ALOR STAR: South African Brendon Davids left no room for drama en route to securing the overall win as Harrif Saleh led a Malaysian clean sweep of the podium in the fifth and final stage of Jelajah Malaysia today.
Harrif, a sprint specialist, lived up to expectations, edging Kelantan's Saufi Mat Senan and Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) teammate Nur Amirull Fakhruddin Mazuki to the stage win in three hours, eight minutes and seven seconds.
Davids, who rides for Australian outfit Oliver's Real Food Racing, came in 44th but defended well and did not lose a second to his main rival in the general classification (GC) Victor Nino Corredor (Sapura Cycling Team).
He held a 24 second advantage over the Colombian going into the final day.
The 132.8km stage, which started and ended in Alor Star, saw riders passing through Jitra, Wang Tepus and Pokok Sena followed by three loops around the Alor Star city centre.
Davids, who only switched from mountain biking to road racing last year, said he was happy to deliver what was both his and the team's first yellow jersey in a UCI race.
"Today was a difficult day to control but the boys' did a good job not to let any of our rivals go up the road," said the 24-year-old.
"Obviously, I am very happy. This is the first time I've had a leadership role in the team as usually I am the backup for our main GC rider. To actually pull it off is a big deal for myself.
"It has been an incredible week, I could not have asked for more. We won a stage, took charge of grey and yellow and retained them to the end.
"I couldn't have been happier to give Oliver's their first UCI win. Hopefully it has a bit of a snowball effect for the team and myself."
Davids' teammate Ryan Thomas (Aus) secured the overall win in the young riders classification (grey jersey).
Harrif, who successfully defended his gold medal at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games in August, said he was relieved to secure a stage win in Jelajah Malaysia this year.
"It was quite tough for me in the earlier stages as there were a number of successful breakaways which left no chance for me," said the 29-year-old.
"There was also a break from a small group today but my teammates worked hard to reel them in and set me up for the bunch sprint.
"I have just started coming back into rhythm after a short break after the Sea Games. It feels great to finish the tour with a win.
"We (TSG) had expected to win stages but to win three out of five here is beyond expectation."
His teammate Amirul had no difficulty securing victory in the points classification (green jersey) while Sapura's Zawawi Azman capped a positive outing for his team with the red jersey (best Malaysian.
Results
Stage five Alor Star (start and finish), 132.8km:
1. Harrif Saleh (Mas) TSG 3:08:07s,
2. Saufi Mat Senan (Mas) Kelantan,
3. Nur Amirull Fakhruddin Mazuki (Mas) TSG,
4. Abdul Gani (Ina) KFC Cycling Team,
5. Zamri Saleh (Mas) TSG (all same time).
General classification (yellow jersey):
1. Brendon Davids (RSA) Oliver's Real Food Racing 16:34:16s,
2. Victor Nino Corredor (Col) Sapura Cycling Team +24s,
3. Rustom Lim (Phi) 7Eleven Roadbikes Philippines +1:11s.
Young riders classification (grey jersey):
1. Ryan Thomas (Aus) Oliver's Real Food Racing 16:36:44s,
2. Jamal Hibatullah (Ina) KFC Cycling Team +50s,
3. Drew Morey (Aus) TSG +1:30s.
Malaysian riders classification (red jersey):
1. Zawawi Azman (Sapura Cycling Team) 16:38:02s,
2. Nik Azwan Zulkifle (Police) +5:29s,
3. Nur Amirull Fakhruddin Mazuki (Mas) TSG +7:31s.
Points classification (green jersey):
1. Nur Amirull Fakhruddin Mazuki (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team 50pts,
2. Abdul Gani (Ina) KFC Cycling Team 28 points,
3. Aiman Cahyadi (Ina) Sapura Cycling Team 27 pts.
Mountains classification (polka dot jersey):
1. Wilmar Jahir Perez Munoz (Col) Sapura Cycling Team 29 points,
2. Brendon Davids (RSA) Oliver's Real Food Racing 22 points,
3. Samuel Volkers (Aus) CCN Cycling Team 20 pts.
General team classification:
1. Sapura Cycling Team (Mas) 49:43:47s,
2. 7Eleven Roadbikes Philippines (Phi) +5:36s,
3. KFC Cycling Team (Ina) +11:55s.