ISKANDAR PUTERI: National cyclist Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli of the Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) ended Malaysia’s five-year podium drought at the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) by finishing second in Stage Seven Saturday.
The achievement was all the sweeter for the 26-year-old cyclist, who secured the finish in his home state of Johor, in front of thousands of local supporters and his family, who were cheering at the finish line, after completing the grueling 214.9-kilometer (km) challenge from Melaka to Medini.
During the race, the Johor native launched a solo breakaway in the last 32 km before being caught by Great Britain’s Zeb Kyffin with 10 km left in the race.
However, in the last 400 meters, Kyffin was ahead and crossed the finish line first, beating Muhammad Nur Aiman by just two seconds.
“Alhamdulillah, all praise be to God. I am proud (to get second place) because my mother came to watch (the race); she rarely watches it before this.
“I really wanted to win today because I was racing in Johor. So, Alhamdulillah, getting number two is great, and thank you to the people of Johor who supported me, and thank you to my team, TSG,” he said when met after the race.
Nur Aiman’s success also saw him crowned the best ASEAN rider for Stage Seven.
For the record, the last time a Malaysian cyclist reached the podium at LTdL was in 2020 through veteran cyclist Mohamed Harrif Salleh in the fifth and seventh stages.
Meanwhile, another national cyclist, Muhammad Izzat Hilmi Abdul Halil, representing Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC), also put up an excellent performance by finishing the race among the top 10.
Unibet Tietema Rockets rider Kyffin powered to victory in Stage Seven of the 2025 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL), covering the 214.9-kilometre route from Melaka to Medini, Johor, Saturday.
The 27-year-old Briton crossed the finish line in 4 hours, 37 minutes and 39 seconds, edging Malaysia’s Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli of Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) by two seconds, while Dutch rider Arvid de Kleijn took third place in 4:37:49.
Commenting on his victory Saturday, Kyffin said he was proud of himself for securing his first professional win in his career.
“I had a pretty different journey to get here. My path through the pro ranks has been quite late.
“I have just worked really hard to get here and am pretty proud of myself and I am really glad of the people I have around me who believe in me,” he said after the race.
After Stage Seven of the LTdL 2025, the Green Jersey (overall leader) remains with Joris Delbove of TotalEnergies, while the Orange Jersey (sprint) stays with Erlend Blikra of Uno-X Mobility.
The Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains) continues to be held by Patrick Eddy of Team Picnic PostNL, while the White Jersey (Best Asian Rider) remains with Nicolya Vinokurov from XDS Astana Team.
The final stage of 2.Pro status race continues today from Tangkak to Kuala Lumpur over 180.2 km featuring three sprint zones in Alor Gajah, Seremban and Semenyih, as well as three climb zones at Setul, Bukit Hantu and Ampang Lookout Point.