Loh ‘graduates’ to cycling’s top tier

SINGAPORE — He grabbed the biggest win for the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team in the outfit’s young history and now Malaysian Loh Sea Keong is set to show his skills on a bigger stage.

Yesterday, the 27-year-old from Kuala Krai, Kelantan, was unveiled as the latest signing for Team Argos-Shimano, a Netherlands-based International Cycling Union (UCI) ProTeam for the season next year.

The announcement was made at a media conference in Kuala Lumpur at the Shimano Highway Challenge cycling event, making Loh the first South-east Asian rider to be a member of the UCI’s highest and most prestigious tier of cycling teams.

Racing in Europe is not new to Loh, who was part of the Dutch-based Marco Polo Pro-Continental team from 2006 to 2011, but joining Argos Shimano will mean a leap from UCI Category 1 and Category 2 races to prestigious World Tour races, including the likes of the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and January’s Tour Down Under in Australia.

Loh paid credit to the Singapore-based OCBC Team that in late 2011 signed him on to be the team’s lead rider, saying: “I am very grateful to the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team for helping me get to this point.

“Without the team believing in me and taking a chance on me two years ago, I would not be where I am today.

“I am honoured to race for Team Argos-Shimano and I am determined to make the most of this opportunity.”

For Daniel Loy, Team Principal of the OCBC Singapore Pro Team, Loh’s departure is bittersweet.

“I’m happy to see Keong go. Had he signed for a rival UCI Asia Tour team, I would have been disappointed as I believe we provide the best environment for his development.

“But this is a tremendous move. His graduation to a World Tour team is exactly the pathway we want for our Singapore riders.

“Now that Keong’s there, the World Tour teams will perhaps take note of our OCBC team and I’m happy this milestone has arrived a lot sooner than we expected.”

Koh Ching Ching, Head of Group Corporate Communications for the team’s title sponsor, OCBC Bank, said: “Losing Sea Keong to a UCI ProTeam gives us bragging rights (as) OCBC has helped to develop the first South-east Asian cyclist for the world stage, riding among the best like Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish. Sea Keong’s step-up to Team Argos-Shimano affirms our decision to sponsor the team back in 2009, which was to help aspiring cyclists fulfil their dreams.

“I am very happy for Sea Keong and wish him all the very best in his new cycling endeavour.”

After stage wins in the Tour of Thailand and Tour de Singkarak and a hatful of podium finishes, Loh broke through this June by capturing the overall General Classification winner’s yellow jersey at the Jelajah Malaysia 2013.

His cracking form saw him qualifying for the UCI Road World Championships in Italy in September as the lone South-east Asian rider and also forced a recall to the Malaysian SEA Games squad where he will compete in the time trial and road race in Naypyidaw next month.