KUALA TERENGGANU — In a surprising twist at Stage 1 of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL), Malaysia National Team rider Mohamad Izzat Hilmi Abdul Halil emerged as the best Malaysian finisher, narrowly missing the podium by a photo finish.
Izzat said his target from the beginning was to finish on the podium during the race, which commenced in Kerteh and concluded in Kuala Terengganu yesterday.
“Actually my target is higher (than a fourth-place finish). I wanted a podium finish for this first stage.
“But I’m still grateful for this result,” he said.
During the crucial last 5km of the race, Izzat said he found himself riding alongside fellow Malaysian and Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team rider Harrif Saleh.
Together, they were trying to push forward and reach the front of the peloton, as they were positioned in the middle of the pack.
However, Izzat admitted that he may have initiated his attack too early.
“I may have started my attack too early because, in the last 200m, I had lost all my power.
“I wasted too much energy to get to the front of the pack,” he said.
Undeterred by the miscalculation, Izzat remains determined and focused on the upcoming stages of the ProSeries event.
He said he wants to continue the hunt for a podium with seven stages to go in this year’s edition.
“I really want a podium we will see how Stage 2 goes.
“If it ends with another bunch sprint I will learn from my mistake and do better than what I did in Stage 1,” he said.
Stage 2 today will start in Kuala Terengganu and ends in Kota Bharu covering a distance of 186.2km. — September 24, 2023