tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35348782492972851822012-01-30T18:55:53.575+08:00The stuff that makes me....Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.comBlogger1231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-79239606988949584562012-01-30T18:51:00.002+08:002012-01-30T18:55:53.583+08:00

Thought I'd just share this nice piece that totally reminds me of the countless conversations I've had with so many cycling buddies. The video serves a good cause... And a purpose. Tells you to: "Screw the bike porn, let's just do the ride!"

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-39935698120351541802011-01-04T03:09:00.009+08:002011-01-04T04:58:52.733+08:00

The impending, most drastic change in Formula 1 engine regulations looms in 2013. The current 2.4-litre normally aspirated V8 engines will be replaced by turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder ones, which are more environmentally polite. Fuel consumption, it is estimated, will be reduced by a minimum of 35%, more so with a focus on energy recovery that produce power without burning fuel, as in

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-2051957160842637572011-01-02T00:15:00.005+08:002011-01-02T01:26:34.899+08:00

I've been trying to maintain a stance that Malaysia's triumph in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, albeit much awaited, is nothing to shout about. All we've done is emerge champions of the South East Asian region, which doesn't have a single representative in the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar next week that features the top 16 teams in Asia. I can't blame most Malaysians for over-emphasising the significance

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-89170564188562183222011-01-01T01:04:00.008+08:002011-01-01T07:02:14.559+08:00

SPORTS PERSON OF THE YEARSEBASTIAN VETTEL (Ger) Red Bull Racing (Formula 1) - He's the youngest EVERYTHING in Formula One. Youngest grand prix driver at 19, youngest pole sitter at 21, the same year he became the youngest race winner and to cap it all at just 23 this year, he's the sport's youngest ever world champion. He topped my list for having survived and won what was an extreme,

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-2160794749116712772010-12-31T22:31:00.008+08:002011-01-01T00:31:46.382+08:00

Well, sad year for me as a Manchester United & Selangor fan. All both won were the minor honours - United the English League Cup and Selangor, just the MSL title. Let's just have a a look back on what 2010 offered, beginning with this first installment.CONTROVERSY OF THE YEAR Enjoyed a great start to the year here in Malaysia when the Lotus Racing team made their debut in Formula One. In the

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-82382766991688612772010-12-31T18:09:00.004+08:002010-12-31T18:37:41.966+08:00

From the burning of the Jalur Gemilang, to constant taunting online and in the press, some Indonesians just failed to accept that they were well and truly defeated in the AFF Suzuki Cup final, though there are voices in that country issuing calls that are more mature in nature, urging them to look forward and take the positives from this tournament. Some Indonesian newspapers alleged everything

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-52798585787940068272010-12-30T03:28:00.003+08:002010-12-30T03:52:09.680+08:00

There needed to be some results and in the space of 12 months, the national under-23 and senior football team provided two. The under-23s won the Sea Games gold for the first time since 1989 in Laos last December and with the nucleus of that team forming the senior squad, last night they won the AFF Suzuki Cup for the first time ever. It is a great moment for fans in the country, who've longed

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-59532049378127524152010-12-29T03:19:00.013+08:002010-12-29T05:16:00.140+08:00

JULIA Perez, summarised, is Indonesia's answer to everything from Mary Carey to Larissa Riquelme, or at least she tries her very best to pick up where those headline-makers left off. She's this controversial bombshell famed for having an affair with an Argentine footballer playing in the Liga Indonesia, while still married to a Frenchman. She's dumped her French husband from whom she gained

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-19433968427163243282010-12-28T02:19:00.007+08:002010-12-28T06:07:03.492+08:00

Well, the time I've spent not updating this blog out of my own displeasure with doing it, is nothing compared to the length of the wait Malaysia has had before we could feel a little sense of pride in our football team. A long way from the embarassing 5-1 group stage defeat to Indonesia coach K. Rajagobal's men have come and if the 2-0 aggregate semi-final win over Vietnam, courtesy of both

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-31058225417831101082010-02-17T00:14:00.010+08:002010-02-17T03:52:13.357+08:00

We're dreaming no more alright...I couldn't believe my ears when I heard about them. Even thought of it as a joke, or destined to be one. But the pictures say it all and the moment I saw it before my eyes at the Royal Horticultural Hall in London last Friday (Feb 10), this James Morrison song kept strumming in my head. I began covering F1 at the tailend of Alex Yoong's shortlived career and had

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-13692258852835703642010-02-04T00:54:00.004+08:002010-02-04T02:50:55.775+08:00

I must say it took some time before I really understood cycling. But when I did, it was eternal love. Still is and I'd like for it to always be that way. It was so simple when there was nothing to shout about. The same as you'd probably have in a relationship. As the writer, I'd only watched and tried to do what I could to stop the sport from being raped beyond recognition. Malaysian cycling

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-44252454740481718082010-01-31T20:10:00.003+08:002010-01-31T21:14:02.409+08:00

It should be about perseverance paying off, but what transpired in the NPC-Milo Inter-Media 9-a-Side Hockey & Netball Championships 2010 at Kelab Aman on Jan 23 made me think again. Well it could be because our NST "A" team, which I led, emerged champions in hockey. It tasted so sweet that we're still talking about it in the office. It ended my personal nine-year wait since I joined the NST, to

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-13834034929666518862010-01-21T00:34:00.006+08:002010-01-21T01:10:47.243+08:00

