TINKOFF’S ERIK BASKA IS A NEW FAST MAN TO WATCH

Watch out for Erik Baska

Tinkoff at the 2015 team presentation

SHAH ALAM, 12 February 2016 - World Tour outfit Tinkoff will catch a lot of attention when they’ll go on stage in Alor Setar for the teams presentation on the eve of stage 1 of the 21^st Le Tour de Langkawi set to kick off from Kangar (Perlis) on February 24 and come to a conclusion in historical Malacca on March 2^nd.

Russian veterans Pavel Brutt, 34, and Evgeny Petrov, 37, will be the guides for Slovakian young sprinters Erik Baska and Michael Kolar as well as Danish GC contender Jesper Hansen who finished sixth at Le Tour de Langkawi last year before he claimed the Tour of Norway overall.

Baska is a new name in professional cycling. He joined the Russian squad after he won the u23 European championship last year. He collected his first encouraging result as a pro last week as he finished ninth in the last stage of the Dubai Tour in a bunch sprint won by Marcel Kittel ahead of Elia Viviani and Mark Cavendish, all world class fast finishers.

“It’s been great to be able to sprint with those guys”, Baska explained. “The Dubai Tour was my first pro race after I already learned a lot from the experienced riders of the Tinkoff team at a training camp in the Canary Islands. It was also a perfect preparation for me ahead of Le Tour de Langkawi, which is a race I’m really looking forward to.”

The 22 year old got to know a lot of details about the Malaysian event from his compatriot Kolar who made seven top 10 in 2014 and finished third in the conclusive stage of LTdL in Kuala Lumpur last year. “I know it’s a great event for sprinters and I’m also a sprinter, that’s how I won the European championship from a group of approximately fifty riders last year”, Baska said.

At the continental meet in Tartu, Estonia, he was advised by Adam Szabo who is now the coach for Malaysian continental team Terengganu (TSG). Baska, Kolar and Szabo come from the entourage of current world champion and cycling super star Peter Sagan.

“I can’t say if I’m the new Sagan or not but I’m determined to learn my job by supporting him when I’ll get a chance to race with him”, added Baska who hails from 50km away from Sagan’s native town Zilina. The Tinkoff team will be directed at LTdL by another Slovakian, Jan Valach, who recently joined the Russian organization.

“It’s fantastic for us to welcome Tinkoff once again”, commented the CEO of Le Tour de Langkawi Emir Abdul Jalal. “We were the first HC race to give them a start in 2007 and Brutt took their first ever victory in Seremban. They’ve grown a lot since but they haven’t forgotten what Malaysia did for them when they were looking for invitations. I’m grateful to team manager Stefano Feltrin for that. I also believe Tinkoff can be very successful at our event this year.”

THE TINKOFF TEAM FOR THE 2016 LE TOUR DE LANGKAWI:

Pavel Brutt (Rus), Michael Gogl (Aut), Jesper Hansen (Den), Michael Kolar (Svk), Erik Baska (Svk), Evgeny Petrov (Rus).

Organised by Ciclista Sports Sdn Bhd, the 21st edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from 24 February to 2 March, 2016 is set to cover more than 1,100km over 8 stages, the UCI 2.HC (hors category) race featuring again as one of the biggest events on the UCI Asia Tour calendar.

FIVE COMPANIES MAKE THEIR LTDL DEBUT IN THE CAVALCADE

(L-R) : Mr Shahiruddin Seeni Mohamad (Director Ciclista Sports Sdn Bhd), Mr Amir Ramlan (Marketing Executive K-Colly), Mr Omar Lokman (CEO LA Genius), Mr Mohd Nazim Ismail (Manager, Marketing & Corporate Communications Ar-Rahnu), Mr Micheal Tong (representative for NSK Trade City/HOD Cavalcade LTdL2016), Mr Mohd Nezzam Abd Malik (representative for Tourism Melaka) and Mr Emir Abdul Jalal (CEO LTdL 2016).

SHAH ALAM, 12 February 2016 - Le Tour de Langkawi's popular cavalcade returns in the 21st edition of the race from February 24 to March 2, with five newcomers set to make their presence felt.

The five new companies - Farzuan Richglobal Sdn Bhd (K-Colly), LA Genius Sdn Bhd, Rakyat Management Services Sdn Bhd (Ar-Rahnu X'Change), NSK Trade City Sdn Bhd and Tourism Melaka - officially presented their sponsorship in a ceremony held today.

