KUALA LUMPUR, 16 January 2014 – OCBC Cycle Malaysia 2014 today announced
its line up for the Men’s Open Criterium which will feature a selection of top
local and regional riders on Saturday, 18 January at Dataran Merdeka.
The event’s most thrilling category returns for the third edition,
treating spectators to a master-class of bike-handling, sprinting and teamwork
throughout an action packed 60-minute race.
Present at today’s event were three elite cyclists who will be in action
on Saturday; Ahmad Haidar Anuawar and Ronald Yeung of the OCBC Singapore Pro
Cycling Team, as well as Danny Feng from Team Pro Asia.
The field is headlined by Malaysian cycling hero and the Men’s Open
Criterium defending champion Anuar Manan, while compatriot Mohd. Zamri bin
Salleh also returns in an attempt to better his third-place finish in 2013.
The Malaysia National Team is also certain to feature prominently on
Saturday afternoon, headed by professional cyclist Mohd Nor Rizuan Zainal. The
Malaysian national cyclists will be determined to outperform the OCBC Singapore
Pro Cycling Team in their local event; however their neighbours have brought a
very powerful team across the border and have their sights set on a podium
finish.
The Men’s Open Criterium starting line was unveiled today by Datuk Naim
Mohamad, Deputy President, Malaysian National Cycling Federation who expressed
his heartfelt congratulations to event organiser Spectrum Worldwide and title
sponsor OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad for continuing to build the ideal platform
for the sport’s growth in Kuala Lumpur.
“OCBC Cycle Malaysia does a fantastic job in not only providing a
competitive race format for our elite cyclists, but also in bringing the race
to a greater audience. The short course format is an ideal live spectacle and
we are very privileged to stage the race in the heart of the city at Dataran
Merdeka,” Datuk Naim commented.
Expecting a thrilling race on Saturday, Spectrum Worldwide’s Managing
Director Chris Robb commented, “We believe that the Men’s Open Criterium is
crucial to growing the awareness of the event as well offering a source of
inspiration for Malaysia’s young cyclists to reach the elite level.”
He further thanked the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) for
their support and for the development of the sport of cycling in Malaysia.
Along with the Men’s Open Criterium, Saturday will also stage the
Women’s Open and Masters’ Criterium in a race to crown the nation’s very best
amateur cyclists.
The top finishers in each Criterium, including a ‘King of the Sprints’
classification in the Men’s Open Criterium, will win prizes, or primes, with
the total prize money amounting to RM8,500.
The Women’s Open and Masters’ Criterium will start at 1.50pm with the
race scheduled for 45 minutes, while the Men’s Open Criterium will start at
3.40pm and last 60 minutes.
OCBC Cycle Malaysia, which is Malaysia’s largest mass participant
cycling event on closed public roads, runs from 17 to 19 January 2014 at the
historical Dataran Merdeka. Over 6,000 participants have registered to
participate across the range of ride categories.
Prize Money – Criterium Events:
Criterium Event – Men’s Open Criterium
Position
1st RM1,500
2nd RM1,000
3rd RM750
4th RM500
5th RM250
King of the Sprints Classification
Position
1st RM500
2nd RM400
3rd RM300
4th RM200
5th RM100
Criterium Event – Master’s Open Criterium
Position
1st RM500
2nd RM400
3rd RM300
4th RM200
5th RM100
Criterium Event – Women’s Open Criterium
Position
1st RM500
2nd RM400
3rd RM300
4th RM200
5th RM100