I must say I've usually been quite impressed by the enthusiasm shown by some of the women folk at the New Straits Times when it comes to sport. Just over a year ago, we got some of them to put on their futsal shoes and take on the best of the media world in the NPC Inter-Media Futsal Championships in 2008. They actually comitted to a month-long training regime under makeshift coach Nelson

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-58752420239639701792010-01-11T17:43:00.003+08:002010-01-11T20:07:08.635+08:00

Well, complete with an exco line-up led by the first Datuk in our clan, a group of old buddies of mine got together and formed what, scary as it may seem, they wished to call the Gang of Subang (GoS). We've even got a website HERE. In keeping up with the hectic runabout (not exactly jet-set) type of life as a budding sports writer, I sort of veered off course the past nine years or so and

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-46661608345171165072010-01-08T13:28:00.002+08:002010-01-08T13:48:01.481+08:00

Been nosing around as usual. Latest feedback from some contacts and some connections with the major teams in cycling say that Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2010, which is set to run under the organisation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports from March 1 to 7, will likely have its weakest field since the inaugural edition in 1996. Worst of all is the absence of ever present Diquigiovanni-Androni

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-16816516674108721392009-12-31T16:13:00.002+08:002009-12-31T16:47:43.873+08:00

Well, the hours will run out for 2009 as they did this same time in each of my past 35 years. To say I had a good year I must say, was never an option since I ended my schooldays. In those days, even memorable victories by our school hockey or football teams, which I was part of, made them overwhelmingly good years. It was so simple back then. Selangor beating Johor 6-1 in the Malaysia Cup

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-4625398045590814832009-11-28T15:01:00.002+08:002009-11-28T15:04:43.675+08:00

But whether the Petronas logo will still be on the car, remains to be seen. Here's the official statement issued by the team.BMW AG reaches agreement with Peter Sauber regarding sale of the BMW Sauber F1 Team Munich/Hinwil. Yesterday (Thursday), BMW AG reached an agreement with Peter Sauber regarding the sale of the BMW Sauber F1 Team. The contract is subject to the condition that the team has a

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-50275056823666373332009-11-18T00:33:00.003+08:002009-11-18T00:45:31.296+08:00

When I called Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes a couple of days ago, about his twitter feed that said Lotus F1 had signed their first driver, he said exactly what he said there and just little else. "The dream continues," he repeated. Well, as much as I hate to admit, I'd be telling the biggest lie of my life if I said I never dreamed of a Malaysian F1 team. I wrote as SO. It does trigger a few

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-83105093341275127242009-11-07T19:28:00.008+08:002009-11-07T20:06:51.408+08:00

The Lotus F1 Team, all it's top honchos say, cannot be stopped now from being on the starting grid in Bahrain next March. They say everything is in place and the car is ahead of schedule. They've even got everything from development programmes to media junkets to the factory in Norfolk lined up. But if you're a fan, none of that apart from the car would really be of interest to you. Seriously,

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-34073225158444581442009-10-27T22:46:00.007+08:002009-10-27T23:56:42.437+08:00

I went through the agony of watching in embarassment from the National Stadium stands in 2001, when right after Manchester United thrashed Malaysia 6-0 and the referee blew the final whistle, a mob of Malaysian players fought off each other in pursuit of David Beckham for his jersey. I remember very clearly how ex-colleague Sheridan Mahavera and myself were left dumbfounded by the players'

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-51512209950318270342009-10-20T23:40:00.002+08:002009-10-21T00:02:32.549+08:00

NOW EVERYONE CAN BE A MONEY LENDER!Stumbled upon this banner along the roadside near Kelab Golf Negara Subang tonight. Following the mass poster wars between Ah Longs or money lenders (both licenced and unlicenced), that have coloured lamp posts, sidewalks, bus stops, pillars and public toilets around the country, this comes as a breath of fresh air. Now, you not only have a chance to get those

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-84052870056198212442009-08-31T21:09:00.002+08:002009-08-31T21:30:44.082+08:00

Chile, barring the inexplicable, will beat Venezuela at the Estadio Monumental in Santiago this Sunday (Sept 5) and book their place in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. They are a surprise second in the 10-nation standings behind Brazil by a mere point. Even if they do not beat Venezuela, a draw between Colombia and Ecuador would ensure that the Chileans confirm at least a play-off spot as

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-13189799673209924772009-08-30T14:55:00.003+08:002009-08-30T15:16:10.815+08:00

Probably others have other ideas about how significant August 31 would or should be to their lives. Because probably some politician/s pissed them off or things didn't go so right for them in this country, although they never hesitate to call it their own. Others march and run riot in protest of what seems a never-ending disagreement with the system, it's makers and guardians. On the outside,

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-32414148677026055882009-08-30T14:22:00.002+08:002009-08-30T14:27:22.460+08:00

Is it the racquet, was it a lucky shot or was it just plain Andy Roddick power? Amazing that this could happen. Wonder if I could do that on our hard court at Balai Berita. To start with, I've at least got a Babolat, same as Roddick.... Hahahaha...

