KAMPAR, Sept 27 — Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) rider Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli kicked off his Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2026 campaign brilliantly by securing the White Jersey as the Best Asian Rider after Stage 1 today.

The 27-year-old, who leads the chart after collecting points at two sprint zones in the 193-kilometre (km) race from Shah Alam to Kampar, admitted he initially planned a breakaway.

“I did plan a breakaway and managed to secure points at two sprint zones.

“For the third zone in Teluk Intan, I couldn’t keep up as I was too far behind the leading pack. Therefore, I had to ride smart to save energy for tomorrow’s race and focus on the next stage,” he told the media after the race.

Aiman Rosli finished the opening stage in a bunch finish, placing 70th out of 119 riders with a time of 4 hours, 6 minutes and 53 seconds (s). However, finishing third at the Ijok sprint zone and first in Kuala Selangor placed him at the top of the Asian category with 4:06:49s.

Aisan Racing Team’s Hijiri Oda is second in the Best Asian Rider chart with 4:06:53s, while Malaysia Pro Cycling’s Mohamad Izzat Hilmi Abdul Jalil, who emerged as the best local rider in the opening stage, is third with the same time.

Stage 2 tomorrow will see the peloton face a 145.6km challenge from Taiping to Gunung Jerai, featuring three sprint zones in Selama (km 41), Padang Serai and Aman Jaya, as well as two climb zones in Selama (km 53.6) and Gunung Jerai.

The climb up Gunung Jerai is a special highlight, as it is featured in the prestigious race calendar for the first time since its introduction in 1996.

Aware of the gruelling hilly route tomorrow, the seven-time consecutive national champion, who is the team’s sprint specialist, stressed the need to manage his energy carefully.

“I have to ‘save my legs’ because tomorrow’s stage features quite steep climbs. It is a blessing to wear the Best Asian Rider jersey. For tomorrow, we will have a different plan,” he said.

Meanwhile, Aiman expressed hope that teammate Kee Zhe Yie, currently second in the King of the Mountains chart behind Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu Team’s Petr Rikunov, could maintain his excellent momentum.

“I told Zhe Yie to try his best for the team. Hopefully, he can do something for the team and himself,” he added. — Bernama