National cycling coach Yafiz
Jamaludin knows that his
riders will have an uphill
challenge in conquering the
final stage of the Tour De
East Java today. Picture:
BT file
Three national cyclist continued stage two of the Tour De East Java facing an 84.5km race yesterday.
I'maadi Abd Aziz, Reduan Yusop and Rifa'ie Hj Johor raced from Sidoarja to Tosari, unfortunately their results couldn't be obtained as of press time.
Muhammad Rafiuddin Zikara and Mohammad Nazri Mastan did not take part after failing to finish stage one of the tour.
National cycling coach Yafiz Jamaludin knows that it has been very tough for his cyclists.
"This is very difficult for them since we have never trained for climbing," Yafiz told The Brunei Times.
"It's all mountain climbing here so I'm not aiming for a podium finish.
"For mountains you need a high level of strength and endurance... From this I can measure where their performance is right now," he said.
"Their stamina and speed is alright but their strength for the climbing isn't enough. I still need to polish them up to make them better and peak at the upcoming SEA games in Myanmar in December," he added.
"We came here at 80 per cent from peaking so I still have time to train them. I can't say I'm not happy because from this I know where my riders are at," explained the coach.
"So when we get back to Brunei I will be adding more intensity to the training sessions. "I am planning to get them to train at Kundasang (Sabah) because it will be good preparation for the SEA Games," he added.
I'maadi placed 15th in the first stage on Wednesday.
Reduan crossed the line in 23rd and Rifa'ie 38th out of 65 cyclist.
It was another top three continental riders picking up the podium spots yesterday.
Spain's Jose Vicente Toribio Alcolea, representing Team UKYO (Japan), finished in first place.
Indonesia's Hari Fitrianto riding for CCN Cycling Team (Brunei) picked up second, followed by United Kingdom's David Clarke who represents Synergy Baku Cycling Project.
The final stage of the tour is the shortest at 78.6km from Sidoarjo to Mojosari.
Kazakhstan's Ivan Tsissaruk, who races for Track Team Astana, picked up the title in last year's event.