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-17320669492494522062009-02-17T18:42:00.004+08:002009-02-17T19:30:11.888+08:00

That picture of Indonesian Samai decked in Le Tua Cycling Team's kit runs through my mind each morning since the team delivered what was a nail-biting, heart-stopping, awe-awakening ride in Stage Four of Le Tour de Langkawi last Thursday. Picture this. That was LTdL's longest stage at 221km from Malacca to Bangi, with two categorised climbs in succession, ending just 50km from the finish. Their

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-66095658289049167402009-01-30T19:48:00.005+08:002009-01-30T20:05:35.352+08:00

In the time I spent with buddy Jacinto Vidarte, chatting along while we covered several editions of Le Tour de Langkawi together, I'd taken note of the other passion this veteran journalist turned publishing group editor-cum-communications manager for Alberto Contador, had - rally raid. Jacinto, a true blue Spaniard now based in Cadix, had contested multiple editions of the Paris-Dakar Rally as

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-60484174287041344052009-01-17T22:56:00.003+08:002009-01-17T23:40:39.041+08:00

Pic courtesy of Azizulhasni Awang (left) Rizal Tisin (right)First thing I did when I got out of bed this morning was turn on the laptop to check my emails, then went onto Facebook. Rizal Tisin just happened to be online over in Beijing as well, while Azizulhasni Awang was busy at the Laoshan Velodrome where he'd breezed past the first round. Rizal seemed

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-60880182825074800692009-01-15T21:14:00.004+08:002009-01-16T01:27:10.248+08:00

Tried my best to understand what the problems were in the game over the years. In fact, I tried so hard that the only sense it all made was for me to stop trying to understand and move over. But there's a certain pull. I've never been married but I guess that is probably how I'd describe it if I were. Probably the reason why you return to your wife. Or even the sort of feeling I have for my kid

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-44610585063299280612009-01-08T19:02:00.003+08:002009-01-08T19:32:00.152+08:00

Pic courtesy of Rizal HashimI'll never forget those times when I would be teased and tormented by Johari Syawal to the point where I'd lift him up and threaten him with a powerslam if he didn't apologise. The featherweight Jo would be laughing all the way, crying out:"Eh! Apa ni? Kau jangan nak rogol aku pulak!" Of course I would never have the heart to hurt this little

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-54905258725432931512008-12-22T18:13:00.006+08:002008-12-22T18:54:16.955+08:00

The time is right to look back at 2008 and state what I thought was the best and worst in Malaysian sport this year. Here are my choices:ATHLETE OF THE YEARNicol David (squash)- Surely you can't beat ranking number 1 in the world, being crowned world champion and going through a whole season unbeaten. There may be thoughts of her dropping a notch after reaching these heights, but so long as she

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-4582078131532960372008-12-21T22:07:00.003+08:002008-12-21T22:13:21.301+08:00

That says it all. 10 men against South American champs Liga de Quito. Rooney scores a beauty. Achieved what the Liverpoodles failed to do in 2005. More coming by May, I suppose.

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-637342015804488962008-12-18T03:05:00.007+08:002008-12-19T02:49:33.681+08:00

Well you can say sport runs in the family. Mummy and Daddy played hockey. I tried to be serious in whatever I played, but ended up trying to beat everybody at everything, then gave up. The little kid who came last in the family turned out to be a reasonably good rugby player. And on Sunday, my little brother Anis Mirza had another winner's medal to boast, this time from the Alumni Cup which his

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-58669947494396999392008-12-18T02:13:00.004+08:002008-12-18T02:48:28.703+08:00

So many arguments ago, so many disappointments ago, we wondered. But we still struggle to figure out when a serious GC attack by any Malaysian will be mounted in Le Tour de Langkawi. Thus, at this moment when Le Tour de Langkawi fever starts gripping the cycling fraternity, those questions come back to haunt us. We know the road sprinters are building up well, with Anuar Manan, Ahmad Haidar

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-42957850249958202802008-12-10T14:49:00.003+08:002008-12-10T15:12:42.243+08:00

A buddy Isma, sent me a short email alerting me of the new UCI world rankings released on Monday. It showed that little kid you see in the picture as world number one in the keirin. Azizulhasni Awang swiftly recieved a phone call from me over there in Melbourne, but I was more concerned about his blog posting HERE. He'd stated he was disappointed about something, some people or how things are

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-1792974757840392072008-12-07T19:15:00.003+08:002008-12-07T20:00:28.060+08:00

Women usually need to make a statement. They have to. And you better listen or watch, just pay attention. They usually succeed where men least expect them to. They cause a stir, excitement, a whole lot of everything when they decide to.I guess Leah Lynn Fortune of Brazil's Under-20 World Cup team, has done more than that. She's brought a dimension to football that exceeds what Pele, Cruijff,

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-53144965255637657412008-12-05T00:44:00.007+08:002008-12-05T02:29:29.743+08:00

Pic from bharian.com.myI'd been off duty Wednesday, then spent all of daylight yesterday working on my NPC projects and spent a good chunk of the day at the National Motorsport Forum. I'd not had time to look at any news. I walked into the office to deliver my takes on the forum unknowingly. Nobody had informed me of this. My boss Vijesh then told me I need not do too many stories because a page

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-64667331719206038072008-11-22T21:26:00.004+08:002008-11-22T21:52:23.209+08:00

Just got off the phone with Azizulhasni Awang in Melbourne tonight.I missed the 20-year old's keirin gold medal in the UCI World Cup in Melbourne a night earlier. It wasn't just the country's first World Cup gold medal ever, the kid from Dungun might even be the smallest gold medallist in the history of the World Cup. I only got the message while seated at 1am in NPC, just as the notorious Laych

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-2425705256371501992008-11-09T21:02:00.004+08:002008-11-09T21:28:03.715+08:00

Fairuz Fauzy was running out of options at the end of last season. His family had already paid a bill almost "enough to build a sports complex" to develop his career for the past 10 years. Now more was needed if he was to go further and no help was coming.Offers came from Formula One teams, but none were going to put him right into a race seat without him having to invest to prove his worth.

