LANGKAWI — A year after roaring to victory on stage 7 of Le Tour de Langkawi ahead of local hero Aiman Rosli, British rider Zeb Kyffin is back at the Malaysian race reflecting on how that single winning dash secured his future. The then-Unibet Rockets rider had no contract for 2026 before that day, but the win delivered both the spotlight and his next team — Malaysia's top-ranked Terengganu, currently fourth in the Asia Tour rankings.
"I took my chance when I got it, and I managed my only pro win and looking back on it how special that is so few people actually managed to win a professional bike race," Kyffin told Cyclingnews while racing Le Tour de Langkawi in 2026. "I opened my phone when I finished the stage and the manager of this team was like 'well if you wanted the contract we spoke about, here it is' and that was that." In a twist, the rider he beat that day, Rosli, became his teammate.
"I was back in Malaysia in January for the team media week and team launch, and I think only then I realised how big of a setup and how professional of a team it is, and they have that 15-year kind of like history legacy in Asia Tour," Kyffin said. Since January he has raced full gas across a packed calendar that included the inaugural Pune Tour in India, the AlUla Tour, Tour of Taiwan, Tour of Hainan, Qinghai and the Himalayas. "I've seen places I never thought I'd go, let alone on a bike. So it's been quite the year, really."
Results have followed the travel. The 28-year-old has collected top tens and podiums, including second overall at the Tour of Shanghai in June, after two seasons with Unibet Rockets and five seasons with UK-based continental teams. Settling into Terengganu has also changed his racing dynamic. "I kind of got the hang of how it works, and I think it's nice to be on, I guess a smaller team, but also a home team. So we race a lot against the same pros for the whole year," he said before stage 4. "But then I guess I've also got a bit of a reputation for being the guy who tries to send the long one, and people caught on pretty quickly." He added: "Like even yesterday, one of the Tudor guys was like, 'Save your legs. We'll go together on stage six', and I'm like, 'Oh, for goodness' sake, why does everyone know what I'm going to do?'"
The Asia-based schedule has brought challenges, with around 70 race days and a season extended by a late call-up to Langkawi — a race not initially on his calendar — plus long trips between Britain and Asia and constant changes in climate and time zones. Yet Kyffin has embraced the shift, which comes as the peloton again contests Langkawi where Nil Gimeno claimed his first pro win on Stage 7 in Batu Pahat. "I made the most of what I decided to do and I wouldn't trade having seen 15 new countries, or whatever it's been for another year of racing on a club team in Europe or something. It's been exciting."