In receiving the sponsorship, LTdL chief executive officer Emir Abdul Jalal welcomes all new sponsors to LTdL family, “After a year absence, the fan-favorite LTdL Cavalcade returns to entertain our supporters along the race route. Apart from our main sponsors, this year we have five new companies that will add more color to the convoy. I would like to thank all of them for their support,“

“The Cavalcade convoy is as important as the race itself, and the sponsors identify the significance of LTdL as a platform to raise awareness and promote their brand or product. The event constantly attracts attention and receives wide media coverage so I believe that with the partnership with LTdL will bring them the exposure that they seek. ” he added.

The convoy for LTdL 2016 cavalcade of cars decorated with sponsors’ liveries and colors will depart an hour prior to the start of the race and arrive at the finish an hour before the scheduled finish of every stage. A variety of souvenirs for the fans will be distributed along the route of the race by the convoy's entourage.

Organised by Ciclista Sports Sdn Bhd, the 21st edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from 24 February to 2 March, 2016 is set to cover more than 1,100km over 8 stages, the UCI 2.HC (hors category) race featuring again as one of the biggest events on the UCI Asia Tour calendar.

TEAL IS THE COLOUR OF SPEED

LTdL 2016 CEO Emir Abdul Jalal accepts the sponsorship from BSN Deputy Chief Executive Frederick Siew

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 February 2016 – Fans of Le Tour de Langkawi will get accustomed to a new colour when watching the stages dedicated to sprinters as the leader of the points classification will be wearing a teal jersey made by Ciclista. It is the trademark of incoming sponsor Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN).

“As we welcome BSN into the LTdL family, we are delighted to introduce this new colour in the world of cycling”, said the CEO of Le Tour de Langkawi Emir Abdul Jalal. 

“It’s a beautiful one, made by mixing green and blue, which were successively the colours of the points classification leader jersey at LTdL. It was green before 2010 and blue since. Yellow is known as the colour of the overall leader of the race like at the Tour de France but bike race organizers are entitled to choose the colours of the different distinctive jerseys. So for us, teal is the new colour of speed.”

“Following our recent rebranding, we are pleased to bring a new touch to this renowned event that has been taking place for more than 20 years. We want to reach out to Malaysians and build relationships in ways that matter to them, and supporting sports as well as sports tourism is a good way to achieve this. Supporting a major sporting event is also an effective way to build brand recognition for BSN and change public perceptions of our identity and how we have evolved. Le Tour de Langkawi is an excellent fit as the cyclists are fast, dynamic and constantly moving forward just like the bank is – particularly the Sprint King Champion who will be wearing the new teal jersey,” said Frederick Siew, Deputy Chief Executive of BSN.

He also added, “Besides sponsoring the Sprint Champion Jersey, BSN is also the Prize Money Presenter sponsor. We are excited to be part of this prestigious cycling event as the competition route covers 8 stages which involves 8 states and 2 Federal Territories. This allows us to have our on ground presence and reach out direct to our customers. BSN will have its promotional booth at all these stages and we plan for on ground activation activities through out the competition.” 

The points classification is often regarded as the sprinters’ challenge. However, it’s not only about winning bunch sprints. It’s in reality the reward for consistency. “Every day, there are points up for grabs, three times a day at intermediate sprints and once on the finishing line”, Emir explained. “Riders are welcome to score points in a solo effort or to contest them in a small group of frontrunners. Le Tour de Langkawi is known as a sprinters’ affair but we can expect some surprises this year with some subtle routes like in Penang on stage 2. It’ll be up to the sport directors of different teams to set up tactics for different scenarios.”

In the 20-year history of LTdL, only two non-sprinters have won the competition: Italian attacker and domestique “Niki” Loda riding for MG-Technogym at the service of Luca Scinto in 1997 and “silver fox” Graeme Miller from New Zealand whose never-give-up attitude earned him the jersey in 1999 at the age of 39. Eventual world champion in 2006 and 2007 Paolo Bettini who won the competition in 2001 was also not a pure sprinter but he had won two bunch sprints, one of them on the penultimate day after the Genting Highlands stage where most of the sprinters, including green jersey wearer Jans Koerts from Mercury, got eliminated for finishing beyond the time cut.

The distinctive jersey of the points classification is the only one ever won by a Malaysian as Anuar Manan, a stage winner in 2010, made the final podium also that year. Only three riders have won the points classification on two occasions: Canada’s Gordon Fraser (in 2000 and 2004), Australia’s Graeme Brown (in 2003 and 2005) and Andrea Guardini (in 2011 and 2012). With eighteen stage wins in five straight participations, the Italian fast man is now the iconic sprinter of LTdL but he failed to win the points classification in the past three years.