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-4657718587673192142008-11-05T19:32:00.005+08:002008-11-05T19:59:58.299+08:00

Pic stolen from Shanghai Fish."You remember my friend Kasim Cha Tong? The white haired guy from Golok?" Dino Pasqual Herrera asked when we met at the NPC last night.Yes, of course, the guy who'd suddenly go virtually silent in the midst of a heated conversation when his

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-19642112670128772862008-11-03T12:52:00.006+08:002008-11-04T03:25:21.262+08:00

Pic taken from NSTOnlineTHE NPC-GAB Inter-Media Futsal Championships 2008 at the Sports Barn in PJ yesterday ended on a high for all of us at the New Straits Times. Get the story HERE.We walk into the office today knowing that Balai Berita is home to not only the men's but also the women's inter-media champions from the biggest inter-media tourney in the country this year - there were 16 men's

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-3401496254738364102008-10-27T19:27:00.003+08:002008-10-27T22:37:40.514+08:00

A little off topic. I guess more so because over Deepavali wishes, I kinda read on as a certain Kelong Jimmy traded some arguments over at shanghaistephen.blogspot.com The reason was, the blogger had stated his confusion over whether it is Deepavali, Diwali, Deepawali, Dewali or Divali at the end of his festive wishes... Kelong Jimmy posted a comment stating that in Malaysia we grew up wishing

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-18381160754973657472008-10-26T15:13:00.004+08:002008-10-26T15:23:44.426+08:00

TO ALL HINDUS AROUND THE WORLD, HERE'S WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY DEEPAVALI... MAY WE ALL SHARE THE VICTORIOUS SPIRIT OF GOOD OVER EVIL.

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-22406906315956873132008-10-24T13:22:00.003+08:002008-10-24T13:35:16.943+08:00

The Italian pro cyclists' umbrella body have sent a letter to UCI president Pat McQuaid, calling for life bans on drug cheats to be imposed. For me personally, I find this interesting since I'd always thought the Italians took a more leanient approach to doping. Two years ago it was reported that Italian fans viewed the banned substances list too extensive and some even wished for the idea of

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-45653284947770646442008-10-22T13:50:00.002+08:002008-10-22T13:53:06.650+08:00

A Renault F1 technician based at their Enstone, England factory, shot himself in the head under stress and fear for the loss of his job. The OXFORD MAIL, which shares a similar logo to the Malay Mail, has the story HERE.

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-6278202088416442562008-10-21T20:26:00.003+08:002008-10-21T22:22:23.362+08:00

I don't usually read the diaries section of cyclingnews.com, so I'd missed Loh Sea Keong's piece on the Tour of Thailand in his first diary. You can have a look HERE .. Must say Ah Keong did a good job.On that note too, I feel sorry that I have to lambast this person by the name of James, who hides behind the pseudonym nstman, and goes on blabbering all over the place (in other blogs, since I

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-55668562795131582462008-10-19T21:33:00.006+08:002008-10-22T04:46:39.738+08:00

"My hero wears a tight and he dopes." Sara Aziz joked on her BLOG, before wishing everyone Selamat Hari Raya. She was well aware of the ailments the sport suffered, but was still in love with it.Sara passed away a few hours ago at 9.15pm, aged 20, having lost a long, painful fight against lung cancer.This was a girl who'd shared undivided love for the sport of cycling, together with the rest of

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-16149385335211564472008-10-19T00:42:00.002+08:002008-10-19T00:52:12.463+08:00

Here we go. It is now a freefall.ARD have announced they will not cover the Tour de France again. Now, the Tour of Germany 2009 has been cancelled. If nobody sounded the alarm bells before, cycling should think that they are ringing aloud right now. AFP has the story HERE . Could we also start to think now that we should call for more stringent dope tests to be introduced in Le Tour de Langkawi

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-14230605018820902862008-10-18T20:11:00.006+08:002008-10-19T06:17:48.022+08:00

Pic taken from democraticunderground.comBeen covering the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit this week. Read the NST for that.As usual, there are plenty of cigarette breaks where us colleagues gather for between quick and lengthy puffs outside our workplace, given that since last year, the Sepang Circuit media centre has been a no smoking area.On one of those breaks today, a

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-54481614663969930402008-10-17T21:25:00.004+08:002008-10-17T22:22:28.784+08:00

My hockey writer colleague Jugjet Singh's comment in the New Straits Times today just had me saying: "Enough." Access the interesting comment HERE.Jugjet raised a somewhat similar flow in the turbulent UMNO political scene to that in Malaysian hockey. My own thoughts were about how so much time is spent, not just in hockey but most sports, in fine-tuning the "Cabinet" line-up.It seems to be all

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-60475130871224007682008-10-16T14:02:00.005+08:002008-10-16T14:48:37.770+08:00

There's a certain buzz around our office at this moment. The confidence is there and most players are excited. We're ready for the NPC-GAB Inter-Media Futsal Championships. More than ready.On Aug 30, we'd given ourselves a surprise Merdeka present. I tell you, if you don;t know the meaning of surprise, you just have to look at the history of the New Straits Times football team.Perennial whipping

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-8399689966713710102008-10-15T18:08:00.006+08:002008-10-15T21:13:53.573+08:00

Riders have paid the price for doping, now cycling fans and the sport's supporting industries will suffer as well.Organisers of the Tour of Stuttgart in Germany have cancelled their race, citing continuous doping scandals as their main reason. This is not the first strong stance a German body has taken over the doping issue. Last year German TV staged a boycott of the Tour de France citing

