Australian races to train Malaysia’s future road professionals

A contingent of Malaysian road riders will contest four rounds of this year’s Scody Cup, with the Australian series commencing later this month. The nation’s track and road program coach, John Beasley, will use the events to help develop the riders’ road racing skills with a view of taking the team to Europe in coming years.

“We have a squad of 13 Malaysian road riders in Melbourne and we will give them all an opportunity in the first three tours,” he said. “Then we will send our best team to Tassie.

“We could have sent these riders straight to Europe but you have to be able to win these Scody Cup races first,” he said. “We will then go to Europe in two or three years and mix it with the big boys.”

The Scody Cup series commences with the Tour of Gippsland from July 28 – August 1. Gippsland is followed by the Tour of Geelong and Tour of the Murray River, both in August, followed by September’s Tour of Tasmania.

“It’s a breeding ground,” he said. “You have first got to conquer the Scody Cup tours if you are going to be competitive anywhere else in the world.”

The five-day Tour of Gippsland will start with a closed-circuit criterium in Wonthaggi on Wednesday, July 28, and end with another criterium in Paynesville on Sunday, August 1.