Riders prior to the start of the first series of the National Cycling Championship 2014 in April. Picture: BT file
National cycling coach Yafiz Jamaludin is keeping a close eye on his charges as they compete in the Pehin Dato Awang Haji Yahya Cup today.
The cup which will also run as the second series of the National Cycling Championship will see over a 100 cyclists compete for top honours at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas. "With the cup and the series, we do keep an eye on how our athletes are progressing. Are they progressing as planned or are they performing much better." said Yafiz during an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.
"I hope the cash prizes will be a good motivation because the National Cycling Championship series is a good place for them to build and hone their technical skills." The Beginner category is open to 13 to 15-year-olds and the Junior category to 16 to 18-year-olds.
The other riders will compete in the Individual and Team category. The cup will start with the Junior category at 8.00am, the Individuals and Teams category starts at 8.30am and the Beginner category will start at 8.45am.
Four national cyclists will see action today. The trio of Hardie Morsidi, I'maadi Aziz and Rifa'ie Hj Johor will be competing in the 38km junior category.
Reduan Yusof will compete in the 125km Individual and Team category. The Beginner category will see riders complete 5.6km
The first series saw Reduan Yusof cross the finish line in first place for Cannasia Cycling Team with a time of 3:40:11.08 in the 137 km Open category. Teammate Abdul Hadri Morsidi was second on 3:41:41.07 and Bro's Cycling Project Team's Ahamad Rifa'ie Hj Johor came in third with a time of 3:41:41.35.
Bro's Cycling Project Team's Muhammad Aziz Abdul crossed the line in first for the Junior Category with a time of 57:50.24, beating teammate Ahmad Jawaahir Hj Johar (57.50.26). Coming in third was Md Hamizan Hj Herman from Kedayan Cycling Team in 58:19.86. Bro's Cycling Project Team's Muhammad Azwar Muhammad Hairolrani crossed the line first in the Beginner Category after finishing with a time of 28:30.69.
He was closely followed by Belait Cycling Team's Mohammad Fadhli Hj Rosli (28:33.58) and Kedayan Cycling Team's Muhd Haziq Hj Herman (29:34.36). Cannasia Cycling Team currently lead the Team competition followed by Bro's Cycling Project Team and G530 Team 'A'. The team classification is based on the top-three riders in their respective teams for each of the series.
The series, the first of its kind in Brunei, is organised by the Brunei Darussalam Cycling Federation in collaboration with the Department of Youth and Sports. A total of five race series will be conducted and individual and team scores will be awarded in each series.
The highest score collected by an individual or team will be declared the overall winner of the tournament. Cash prizes up to $3,000 for the Individual Men's category and $4,000 for the Team category will be awarded to the individuals and teams with the most points at the end of the series.
The series continues on Aug 10.