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-9322071911189691232008-10-14T20:51:00.002+08:002008-10-14T21:00:01.829+08:00

Found this gem above on Bjarne Riis in the wonderful collection at youtube.com today. Hillarious!!Just as a disclaimer, following is the real deal, the real admission of the former Tour de France-winning CSC boss, who won it as DS with Carlos Sastre this year.Honestly, at the rate the sport is going, I'd rather just look at this next one all day. No matter if I understand not one drop of it. It

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-50724520659251627402008-10-14T13:02:00.008+08:002008-10-15T05:35:58.921+08:00

Pic courtesy of Gerolsteiner website www.gerolsteiner.deThe Independent has it HERE.After the former Suanier Duval's Riccardo Ricco and Leonardo Piepoli, the Gerolsteiner's Stefan Schumacher recently, now Berhard Kohl, the king of the mountains in this year's Tour de France, who went on the podium twice for also finishing third in the Tour, has been busted for Cera.French anti-doping agency say

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-81920093453691703862008-10-13T23:07:00.006+08:002008-10-14T06:06:43.276+08:00

IT was a confusing assignment, as I'd not known what would surface in the National Sports Institute's launch of their journal at the Lake Club in KL sometime in May, prior to leaving for the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Terengganu.What struck me most there was the tone and body language of most of the NSI top brass. It was like NSI was trying to get a few points across for some reason.Having said

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-39626976614880661792008-10-12T21:37:00.018+08:002008-10-13T06:56:20.464+08:00

Well into work again today and my pit stop at the SS14 BHP station to check on the competition prior to heading to the office turned out ot be an eye opener.I don't usually pick up Sinar Harian, but a glimpse into their page N31 today got me smiling. Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) president Tuan Haji Abu Samah, has finally taken the time to pen some stuff and earned himself the

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-71383408483421299792008-10-11T19:00:00.003+08:002008-10-12T20:17:40.870+08:00

Latest news. Will be updating soon..Just got sms from Fairoz Izni, national back-up squad coach, who's with his boys in Bangkok for the Asia Cup.Harnizam Basri and Hafiz Sufian have qualified for the keirin final, which starts at 8.30pm.I must reiterate, this is only our back-up squad! Go boys!!!UPDATE!!Uracca Leow took the bronze in the women's individual pursuit. Go Ah Moi!!UPDATE!!!Hafiz

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-60108392712782380912008-10-11T13:16:00.011+08:002008-10-12T05:21:33.968+08:00

Pic: Alberto Contador in the Liberty Seguros-Wurth kit. Is he being punished till today for having once been decked in those colours?The World Road Championships ended two weekends ago, Giro di Lombardia comes up soon to finish off the 2007-2008 season, while in Asia the new 2008-2009 season already began with the Tour Milad de Nour in Iran during Hari Raya. I guess we could take a little look

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-33489321200728015902008-10-10T19:35:00.002+08:002008-10-10T20:11:02.987+08:00

Well, I figured I'd become no lesser known for the little words I'd scribbled on cycling. Today, before speeding off for the office, as usual I'd drive by the BHP station near my home in SS14, Subang Jaya, and just rushed through the sports pages of all the papers. And I felt like crap! It didn't happen during my Raya break, but it had to happen today, the day I get back to work!!! Berita

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-52505078283914987572008-10-08T16:59:00.004+08:002008-10-08T17:51:41.258+08:00

Well, I'm well and good... Probably 10kg more heavier after feasting without a break during the festive break. Phew! And I complained about my dad's purchase of last minute ayam kampung, which turned out to be tougher than an old cow's meat!!Anyway, the Raya break was to spend time with those friends from childhood, which I usually neglect during normal days. And of course, as was the case since

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-48206380654336468542008-09-28T19:47:00.004+08:002008-09-29T20:31:08.116+08:00

To everybody on Earth,Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Maaf zahir dan batin.

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-19038297996717178972008-09-26T23:19:00.005+08:002008-09-27T01:42:27.520+08:00

Ha! Ha! Ha! There you go. And you read it here first, not in cyclingnews.com, Reuters or AFP.. I told you so here. I told you Fabio Duarte would be the one to win the UCI Under-23 World Championships road race and it happened, just as the script had it, although he might have got a little scare from the little Italian and German.Duarte is the first ever Colombian winner of the title. Our Anuar

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-84385805212038833592008-09-24T19:43:00.003+08:002008-09-24T20:33:52.767+08:00

Fauzan Ahmad Lutfi arrived in Varese on Saturday, only to find his aero-bar had gone missing. Well, it was a clip-on aero-bar, which was to a fixed onto his road bike for the individual time trial. Not that he didn't have a time trial bike. He couldn't bring it as the duo for the Under-23 World Championships were travelling on a tight budget, as their trip had been funded out of Datuk Astaman

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-84640979662029409542008-09-24T07:33:00.006+08:002008-09-24T08:12:50.824+08:00

None of you may care, but what the heck... I have a few hobbies really close to my heart: I'm a bit of an audiophile, sports freak (read a lot, watch a lot, play sometimes), a bit of a dreamer, a reader (stuff other than sport) and when its that time of the year, I can get so crazy about fishing. Get so crazy sometimes, that I just want to be left alone to catch all those monsters. Friends have

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-63623380072944894142008-09-23T18:03:00.005+08:002008-09-23T18:35:10.060+08:00

Datuk Ahmad Said, the Terengganu Menteri Besar, has taken time off his busy schedule to amuse us with his self-penned pantuns or poems for Hari Raya, one for every State in the country. Somehow, he left out Sabah and Sarawak. Check it out on this blog. I particularly like the one for Malacca!!

