The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Cup Tour of Thailand
Stage 1 – Suphan Buri to Uthai Thani 194 kms
April 1, 2014 – Eric Sheppard and Goh Choon Huat propelled the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team to a magnificent start at The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Cup Tour of Thailand, as Sheppard captured fourth place in Tuesday’s Stage 1, narrowly missing out on a podium finish, while Choon Huat racked up yet another top-10 stage finish.
Sheppard, a 22-year-old Australian, completed the 192.45-kilometre stage from Suphan Buri to Uthai Thani in a time of 4:26:00, just 3 seconds behind stage winner Lucas Haedo from Skydive Dubai Cycling Team. Sheppard missed out on a podium finish by a mere 1 second.
Goh crossed the line in 10th place in a time of 4:26:46 for the fifth top-10 stage finish of his young career on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Tour. Goh, 23, previously finished fourth in Stage 1 of Le Tour De Langkawi last month, the closest a local rider has ever come to fulfilling the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team’s dream of seeing a Singaporean on the podium of a UCI Tour race.
“Both Sheppard and Goh are definitely off to a great start, said Justin Cheong, Team Manager of the OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team. “From the beginning to the end of the long stage, they were gutsy and showed resilience. We’re definitely aiming for a podium finish in the upcoming stages.”
The OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team ended Stage 1 ranked fourth out of the 19 squads in the Team General Classification, ahead of the likes of Denmark, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia national teams.
The OCBC Singapore Pro Cycling Team’s remaining three riders Ho Jun Rong (4:43:29), Cameron Bayly (4:45:54) and Mitchell Mulhern (4:49:31) came in 47th, 61st and 72nd, respectively.
Ho, who recently competed in the OCBC Cycle Singapore Professional Criterium on Friday at the F1 Pit Building, became the first Singaporean to finish the Professional Criterium since 2010.
Bayly, a 23-year-old Australian, claimed the Cycle Asia King of the Sprints crown at the same race, helping the team capture the accolade for the second year in a row.
The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Cup Tour of Thailand continues with a 234-kilometre Stage 2, the longest stage of the tour, which will take them from Uthai Thani to Sukhothai. Read about Stage 2 here.
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Cup Tour of Thailand 2014 Stage 1 results from Thai Cycling Association
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