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KUALA KANGSAR – The Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team (TSG) was forced to continue the second half of the 2022 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) without its road captain Youcef Reguigui as he suffered a serious injury in a crash at Stage 4 (Sabak Bernam to Meru Raya) yesterday.
Sporting director Danny Feng said the accident caused a deep wound on Reguigui’s left knee and damaged his tendon.
As such, the Algerian had to undergo surgery in a hospital in Kinta, Ipoh this afternoon.
However, Feng added, Reguigui was lucky to not have any broken bones.
“Youcef was sent to the hospital soon after the crash, but he is required to undergo surgery today to try and repair the tendon.
“After the surgery, we will bring him back to Kuala Terengganu, where he will recover for two weeks before going home to Algeria,” he said.
Although the injuries would not be career-threatening to Reguigui, Feng admitted his absence would have a huge impact on the team, making the rest of the race more challenging.
“Youcef had been the captain of the race, because he has the most experience due to his participation at the World Tour level previously.
“However, we still have Harrif (Saleh). He is in a good condition and has the potential to win stages.
“But without Reguigui, who usually is the last rider before Harrif is dropped off at the finish, we would need to come up with a different strategy,” added Feng.
Reguigui was involved in a crash roughly in the last 500m towards the finish line as he was leading out teammate Harrif Saleh for the sprint finish.
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Although Harrif was able to avoid the crash, he lost momentum in the sprint finish as he tried to slow down. – The Vibes, October 15, 2022