 28 October 2015 – The Mayor of Kuala Lumpur YBhg Datuk Mhd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz today unveiled the route for the upcoming OCBC Cycle KL 2015, spanning 8.4 kilometres across some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks.

At the same event, he welcomed Genting Malaysia Berhad as main sponsor of the overall ASEAN Cycle Fest platform, complementing OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad’s role as title sponsor of OCBC Cycle KL 2015.

The other new sponsors unveiled were Great Eastern, Phiten, Cycling Express, Bertoni Eyewear Italy and neutral service provider Vittoria.

The 42km-long OCBC Cycle KL 2015, organised by Multigreen Events, comprises five laps through the route and takes place on 8 November 2015 at Dataran Merdeka starting at 6.30am.

OCBC Cycle KL 2015 is part of the ASEAN Cycle Fest, which also features an hour-long criterium for elite riders from ASEAN. It is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Malaysian National Cycling Federation.

Speaking at the route unveiling press conference today, Datuk Mhd Amin gave his full endorsement to the upcoming mass participation cycling event on closed public roads, adding it would serve to showcase Kuala Lumpur’s cultural heritage and feature the spirit of ASEAN.

“The event has already seen about 2,000 signing up, with some overseas participation as well. This augurs well for both sports and tourism in Kuala Lumpur. It is a fitting carry-through from OCBC KL Car Free Morning, which is also title-sponsored by OCBC Bank, a firm supporter of cycling in the country,” he said.

Sharing the details of the route, Datuk Naim Mohamad, Chairman of the ASEAN Cycle Fest & OCBC Cycle KL 2015 Implementation Committee said the inaugural OCBC Cycle KL 2015 flags off at Dataran Merdeka and takes riders through Jalan Raja Laut, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Ampang and Jalan P. Ramlee, before getting back onto Jalan Ampang and heading into Jalan Dang Wangi, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Raja and Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin. The route then features a bend through the National Mosque roundabout before heading back to Dataran Merdeka.

“As the event will feature some road closure, the organiser, Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) will be working closely to ensure smooth traffic movements and public safety control on the event day. This will include efficient planning to communicate the traffic movements to the public,” he said.

OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad Chief Executive Officer Mr Ong Eng Bin, who was present at the event, said the thinking behind OCBC Cycle KL 2015 draws from both the Bank’s experience as title sponsor of the highly popular OCBC Cycle Malaysia over the past four years and also the introduction of the OCBC KL Car Free Morning last year.

“When we began our journey in sponsoring cycling events in Malaysia back in 2011, there was no KL Car Free Morning and mass participation cycling was in its infancy. So, we invested significantly to become part of an initiative to offer rides for everyone regardless of riding experience and age. 

Now, with the introduction and our title sponsorship of KL Car Free Morning, we are already catering to the needs of the leisure cyclists and children among us. So, it is with this in mind that we put together

the 42km OCBC Cycle KL 2015, for the more competitive cyclists among us. We are looking forward to providing a fantastic experience for the cycling community come 8 November 2015 and we hope a healthy spirit of competition will stream from the participants that morning,” he said.

Also present at the event was OCBC Al-Amin Director & CEO Syed Abdull Aziz Syed Kechik.

In addition to OCBC Cycle KL 2015, the public will have an eye-fest when the top sprinters of Southeast Asia congregate to compete at speeds that are rarely seen in the city centre.

Dato’ Sri Kay Prakash, Vice President – Corporate Services, Genting Malaysia Berhad, said the company was pleased to be part of the ASEAN Cycle Fest, especially in conjunction with its on-going 50^th Anniversary celebrations.

“We have businesses in several ASEAN countries; so it is indeed fitting for us to work together with the organisers to make this event a success, especially with Malaysia holding the high honour of being Chairman of ASEAN this year,” she said.

Sponsors who had earlier signed on include official cycling musette Le Coq Sportif, and official sponsors 100Plus, Ciclista, Sunplay, Rocktape, Deep Heating Rub, FOX, Motoshoot Cycling TV, Garmin and Inno Car Rack.

For more information or to sign up for the ASEAN Cycle Fest and OCBC Cycle KL 2015, participants may do so via www.aseancyclefest.com