Selepas mendapat penyertaan yang memberangsangkan di Serdang, Pengarah perlumbaan Kriterium Berbasikal Remaja Malaysia (JCM), Yunus Ibrahim mengharapkan penyertaan lebih 800 pelumba di siri kedua yang akan berlangsung di Ipoh pada ahad ini.
Berbeza dengan siri pertama, perlumbaan kriterium di Ipoh lebih membuka peluang kepada jurulatih jurulatih negeri khususnya dalam mencari pakar pecut.
âTrek perlumbaan di Ipoh bersifat mendatar dan tiada laluan berbukit. Jadi ini memberi peluang kepada jurulatih negeri untuk mencari pelumba yang berpotensi untuk dijadikan pakar pecut. Sehingga kini, kita sudah menerima lebih 700 pemyertaan dan ia dijangka bertambah sehingga Ahad nanti.â Kata Yunus Ibrahim.
Sebelum perlumbaan berlangsung pada Ahad, pihak penganjur JCM telahpun mengisi program khas buat pelumba pelumba cilik untuk mengenali sukan berbasikal dengan lebih dekat.
Klinik Kejurulatihan diadakan di Sekolah Kebangsaan Bandar Parit Buntar, Kerian melibatkan 100 peserta dan dibahagikan kepada 3 kumpulan.
Klinik ini turut disaksikan Exco Sumber Manusia, Belia dan Sukan Perak, Datuk Shahrul Yahya, malah beliau sempat beramah mesra dengan barisan pegawai, kejurulatih yang terlibat dalam acara ini.
Sesi klinik dikendalikan jurulatih kebangsaan antaranya Graham Seers dan lebih manis, peserta peserta bertuah ini turut diberi peluyang untuk bersama sama dengan salah seorang pelumba kebangsaan, Loh Sea Keong.
Pelumba kelahiran Kelantan ini antara pelumba negara yang sudah berjaya mengharumkan nama Malaysia khususnya dipentas antarabangsa.
2013 menjadi kenangan paling manis buat Loh Sea Keong apabila dinobat selaku juara keseluruhan sekaligus menyarung jersi Kuning Jelajah Malaysia.
Beliau juga turut sama terlibat dalam memberikan pendedahan dan teknik teknik asas ketika berbasikal bagi mengelakkan sebarang kejadian yang tidak diingi berlaku.
Kemuncak klinik ini adalah tayangan klip video mengenai program JCM sebagai penyuntik semangat kepada para peserta yang ingin mengembangkan bakat dalam sukan berbasikal di masa akan datang.
Kriterium Berbasikal Remaja Malaysia (JCM) merupakan salah satu daripada program pembangunan sukan negara dalam melahirkan bakat bakat baru untuk diketengahkan seperti yang dilakukan oleh Program Pembangunan Bolasepak Negara, PPBN.
JCM akan diadakan diseluruh negara dan telahpun bermula pada 9 April lalu di Serdang dan siri kedua akan berlangsung pada 22 Mei di Ipoh.
Perlumbaan ini merupakan cetusan idea Menteri Belia dan Sukan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar yang berhasrat untuk memberi pendedahan seawal usia 9 tahun dalam melahirkan pelumba berbasikal yang kompetitif diperingkat antarabangsa satu hari nanti.
Malah, Kementerian Belia dan Sukan, KBS turut menjalin kerjasama dengan UNITAR untuk member peluang kepada mereka yang aktif dalam sukan berbasikal sambil melanjutkan pelajaran.
Â
JCM targets 800 enthusiasts for Ipoh Criterium
Following the successful inaugural Junior Cycling Malaysia (JCM) race in Serdang earlier this month, Event Director Yunus Ibrahim has targeted that at least 800 cyclists and enthusiasts will take part in the second leg of the event in Ipoh this weekend.
Yunos pointed out that the difference between the Serdang event and that of Ipoh is that other than just the Criterium race alone, there will also be the presence of the state coaches as they look to identify the next generation of sprinters.
âThe race in Ipoh will be on mostly flat terrain with hardly any climbs, so this will present the state coaches with the perfect opportunity to identify future Malaysian sprinters,â said Yunus.
âUp to today, we have received more than 700 applicants for the JCM in Ipoh. So we are quite positive that we will receive more by Sunday.â
Ahead of the race on Sunday in Ipoh, the JCM organizers had already held a coaching clinic yesterday so that the future Nibalis and Froomes could get a closer look at the sport of cycling.
The coaching clinic was held at the SK Bandar Parit Buntar in Kerian with 100 participants divided into three groups.
The clinic was attended by Datuk Shahrul Yahya, the Perak state Exco for Human Recource, Sports and Youth, who also took the time to get to know the panel of coaches closer.
Among the coaches who attended the Kerian event was national coach Graham Seers as well as national cyclist Loh Sea Keong, who provided the catalysts to the youngsters.
The Kelantan-born Sea Keong is one of the few Malaysian cyclists, who has managed to make inroads into the international cycling scene with 2013 being his best ever year.
That was the year when he emerged as the best overall rider in the yellow jersey at the annual Jelajah Malaysia.
In Kerian, Sea Keong was able to share not only his experience but also to provide the young cyclists with certain basic techniques so as to avoid unnecessary incidents.
The clinic ended with a JCM video clip as a means of injecting the young minds with enthusiasms and also aspirations to be future Malaysian cycling heroes.
Junior Cycling Malaysia is an initiative under the Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) and the Ministry of Youth and      Sports (KBS) spawned from the âMSN Cycling Development Blue Print 2015-2023â.
The aim is to develop the cycling landscape in Malaysia by identifying junior talent       s between the ages of 8-18 years-old, who will then be channeled into the junior development  program with the end goal of taking their place as national, pro team riders.
JCM which will be held all over the country over an eight month period, started on 9 April.
The programme was a brainchild of Youth and Sports Minister, YB Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, who aspires to give cyclists as young as nine-years-old with the right exposure so that they can be caliber athletes in the future.