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-3704192667897463932008-09-21T20:40:00.003+08:002008-09-21T21:01:47.093+08:00

Some editions of Le Tour de Langkawi ago, Fabio Duarte (above) made quiet appearances in Malaysia, as part of the Colombia-Selle Italia team, which evolved into the Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Gioccatoli team under Gianni Savio. The noise he'd made in Malaysia was dwarfed significantly by that made by Anuar Manan (below), who'd romped to two successive points classification wins in

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-75767649062894509932008-09-21T17:23:00.005+08:002008-09-21T18:11:06.937+08:00

There they were, Fauzan Ahmad Lutfi (second from right) and Anuar Manan (third from right), leaving for Varese, Italy for the Under-23 World Championships on Thursday night, thanks to the guy at the top, Datuk Astaman Abdul Aziz. Thankfully, Datuk Astaman realised what bullshit was happening and didn't hesitate to fork out his own money to send a Malaysian team to Italy!! The Malaysian National

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-86877716192222851772008-09-18T21:33:00.013+08:002008-09-19T03:16:27.141+08:00

MARTIN Barras was moved from the Australian track cycling sprints coaching duties yesterday and offered a post in their high performance programme. This is as a result of Australia's disaster at the Olympics, where they failed to win a single gold medal after the all-dominating show in Athens four years ago. As reported by AFP here and The Age here. Australia suffered their worst performance in

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-27667938893129704922008-09-14T19:39:00.021+08:002008-09-14T21:26:10.014+08:00

Pic: Riders warming up ahead of the Keirin Open at the KL Velodrome on Saturday night. Up front is Terengganu's Shahrul Afiza Fauzan.I couldn't help but giggle to myself, right from the first of a whole series of sms messages I got from Fairoz Izni Abdul Ghani and Hardi Razali, which began early Saturday morning.It was all about what was supposed to be a little race at the KL Velodrome late that

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-66946096891008245112008-09-12T16:51:00.002+08:002008-09-12T17:00:45.148+08:00

That's Fairuz Fauzy on board A1 Team Malaysia's new Ferrari car at the new-look Donington Park circuit in the UK. On Wednesday, Fairuz smashed the late Ayrton Senna's lap record, set on board a McLaren-Ford F1 car that won the 1993 European Grand Prix at the circuit. If you require a little dose of pride, just go check out the swiftly updated Wikipedia records on Donington Park HERE You'll see

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-64309521486855305802008-09-08T20:20:00.002+08:002008-09-08T20:47:20.645+08:00

Covered a Press conference held by national coach John Beasley at the National Sports Council today, one in which the Australian announced his aspirations to transform the entire cycling programme into one that's worthy of challenging the world. First off was a course to train and educate coaches manning the 13 centres of excellence and two academies in the country and bring them up to levels

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-57325051533726520742008-09-07T17:22:00.005+08:002008-09-08T08:58:15.916+08:00

The national road cycling team came home after six days of racing in the Tour de Thailand today. And there's just this proud feeling in me about the victory that our man from Kuala Krai, Loh Sea Keong got on Stage Three of the race last Wednesday.Anybody who knows the road squad and the riders in it, will know what Ah Keong is all about. He's always been the worker, a really hard one at that.

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-9583483667966031792008-09-06T16:47:00.004+08:002008-09-06T18:32:36.491+08:00

Just look at the list from the International Cycling Union (UCI). This is the list of qualifiers for this year's Under-23 World Championships in Varese, Italy at the end of this month, showing those countries who had made it via the UCI Asia Tour. Not too long ago did I hear silly voices saying it is too difficult for our boys to do it. Even now, if you read a blaring example in today's Berita

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-37679056915114973952008-08-31T17:55:00.003+08:002008-08-31T18:03:49.513+08:00

This was something just waiting to happen. And it did. We knew that Andreas Kloden was at loggerheads with the head honchos in the German cycling federation and the final nail in that coffin appeared on the former Paris-Nice, Tour of the Basque Country and Tirreno Adriatico winner's official website. Kloden has quit the German national team. Cyclingnews.com has it's take here So, with Klodi

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-44990457153113629042008-08-29T17:41:00.010+08:002008-08-30T01:15:21.513+08:00

The dust hadn't settled on the 29th Olympics, which by all means wasn't one that caused tremendous medal celebrations for us. Of course, there was just one silver from Lee Chong Wei.In between Josiah Ng getting pissed off for us (NST) raising the matter that that he has to earn his berth in the national team's racing and funding programmes or risk being knocked out by some promising junior and

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-11269855217363620172008-08-25T19:00:00.005+08:002008-08-25T20:10:19.641+08:00

It was right about this time of the year, 12 months ago, when the pro peloton prepared for the Pro Tour race - GP Ouest France-Plouay. And status quo remains this time around with an expectant crowd awaiting another Thomas Voeckler special. The Bouygues Telecom rider won with an explosive burst in the final three kilometres of the race last year. But Voeckler, whom I came to know and like after

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-80989059913494929892008-08-17T19:41:00.005+08:002008-08-17T21:40:35.293+08:00

There you go.. This is the guy, the world champion, the overwhelming hot favourite for the sprint gold medal in Beijing. Chris Hoy. But he's down against a fighter. He's up against a rocket of a rider from Dungun, Terengganu in his quarterfinal at 5.45pm tomorrow. All odds are against Hoy losing to our boy Azizul Hasni Awang.As if Azizul didn't have enough obstacles lined in his path as he

