With the promise of so many fun races to do in the month of December (Tour of Poyang Lake, Tour of Lombok, 80km road race in JB and Penang race), i ended up doing none. Like always, I will start to look forward to the new and exciting season 2012 that awaits, of course, with my new team... DB2-Bikelabz!
2011 has been another year without any breakthrough. I tried hard, but never really made any impression, and maybe I was never really good enough. Compared to 2010, 2011 was much better in a way i felt stronger and more confident of getting some decent results going into a race. I also had a good team around me and felt that the team was much more organised after the inclusion of Robert Meek, who managed to bring in with us his experience from the past. But maybe the other teams were just much bigger and stronger than ours. So let's just give it to them! They were probably under more pressure than us to perform anyway...
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| Sepand F1 Circuit Race |
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| Tanglin Halt Criterium |
Again, I did not manage to clock in a lot of race mileage this year, only 8 races the whole year round. The first race of the year was at Sepang F1 circuit. It was a really hard race with Terenganu Pro Asia team taking control and eventually winning the race. I finished with the pack at 38th place. It was a good race leading up to OCBC Cycle Singapore 60km Super Challenge. I was feeling really strong for the race but only came in at a lowly 24th. There were some tactical errors made in that race and also the technical course and uncertain route leading the the finish made it hard. After the OCBC race, I kind of toned down my training a little with the National Championship during June in mind. So the Tanglin Halt criterium wasn't so much a priority. I was not in my best shape for that race and also it was quite a tough one. Came in 32th at the tail end of the peloton. Then was time to focus on my main goal of the year after my semester exams. I went for a week break early May in HK with my bike just to get in some miles. When i came back, it was 1.5months of full focus leading up to the National Championship. I was able to get some quality training as well as rest. As a result, I felt really great. My fitness and form were there. Everything i did to peak for this race was more or less right. I must say i was disappointed with my ITT results coming in 14th (9th Singaporean). But then again I was never really a good time trialist and everyone who placed in front of me was on a TT bike, except for the winner Lee Rodgers who is a TT monster. As for road race, I got exactly the same results as my ITT the previous day, 14th (9th Singaporean)! Cycling is a funny sport where sometimes your performance during the race does not quite match your results on paper. I was congratulated by some after the race and that gave me encouragement and assurance. Though I did not get the results I was hoping for, I managed to achieve what i set out to do, by getting into the break in the final few laps.
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| National Time Trial Championships |
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| National Road Championships |
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| National Road Championships |
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| In the break with Junaidi (OCBC) in the final 5 laps |
I managed to carry my form from National Champs into the second half of the year, where we only did 3 races. In the Changi mass start, I came in 12th. I feel top 5 was achievable in this race. The team did very well to close any breaks, credits to Francis Robert and Amos. But I felt i needed someone to get me into a good position in the final lap. I was spending way too much energy moving to the front and fighting for position that I didn't have much left in the final sprint. Next race was the Cameron KOM. Prior to that i did lots of hill intervals and was also feeling good for the race. Last year I got dropped on the first steep climb and I was determined not to get dropped again this year. And I didn't! I started the climb around 40-50th position (very bad positioning!), and had to slowly crawl my way up to the first group. Im very happy that I managed to stay with the first pack after the steep climb, but I had spent too much energy in trying to do so. And after another 5km of climbing, I got dropped from the pack and was reduced to riding alone till the next big group came by. I finished 22th. Not too bad i guess considering I don't train in the mountains! I believe I have the potential to climb very well if I have the chance to ride more in the mountains. The last race of 2011 was also a big one, Tour de Bintan. I was hoping to get some decent results with many international teams taking part. However, It turned out to be a disastrous race (read my previous race reports). I was burnt out towards the end of the year with my heavy workload and found it hard to sustain my fitness since National Champs. Sad that I had to end my 2011 racing season like that.
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| Changi Mass Start |
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| Changi sprint finsh |
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| Cameron KOM |
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| Tour de Bintan Stage 1 sprint finish |
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| Stage 2 |
Without much improvement with the team this year, I have decided to leave. I know next year there might be a high chance racing in UCI races with the disband of Fuji-Cyclingtime.com and the help of Tjarco Cuppens for race invitations. It is funny how I've been so patient and fought so hard for a spot the past 3 years, just to let it go now that the chance has presented itself. And it seems that the new riders joining the team is going to benefit from our hardwork. But it is okay with me, since I have made up my mind I shall not look back. I'll have no regrets whatever happens from now on. I believe I have made a right choice by choosing DB2-Bikelabz. They have been around for a while now and always looks threatening during races and rides. And so far, I am very happy with the team. Everyone is very motivated and committed. They are very serious about training and development. And I think this is the kind of environment that will produce great athletes. I really believe with Bikelabz, I will reach my next level of riding. It is only been a week and i can feel the spirit in the team, and i believe we will work well together as a team next year! I am very excited to race with Bikelabz in 2012!
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