KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) have set a target of finishing in the top-10 of the UCI Asia Tour rankings by the end of next season.
MPC, the successor of the now-defunct Team Sapura Cycling, were launched in August and have since raced in a number of non-UCI sanctioned tours.
They are expected to begin racing in the Asia Tour next year after collecting valuable ranking points at the National Championships in February.
MPC team principal Sayuti Zahit, who previously guided Sapura to the No. 1 spot in Asia (2020), said he did not want to be overly ambitious in the team's first full season of competition.
"You have to remember that we are starting from scratch once again," said Sayuti when met recently.
"It's not easy to get invites to these tours as a new team.
"Doing well at the National Championships will be important for us so we can collect ranking points which will subsequently help us get more invites.
"The goal is to race as much as possible in this first season.
"If possible we want to try and break into the top-10 next year, if we can break into the top-five that would be a bonus for us."
Sayuti's Sapura squad (2017-2023) achieved considerable success, winning the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) yellow jersey twice in 2019 and 2020 as well as the red jersey (2020) before being forced to close down in June after failing to secure new sponsors.
MPC, which is backed by main sponsors Helaz, recently unveiled a 10-rider squad for the new season which features a mix of former Sapura riders and new faces.
MPC squad for 2024: Akmal Hakim Zakaria (road captain), Zawawi Azman, Ariff Danial Noor Roseidi, Faiz Fakhri Omar, Zahin Wahhi, Mior Muhammad Hazwan Hamzah, Syawal Mazlin, Saari Amri Abd Rasim, Ahmad Syazrin Awang Ilah, Zulfikri Zulkifli.