David McCann and Paul Griffin had a strong showing on the concluding stages of the Jelajah Malaysia race over the weekend, placing second and eighth respectively on the toughest day of the 2.2 ranked event.
Griffin then went on to finish a fine seventh overall while McCann was tenth. Both Giant Asia riders will be pleased by their showing in the race, and will be aiming for another strong performance on Malaysian soil when they ride the Tour de Langkawi next month.
After a bunch sprint on Friday, Saturday’s 122.2 kilometre race from Kuala Kubu Bahru to Genting was the big decider. There the strongest riders in the race scrapped it out on the steep ascent. Hossein Askari (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) was first to the line, followed ten seconds later by McCann.
Race leader Tonton Susanto (Le Tua Cycling Team) was twelve seconds behind Askari, retaining his jersey and paving the way for his eventual overall win.
Griffin also climbed well, placing eighth on the stage. He was 1 minute 46 seconds behind Askari, moving up the general classification from 12th to 7th overall as a result. McCann also improved, jumping to tenth overall.
They then held onto these positions on Sunday’s final stage in Kuala Lumpur, won by Yusuke Hatanaka (Skil Shimano).
