SHAH ALAM – Inform Terengganu Cycling Team’s Hariff Saleh would not bat an eyelid as Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) flags off tomorrow.
As the race had been on hiatus for two years due to the pandemic, the sprinter said he is prepared to challenge the WorldTour teams at the opening stage of the 157.2km-route from Kuala Pilah to Kuala Lumpur.
“This year’s race is going to be different because we have the WorldTour teams as well as the ProTeams.
“So, I know not to expect the same situation as when I participated in LTdL in 2020.
“It is also going to be more challenging because we have not raced in LTdL for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but I am ready,” said Hariff, who promised to do his best.
Hariff, who had won the fifth stage of the Tour de Taiwan last week, said he hoped to maintain the momentum, if not better, for LTdL.
In the 2020 LTdL edition, he paddled his way into victory at the seventh stage after completing the 130.4km-race from Bagan to Alor Setar in two hours, 53 minutes and 18 seconds.
The win recorded him as the first Malaysian to win two stages in a single edition of LTdL after becoming the fifth stage champion from Kuala Kubu Bharu to Ipoh. – The Vibes, October 10, 2022