Lundu’s Wan Haikal showing off his medals won at the Sarawak Energy Siol International Mountain Bike Championship’s Men’s Elite XCO.
KUCHING: Lundu’s Wan Haikal claimed the Sarawak Closed title in the Men’s Elite XC Olympic category in last Sunday’s Sarawak Energy Siol International Mountain Bike Challenge, shaping up as the state’s new echelon of torch-bearers.
The Sukma rider charged to the fore ahead of Team Giant Kuching’s Mohd Adham to claim an emphatic victory and redeem himself after a tough Sarawak Sukma campaign where he failed to deliver a much-anticipated XCO medal. Sarawak had won XCO medals in two previous Sukmas.
The Siol event — the last leg of the UCI’s Asia Mountain Bike Series — was billed as the duel between Haikal and Adham who are both widely regarded as the future of Sarawak’s mountain biking.
The two 19-year-olds promptly lived up to the billing, locking horns from the get-go.
Haikal had to make up a deficit though after getting caught behind the first row of riders. He kept his cool, picking off the riders in front and soon was right behind the Giant Kuching rider.
“Adham got a bit of a lead at the start but I caught up quite easily,” he said.
After that, it was a cat-and-mouse game as they battled all the way to the bell lap, constantly trading positions until the fourth lap when Haikal began carving out a small gap.
Haikal, from Team Sonamu but loaned out to City Cycling Club for the Siol Challenge, kept up the strong pace to prevail in 1hr 43mins 45secs.
Adham finished 2mins 21secs back.
“I didn’t panic when I saw Adham in the lead but stayed relaxed and focused on catching up,” Haikal said.
He revealed he had a moment of fright in the third of the six-lap race when he encountered a mechanical problem.
“I was a little nervous at that stage as Adham was so close but I managed to solve the problem quickly.”
Haikal felt being slightly better technically had allowed him to top the Giant Kuching rider on the day.
Adham did not have a trouble-free ride either, crashing in the closing stages.
“Although it was a close race, I don’t think the crash affected the results,” he said.
The victory was special for Haikal.
“It means a lot. This is my first win for the year,” he beamed.
He will be looking to build on the success as he strives to be Sarawak’s best in his sport.
That standing, however, still belongs to Team Corbusier’s Laurel L Adrian who clocked 1hr 38mins 57secs to finish eighth — a position which would have given him the Sarawak Closed title ahead of Haikal but he did not qualify for the race due to his Sabahan status.
At the risk of being labelled as partial, I believe they really should let the 24-year-old Sabahan contend for the Closed title as he has likely spent more time on his bike here than in Sabah over the past five years.
Hopefully, Adham and Haikal will continue to be the torch bearers of Sarawak’s cycling in the future as the state has lost several top racers lately.
Bintulu’s 2012 Pahang Sukma XCO champion Addy Amin has stopped racing while teammate Rosnina Minggu, who also triumped in Pahang, did not take part in the Siol Challenge.
Garry Tay, the UCI 2014 Malaysia Junior XCO champ, is also out of top flight racing due to personal committments.
But it was the absence of Team Malaysia’s Junaidah Juss that was the most felt at the Siol race. With the lack of sponsors in addition to raising a family, Junaidah has apparently called time on her racing.
Long considered the crown jewel of Sarawak cycling, Junaidah’s shoes will be hard to fill.
Presently, there is no one who can step up with the same heart this champion cyclist from Lundu displayed throughout her racing days.
Haikal and Adham will certainly do well in the next Sukma but the burning question is what happens beyond that.
It’s important having a presence in big races like the Malaysian Championship or the Ranau, Sabah leg of the AMBS as it will give Sarawak cycling the boost and status it needs.
Local cycling fans will be hoping more people can help Sarawak riders crank up to the next level.