Wapda’s Sabir regains lead in the fifth stage

After facing tough competition from Sindh’s Asif Junior, Sabir Ali of Wapda bounces back in the Tour de Pakistan.

KARACHI:

After having faced tough competition from Sindh’s Asif Junior, Sabir Ali of Wapda bounced back in the Tour de Pakistan.

Sabir, who went down to Asif on day three and four, regained focus and clinched the fifth stage of the 13-day race while Pakistan Army cyclists struggled following teammate Zahid Mehmood’s injury after a collision with three other participants.

Sabir is now leading the race with an overall margin of one minute and two seconds among 56 other cyclists.

On day five, Sabir covered the distance of 200 kilometres in five hours, three minutes and two seconds from Rahim Yar Khan to Bahawalpur.

SSGC’s Sultan Aftab touched the finish line 10 seconds later to clinch second place in stage five while Wapda’s Haroon Rashid ended on third position in five hours three minutes and 22 seconds.

The 57 cyclists will end the race in Abbottabad on March 20 after covering 1,620 kilometres across the country, traversing through three provinces in the hopes of winning the prize money of $10,000.

Boastful Sabir

“I’ve proved that I’m the strongest cyclist here,” Sabir told The Express Tribune. “It was the longest stage in the race and the most important one.

“My team worked really hard in containing the Army cyclists. Mohammad Rafiq took a 15-minute lead during the race, but I must say that my team did a great job at blocking him.”

Meanwhile, Army’s Mohammad Rafiq, who finished fourth on the fifth stage, is aiming to give a tough time to Sabir.

“It’s a thing among the cyclists. Our families wait for us at the finish line if our home town happens to be the destination. It’s a matter of prestige for us,” said Rafiq.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2011.