KUALA LUMPUR: National rider Shah Firdaus Sahrom is aiming to crack the top-10 in the overall standings of the UCI Track Champions League (TCL) by the end of the season.
Shah did not enter the TCL season in top physical form as he had just concluded performing the umrah before the first leg started in France (Nov 24).
The second and third rounds were held in Apeldoorn, Netherlands on Nov 29-30.
After three legs, he has yet to make it past the early rounds in both the men's individual sprint and keirin in TCL.
The final two rounds of the season will be held in London at the Lee Valley Velopark on Dec 6-7
National track cycling team head coach, Harnizam Basri, indicated that Shah is looking to finish the TCL season on a positive note.
"He has shown some improvements (since the first leg), especially in terms of speed," said Harnizam today.
"He is personally targeting the top-10 overall and at the moment he is 10 points behind (the 10th placed rider).
"So he will have to at least make the individual sprint semi-finals or the keirin final in London to achieve it."
Shah is currently 14th overall (sprint categories) in the standings with 24 points to his name.
The 10th place rider at the moment is Frenchman Ryan Helal who has 34 points.
Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen continues to lead the standings on 106 points with Great Britain's Matthew Richardson second, five points adrift. Colombian Cristian Ortega is third on 84 points.
Only the top-ranked riders in the world are eligible to compete in TCL.