GETTING MORE RACE MILES FOR PARIS
Azizulhasni to ride in the Japan Track Cup series for fine tuning
NATIONAL track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang is looking to further finetune his preparations for the Paris Olympics at next week's Japan Track Cup series (May 9-12).
Despite not using his full racing setup, Azizulhasni breezed to victories in the individual sprint and the keirin on the first day of the President's Cup at the National Velodrome in Nilai on Friday.
Yesterday, he did not compete on the final day of the President's Cup, which featured up-andcoming riders from Malaysia, Southeast Asia and Australia, due to other commitments, and will travel to Japan tomorrow.
The former world keirin champion expects tougher opposition at the Izu Velodrome.
“Japan will be another warmup race for me, but it will be of higher intensity because the top riders from Japan, Australia and New Zealand will be there, said Azizulhasni yesterday.
“Among them is Ota Kaiya, whom I raced against during last year's Asian Championships here (Nilai).
“The volume of racing will also be higher — the sprint and keirin events will last one day each.
“The plan will be similar to here. I will purposely place myself in a difficult position during the races and try to overcome the challenges.
“It is to test myself on how to deal with difficult situations.
This is how you improve.
“It is about getting in the extra race mileage I need before the Olympics.”
Kaiya, who won two gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, is a podium contender in Paris.
Azizulhasni confirmed he will not ride the latest version of the WX-R Vorteq bike during the Japan tournament.
However, the bike could make its competitive debut at the Belgium Open on June 28-30, which will likely be the national riders’ last competition before Paris.
The top track cycling nations usually use a new bike for every Olympic cycle with developments often kept a secret until they are launched.
The latest bikes are designed to have better aerodynamics and stiffness, and they also come equipped with more efficient drivetrains.
In addition to Azizulhasni, Shah Firdaus Sahrom and Izzah Izzati Asri will also use new bikes in Paris.
Izzah also impressed in the President's Cup on Friday, making her opponents look pedestrian en route to winning the individual sprint and keirin.
Endurance rider Abdul Azim Aliyas also did well by winning the men's 15km scratch race on Friday.