NATIONAL cycling veteran Mohd Elmi Jumari suffered a significant setback last year after crashing during the 2024 Le Tour de Langkawi.
He is now fully focused on making a strong comeback by targeting victory in the opening stage around Langkawi Island this Sunday.
Elmi has even postponed a scheduled finger surgery to ensure he can concentrate entirely on this year’s race.
The cyclist confirmed that he has completely overcome the psychological trauma from his previous accident.
“There’s no trauma at all because I’ve already competed in several races since the crash,” he stated.
He added that he has successfully readapted to competitive racing conditions.
Elmi has set his sights on winning one of the initial flat stages before the race enters mountainous terrain.
“If possible, I want to win the first or second stage because the third stage already starts climbing,” he explained.
He also expressed a desire to lead the general classification, even if only briefly.
“If I can, I’d love to wear the green jersey (overall) even if just for a day,” he said during a training session today.
Mohd Elmi stated he has no regrets about not being appointed the national team captain for this edition.
The captaincy role has instead been given to the more experienced Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin.
Elmi believes this appointment actually benefits him by reducing his responsibilities.
He said the appointment of Mohd Shahrul as captain has, in fact, lightened his burden.
This allows him to concentrate solely on delivering his best performance.
“He (Shahrul) is more experienced than I, having competed in the LTdL nine times and also being a former TSG rider,” Elmi noted.
He expressed full confidence in Shahrul’s leadership and tactical guidance.
“So I’m more confident with him as captain, and it reduces my burden as well,” he added.
Elmi’s role now is to follow the race plan developed by the captain and coach.
“I just need to follow his instructions, which he has worked out with the coach,” he concluded. – Bernama