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-61344946270326454922008-08-17T17:37:00.003+08:002008-08-17T17:57:03.060+08:00

Well, it was just heartbreaking to watch as Azizul Hasni Awang and Josiah Ng both got themselves knocked out in the second round of the keirin at the Olympics.. For Josiah, it must be even worse because he'd promised to get a medal in Beijing four years ago. For Azizul, it must have been less painful, considering he'd become a double Asian champion and qualified for his first Olympics at the age

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-35332628009585215392008-08-14T17:11:00.004+08:002008-08-14T17:28:19.176+08:00

The Dungun Cycling Association, often gone unnoticed, is one of the more productive cycling associations in terms of youth development in this country. You can see the fruits of their success right there in Beijing with Azizul Hasni Awang. And you can bet all of Dungun will be wide awake to watch the exploits of their most famous son.Their youth programme is under my good friend Rozimi Omar (Jimi

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-35340212558037907232008-08-09T18:15:00.003+08:002008-08-09T18:26:55.968+08:00

Some cyclists and myself just had to go see Sara Aziz today, when we found out she's battling hard against stage 3b lung cancer. She's the 20-year old daughter of Datuk Astaman Abdul Aziz, a respectable figure in Malaysian cycling, who's the man behind the revival of the country's oldest race - the Jelajah Malaysia. Sara's a big cycling fan, whom we've come to know following her regular visits

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-87875069533551120682008-08-07T14:19:00.011+08:002008-08-08T14:03:28.076+08:00

I was sent this video by Fairoz Izni Abdul Ghani, the former national sprinter who was supposed to be in Beijing, riding the team sprint, until he was forced into early retirement two years ago. Shows how much hope all of us in the Malaysian cycling fraternity have for those four warriors we sent to Beijing.Professionally, I've been honoured enough to have covered the likes of Rizal Tisin,

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-13034158307316711082008-08-01T19:32:00.008+08:002008-08-01T20:03:07.515+08:00

Here's the list of Malaysia's hopes in the Beijing Olympics that starts next Friday.Archery: Cheng Chu Sian, Muhammad Marbawi Sulaiman, Wan Mohd Khalmizan Wan Ab Aziz Athletics: Roslinda Samsu, Yuan Yu Fang, Lee Hup Wei Badminton: Lee Chong Wei, Wong Choong Hann, Koo Kien Keat , Tan Boon Heong , Lee Wan Wah , Choong Tan Fook , Wong Mew Choo , Wong Pei Tty, Chin Ee Hui Cycling: Azizul Hasni Awang,

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-37996912297426015132008-07-31T21:53:00.002+08:002008-07-31T22:02:25.641+08:00

There's something about signs that people put up to attract attention that attracts me to them.But this one at the car wash in SS14, Subang Jaya has attracted an almost endless line of customers, right through the night. It is conveniently located less than half a kilometre from my home so I sometimes utilise the facility. At RM8 for a wash and vaccum, it is within the reasonable range. But read

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-28029758108776280182008-07-24T14:51:00.018+08:002008-07-29T13:01:54.163+08:00

Spent last week covering the Tour of Negri Sembilan, which for the first time ever was part of the UCI Asia Tour calendar as a 2.2 grade event.I'd have to say I reserve my comments on the grandeur of the event, because the Negri Sembilan Cycling Association (NSCA) had persevered to first create and establish races in the past five years and now have moved to upgrade the level of their Tour, and

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-84952528142051707352008-07-21T01:10:00.004+08:002008-07-21T01:50:05.067+08:00

This is a quote from Rolf Aldag, directeur sportif of Team Columbia, as carried in cyclingnews.com: Aldag, was not too happy. "This is really disappointing. There have been a lot of rumours about him in the last few days but this a step back as he's a big fish and he's from a different generation. It was supposed to be a young and new breed but they need to know that they risk more than their

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-75272511134892572282008-07-15T05:32:00.002+08:002008-07-15T06:08:01.931+08:00

I watched with laboured interest at first, but at the end of Stage 10 of the Tour de France last night, found my love for cycling's biggest race rekindled somewhat.The dope Manuel Beltran didn't destroy the beauty of the sport too much. It was still a rush, it was still very much a nailbiting affair even before the moment the group that mattered - one that contained Cadel Evans, Ricardo Ricco,

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-75620783894167780122008-07-12T16:26:00.005+08:002008-07-12T18:19:43.541+08:00

Here it is, here we go again.... and Triki Beltran screwed it all up just when it all looked like a good clean race to happen.This is why I feared staying in love with the Tour de France.It is all hereThat is if you want to read and puke over shit that just keeps on happening... The Giro went by without a hitch, but here, in the biggest race on earth, it was just bound to happen. And to one of

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-39880760600876089092008-07-07T19:15:00.003+08:002008-07-07T19:33:33.671+08:00

A quick sms to buddy Jean Francois Quenet (Jeff @ Jaafar Qonet @ Jeff Ali to Malaysian friends) after watching the finish of Stage Two of the Tour de France last night, got me a simple reply: "Ya, now I'm waiting for him with my microphone." Jeff had done his part in the upbringing of the Norwegian sprint powerhouse and last night Hushovd stormed past CSC's Fabien Cancellara in the final turn

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-18793800068859336102008-07-06T13:35:00.003+08:002008-07-06T13:52:34.025+08:00

You can't be serious, but you wouldn't be too wrong either, in thinking that for the first time ever the possibility of a rider holding on to Tour de France's maillot jaune from start to finish is there. If ti were a sprinter winning last night's Stage One from Brest to Plumelec, it would have been a different story. If FdJ's Phillipe Gilbert had done it, it would have been a different story too.

