Jalan Tun Perak is where I am in the world right now. It is the epitome of a bustling Asian city, with heaps of energy and people going in every direction, and the faint smell of spices and dried fish - Kuala Lumpur feels edgy, but happy-go-lucky at the same time.
Mmmm. . . curry puffs were a lovely way to start the day in KL.
Kuala Lumpur, otherwise known as the 'muddy city' due to its historical propensity for floods, is growing fast with just over 7 million people in the wider suburban region. It's a vibrant meeting point for so many cultures, nationalities, and religions, not to mention a vast and impressive array of sportsmen and women! Formula 1, the Commonwealth games, and of course our beloved tour de Langkawi have all graced the streets of KL.
Riders ready to go on the final stage.
You can see a hint of relief on the faces of our 105 riders as they line up for the final stage of the 2010 Tour de Langkawi. Now, as you may have noticed through my series of articles, I have super human powers (see issue #3 of 'Lobsterman') so today I have brought my fortune telling powers with me to predict how this race will play out. Hmmmmmmm - attack, riders get caught, attack, riders get brought back, grouppo compacto, sprint and then a win by Mr. X. Coming into the stage I was foreseeing that Pete McDonald could hold the KOM, and had a hazy vision of Anuar Manam taking the final stage.
Riders passed this giant golf ball on the route today - I have no idea why it was there to be honest. . . .
When the signal went to start we had (as I predicted) an attack - but this one was dangerous as it contained Cyclingnewsasia diarist Loh Sea Keong (GO LOH!!), Walker, Weissinger, Shaw and Thompson. I was really torn here as I wanted Loh to stay off the front and take the stage in front of thousands of his fans, but then Drapac Porsche rolled to the front to bring him back for Pete McDonald. The famous red henchmen were too powerful, and brought the race back together at the 20km mark.
Riders roll past the jungle on their way to KL.
Not long after, Pete McDonald took the points following a minor tussle with Pell and Rujano. Then, out of nowhere our fearless rider Loh Sea Keong (Herbalife MPC) exploded from the peloton with Alexis Rodriguez from LeTua, but we were all back together at 60km to go.
Cyclists roll through under the famous twin towers in KL.
At the end of the day the stage victory went to an ecstatic Stuart Shaw (Drapac-Porsche). “I just had my appendix out and had surgery. I had three months off my bike and this is my first race in five months,” he said. “The team sent me here, which was nice, to come and help Peter [McDonald] win the King of the Mountain and to help Adiq Othman. I just came here to help the team and every day I got a little bit stronger. Today I felt good near the sprint. So I had a bit of a go. It was a nice result.”
Stuart Shaw - you can take his appendix but not the win!
McDonald was, as expected, very satisfied to head home with the red climber’s jersey. “It has been a long week, with lots of racing. There were little climbs to try to get a point here, get a point there,” he explained. “Yesterday I was a bit disappointed to miss out on a few opportunities leading up to the big climb [Genting Highlands]. I finished fourth up the big climb and to not actually have the jersey [was frustrating]….I needed one more point. Today worked out all right with the team. They did a good job to lead me out for the climb. They were very aggressive in the corners leading up to it, and that helped us to make the gap. I was able to get the sprint.”
Rujano, the overall tour winner, said that the climbs of today didn’t really suit him. “For me, really, the most important thing was to win the yellow jersey today,” he said. “I tried to do the sprint but in mountains that are only 100 metre high, it is not really for me. I couldn’t keep the polka-dot jersey but I keep the yellow…that is what I wanted.” Rujano announced himself to the world scene five years ago with notable results in the Tour de Langkawi and the Giro d’Italia. Since then he has had some setbacks and hasn’t performed to the same level, but is confident that he is now fully back on track. He said “This year, the rhythm of the race was pretty high as many riders were in good condition.” When asked how he could compare the 2005 race with 2010: “The Asian riders are improving, they are getting better legs year after year. The race went very well for me. I am very happy with the condition I have now and I have two months to go to improve it for the Tour of Italy.”
Rujano happy with his victory and his preparations for the Giro d'Italia.
As a result of his success in the Tour de Langkawi, Rujano said that he will enter the season in Europe feeling confident. "I am very happy that ISD picked me for this year, after some time outside Europe. I can see that the team has done a great job for me this week. This is also a good sign for the Giro d’Italia, which is the most important race for me this year.”
For the large vocal crowd at the finish line, Anuar Manan was the main name on their lips. He sealed his victory in the points classification today, with fourth wheel in the sprint. Together with race runner-up Hyo Suk Gong (Seoul Cycling), Thursday’s victor Taiji Nishitani (Aisan Racing Team), the team classification win by the Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling squad, and the general aggressive, competitive performance by riders from the continent, it was clear that Asian cycling has moved to a new level.
Anuar Manan - a historic victory.
Manan's focus is now to head overseas and do a lot more sprinting amongst the powerhouse teams of Europe, North America, and Australia. “I have a good team now to bring me up from the Asian level,” he said. “We will go to France for around three months, racing and training there. Maybe it is good for me, will help me develop more. If I have many, many races, perhaps I can improve my sprint. Then I can reach the same level as the ProTour sprinters.”
Here in lies the end of our Malaysian story. We've reached high peaks, eaten delicious meals, been welcomed by the warm faces of locals in every town and city, and have stood witness to a new era of Asian riding.
(l-r) Peter McDonald, Jose Rujano, Anuar Manan and Hyo Suk Gong.
2010 is already shaping up to be a year of historic proportions on the Asian racing scene - thank you Malaysia for inviting our sport into your homes!
Stage 7 Results
1 Stuart Shaw (Aus) Drapac Porsche Cycling 3:01:00
2 Vidal Celis (Spa) Footon-Servetto
3 René Haselbacher (Aut) Vorarlberg - Corratec
4 Anuar Manan (Mas) Geumsan Ginseng Asia
5 Ruslan Tleubayev (Kaz) Kazakhstan National Team
Final General Classification
1 José Rujano Guillen (Ven) ISD - Neri 24:07:58
2 Hyo Suk Gong (Kor) Seoul Cycling 0:02:07
3 Hossein Askari (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical 0:02:39
4 Peter McDonald (Aus) Drapac Porsche 0:03:21
5 Amir Zargari (IRI) Azad University Iran 0:04:13
6 Markus Eibegger (Aut) Footon-Servetto 0:04:54
7 Alexandr Shushemoin (Kaz) Kazakhstan Team
8 Matthias Brandle (Aut) Footon-Servetto 0:04:58
9 Ghader Mizbani (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical 0:05:10
10 Ahad Kazemi (IRI) Tabriz Petrochemical 0:05:46
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