KUALA TERENGGANU, Feb 7 — All five cyclists as well as the crew of the Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team (TSG) who are in Alanya, Türkiye, for the Antalya Tour are safe from the earthquake that hit the country.
The cyclists are Aiman Cahyadi, Wan Abdul Rahman Hamdan, Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin, Metkel Eyob and Anatolii Budiak.
TSG chief operating officer Nasiruddin Wan Idrus said the team's camp was about 500 kilometres from the epicentre of the earthquake in the city of Gaziantep.
He said his people were trying to organise the return journey of the national cyclists and crew, but faced several challenges including congestion at airports there.
"The organiser of the International Cycling Union (UCI) 2.1 Antalya Tour, scheduled for Feb 9 to 12, has postponed the tour due to the earthquake.
"Although we are far off, about 500 km away from the epicentre of the earthquake, the tremors were felt by the riders and crew who were there," Wan Nasiruddin said when contacted today.
Although the tour had been cancelled, it has not affected the cyclists’ team spirit to continue hunting for points in the other tour series.
Following the cancellation of the event, the TSG team will now focus on the one-day Muscat Classic in Oman to be held on February 11 and the Oman Tour from February 11 to February 15.
"The airports in Türkiye are now congested due to the focus of the world since countries are now sending aid and volunteers on humanitarian missions there. However, with the help of several parties, we hope to be able to bring our riders and crew home soon," he added.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Türkiye at 4.17 am local time, claiming close to 3,000 lives so far.
— Bernama