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-83930346104458570892008-07-05T15:24:00.004+08:002008-07-05T15:59:42.338+08:00

This is one Tour de France that's starting without two things - the usual prologue time trial and the defending champion, so it won't be the guy in the picture (Fabian Cancellara of CSC) taking the first maillot jaune of the Tour.I'm not thoroughly excited at the prospect of cycling's biggest race being without its biggest rider of the moment. And today's undulating Stage One over 197 kilometres,

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-68675038438725693702008-07-03T17:35:00.004+08:002008-07-03T18:20:09.885+08:00

The boss, who's lucky enough to be going to Beijing next month, has started barking orders for the build-up to the Olympics.We're slow as usual. Or I'm slow at getting to it, mainly because there so much shit going on at the same time. Try as I did, I never found that tape measure that would make me a six footer, but some Terengganu JKR guys have irked me by saying the tape measure used by my

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-62773461905450922092008-06-27T18:05:00.002+08:002008-06-27T18:07:39.954+08:00

An interesting read on hell can be found on Zorro (Bernard Khoo's) blog here.. Students these days...... hehehe...

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-87250761777997760052008-06-23T21:51:00.004+08:002008-06-23T22:20:23.318+08:00

That's a 21-year old Khairul Naim Azhar from Negri Sembilan being assisted by start commissaire Shaninder Singh in the men's individual time trial at the recent Malaysia Games in Terengganu.The picture below shows him finishing the time trial, in which he eventually placed eighth. It was a huge moral victory for Naim on his comeback. On October 10 last year, Naim was riding the motorcycle that

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-29624767004231742392008-06-23T17:08:00.005+08:002008-06-23T17:36:03.431+08:00

They've done everything the Astana team - podiums in every race they enter, Alberto Contador winning the Giro d'Italia, then Andreas Kloden finishing second in the Tour de Suisse...etc. And let's get something clear. They also didn't get busted for organised doping. Alexandre Vinokourov and Andrey Kashechkin did, but that was on their own, while riding with the old Astana, before there was a

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-52592922389497244992008-06-21T16:55:00.003+08:002008-06-21T17:34:08.870+08:00

No Mountain High Enough was a book I read about four years ago, written by Linda Armstrong, mother of the great Lance on the suffering she went through nursing her only child as he fought a mountainous battle to survive testicular cancer.My mother did not suffer through the same, except on May 5 1974 she battled to get me out of her at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the city named after that

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-90745174649999555282008-06-10T19:44:00.005+08:002008-06-10T20:11:47.001+08:00

Sukma is over. Funny twist to the tale as Terengganu surprised and took the overall title with 61 gold medals.Wow! 14 golds of theirs came from canoeing, which was not contested in the Games previously. Prior to the Games I was hoping that sports fishing would make it into Sukma, at least as a demonstration sport, but it didn't happen. If Terengganu can't do it, then its never gonna

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-56925232354287498862008-06-03T22:00:00.007+08:002008-06-03T22:23:13.766+08:00

Hahaha... I'm still in Terengganu and I've certainly had some nice laughs driving around this state covering this Sukan Malaysia. While we've met with some interesting people, who come from interesting places, we can't help but wonder how they went about naming the places around this state.Some people come from Kampung Pak Katak. Losely translated it's "Uncle Froggie's Village". On the way back

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-61716116159896693402008-05-30T13:18:00.007+08:002008-05-31T11:55:11.502+08:00

Phew!! What a tiring six days its been. While Alberto Contador got about doing his thing, and will most definitely step above the rest of the world on the podium in the Giro d'Italia on Sunday, I've missed every stage since arriving here in Terengganu. The hotel doesn't subscribe to Eurosport, and unlike KL, not all makan shops here subscribe to Astro.Got a few invitations from friends to view

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-57722717751246891782008-05-25T04:31:00.003+08:002008-05-25T05:02:41.159+08:00

I'd be damned if I don't say the man in the picture, Alberto Contador, isn't going to win this Giro d'Italia.Finally woke up from the dreamland of Manchester United completing the double. Plus the past two stages of the Giro, weren't too apetising for me to jot down. But Stage 14 last night, the first of the really high mountains, an Italian Alpine stage that went over 195km from Verona to Alpe

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-30948270297211992952008-05-22T21:05:00.004+08:002008-05-23T11:34:55.673+08:00

Portuguese police have today raided the home of Portuguese pro continental team LA MSS, according to the International Herald Tribune report here.LA-MSS could be the first of the Portuguese teams going down in a doping scandal that is reminiscent of the Spanish Fuentes scandal that pulverised the Liberty Seguros-Wurth, Comunidad Valenciana and a host of other teams in 2006. In the Opreacion

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3534878249297285182.post-74065122803369821302008-05-22T15:26:00.003+08:002008-05-22T20:08:45.340+08:00

I'd mistakenly thought the Chelsissies would be forgotten by the time I wake up and get down to writing this posting today, but honestly their team has to be thanked for realising who they are and what they're supposed to be this year, which is no better than second best.And Sir Alex Ferguson shouldn't be celebrating too much, because now we don't want to wait another eight or nine years between

Arnaz M. Khairulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17001258749957191685noreply@blogger.com0