TEAM Sapura Cycling will be banking on the up-and-coming Akmal Hakim Zakaria to deliver the goods at the national road cycling championships in Melaka on Sunday.
Sapura team manager Sayuti Zahit believes Akmal has what it takes to do well on the undulating 182 kilometres men's elite road race course which will traverse Gapam, Ayer Molek, Tehel and Bukit Katil.
Muhsin Al Redha Misbah will play a key role in supporting Akmal during the race.
Sapura will, however, be without the services of their more established riders Zawawi Azman and Nur Aiman Zariff.
"Zawawi recently got married while Aiman is recovering from a crash and the doctors have asked him to rest for at least three months," said Sayuti yesterday.
"However, I still believe we have a good chance of doing well in this race through Akmal.
"He has the experience as he had finished second in the national championship race last year.
"The rolling terrain on this course is also well suited to a puncheur like Akmal and with Muhsin supporting him, we are hoping he will be able to do well.
"Our main rivals will again be Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) and also the Malaysia national team."
Akmal has shown good progress in recent seasons and he finished on the podium at the Cambodia Bay Tour (stage three) earlier this year and the Tour of Singkarak (second stage) last year. Both were UCI 2.2 races.
The Selangor-born rider finished second to TSG's Nur Amirull Fakruddin Mazuki in last year's national championship race which began in Kuala Kubu Baru and ended in Fraser's Hill.
Sayuti said doing well in Melaka this weekend will help Sapura maintain their position atop the UCI Asia Tour Rankings.
"The national championships offer roughly 200 ranking points for competing teams and in a way you could say they are 'easy points' because we will only be competing against other Malaysian teams and riders," added Sayuti.
"The men's road race for example, offers 50 points to the winner."
In what has been a heavily disrupted season due to Covid-19, Sapura lead the Asia Tour rankings with 1,119 points.
TSG are second on 720 points while Kazakhstan's Vino Astana Motors (462 points) are third.
With border control restrictions and quarantine periods complicating both travel and training plans, Sayuti disclosed that the national championships will be the last race for Sapura this season.
Sapura's under-23 riders Saari Amri Abd Rasim, Hakimi Ajis, Shaiful Adlan Shukri and Nur Aiman Rosli will also be competing in the national championships in the team and individual time trial as well as the men's under-23 road race.