AS the curtains came down on the fifth Tradewinds-Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge (LIMBC) yesterday, its organiser, Human Voyage Sdn Bhd is already looking at ways to improve the event next year.
Chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Malik Mydin said a few things may change, including new dates for the stage race and also the jamboree, which is the curtain raiser for the LIMBC.
This year’s jamboree, which ran concurrently with the Marathon Series on Oct 11, saw amateur cyclists getting confused with the directions, and they cited the lack of signages and race marshals as the main reason.
“I don’t think there were any major issues this year, but we are constantly learning on how to improve the LIMBC.
“The jamboree, which is actually a fun ride, was indeed a slight hiccup, and therefore we have decided to have it on a separate day next year. Perhaps, we will do it on the extra off day that we have before the Marathon Series,” Malik said after the prize giving ceremony on Saturday.
Malik said he will discuss with UCI (the world body) on a new date for the stage races, so as not to clash with the Pre Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as the mountain bike event is on Oct 15 next year. This is to ensure that top riders will still be able to travel to this part of the world for the LIMBC.
The riders (both local and foreign) were overall pleased with the organisational aspect of the race though there were complaints about the packed lunches from competitors in the first few days of the race.
Overall, the LIMBC went well but with five years of hosting experience, one would hope to see it being held with no more glitches next year. By Fabian Peter