IPOH, Oct 14 — Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team rider Mohd Harrif Salleh’s hopes of securing a podium finish in Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2022 were dashed after he nearly became a victim of a crash near the end of Stage 4 from Sabak Bernam to Meru Jaya today.
After failing to shine in the first three stages, the TSG “speed architect” tried to prove his mettle at about 1-kilometre (km) from the finish line when the high-speed crash occurred, forcing the 34-year-old Mohd Harrif to take evasive action that slowed him down.
“Towards the final 1km, I nearly fell. I had the right momentum and position and I was in the top 10. I am lucky that I was not one of the victims of the crash which occurred right in front of me, but it slowed me down.
“Of course, I wanted to be on the podium because I felt that we could have done it today... just wasn’t meant to be,” he said.
Mohd Harrif, however, continues to be optimistic that he will be able to achieve good results in the remaining four stages of the LTdL.
In today’s race, Mongolian rider Jambaljamts Sainbayar, who is also Mohd Harrif’s teammate, managed to close the gap to 0.01 second behind Astana Qazaqstan Team’s Andrey Zeits in the race for the white jersey (best Asian rider).
The three speed zones Sainbayar conquered were Hutan Melintang, Kampung Gajah and Tanjung Tualang. — Bernama