“We’re yet to receive the entry forms of some the 22 teams but I can reveal that Guardini will be back to Malaysia with Astana again”, Emir informed. “He’ll obviously be the hot favourite for our brand new teal jersey but he’ll face a fierce competition once again, in particular from Matt Goss of One Pro Cycling.”

PREVIOUS WINNERS OF THE POINTS CLASSIFICATION AT LE TOUR DE LANGKAWI:
1996: Jay Sweet (AUS)
1997: Nicola Loda (ITA)
1998: Fred Rodriguez (USA)
1999: Graeme Miller (N.-Z.)
2000: Gordon Fraser (CAN)
2001: Paolo Bettini (ITA)
2002: Robert Hunter (RSA)
2003: Graeme Brown (AUS)
2004: Gordon Fraser (CAN)
2005: Graeme Brown (AUS)
2006: Steffen Radochla (GER)
2007: Alberto Loddo (ITA)
2008: Aurélien Clerc (SUI)
2009: Mattia Gavazzi (ITA)
2010: Anuar Manan (MAL)
2011: Andrea Guardini (ITA)
2012: Andrea Guardini (ITA)
2013: Francesco Chicchi (ITA)
2014: Aidis Kruopis (LIT)
2015: Caleb Ewan (AUS)

VITTORIA ENTERS THIRD YEAR AS NEUTRAL SERVICE PROVIDER FOR LTDL 2016

SHAH ALAM, 2 February 2016 – For the third consecutive year, Italian tyre brand Vittoria will continue as neutral service providers, ensuring world class support for riders at the 21st edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) scheduled to take place from February 24 to 2 March.

Once again bringing it's proud record as providers of the race services at the Giro d'Italia to LTdL, Global Marketing Manager Vittoria Asia Pacific Limited Frank Levering expressed his amazement with the level of professionalism in terms of organisation, participation and national support towards LTdL similar to the biggest races in the world.

“I joined Vittoria 3 years ago and one of the things I am most proud of is our passion and concern for our fellow cyclists all over the world. Our Servizio Corse, or neutral race services, is a perfect example. Famous in Europe because of our support in the Giro d’Italia, Vittoria offers the same professional assistance to Asia. Any LTDL racer in need can always count on Vittoria to be near and ready to assist, thanks to Jami and his colleagues!” He said.

Vittoria will once again deploy its Servizio Corse Digital platform for the 2016 edition. This platform allows anyone and everyone to send pictures, selfies etc to our hashtags which will be put on screens around the race, entertaining the crowd and the internet viewers with all the personal messages and photos from the audience as well as the latest news tweets from media covering the event. Last year we had a social reach of over 20 million people, almost double from the year before.

"Another big development this year will be Vittoria’s support equipment. After 4 years of significant investments and development, we have proudly introduced our perfect match of Graphene tires with Graphene wheels worldwide. This revolutionary material called Graphene makes our products stronger, faster and more durable. Cycling pros and enthusiasts can now benefit from the uniquely improved experience, as these products are now also available in stores all over Asia. Our support team will be fully equipped with these products to assist racers with material failure.” He added.

LTdL Chief Executive Officer Emir Abdul Jalal welcomed Vittoria on board for the 21st edition, “Since 1953 Vittoria Industries Ltd. has built highly reputable partnerships within the cycling industry. Words cannot express my gratitude towards Vittoria for having so much faith in us. It is really an honour to be associated with a world-class name.," said Emir.

"We share the same dedication towards bringing the best support and products for cycling fans and we will be aiming to keep this relationship going."

Organised by Ciclista Sports Sdn Bhd, the 21st edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from 24 February to 2 March, 2016 is set to cover more than 1,100km over 8 stages, the UCI 2.HC (hors category) race featuring again as one of the biggest events on the UCI Asia Tour calendar.

22 TEAMS FOR THE 21ST LE TOUR DE LANGKAWI

SHAH ALAM, Friday 29 January 2016 : All continents will be represented at the 21^st Le Tour de Langkawi to be held from February 24 to March 2^nd on a scenic route via Penang, the Cameron Highlands, Kuala Lumpur and Malacca for an unprecedented grand finale in Malaysia’s historical city.

“We have chosen our invited teams carefully so that the whole world will be watching our country”, said the CEO of Le Tour de Langkawi Emir Abdul Jalal. “It’ll come at a time when cycling gets a great exposure worldwide because it’s the beginning of the season in the lead up to the Grand Tours. Fans are impatient to discover the new teams and which riders are on form.”

World Tour teams have once again expressed their interest for the 20 year old Malaysian event with returning Astana, Tinkoff and Dimension Data. The latter has recently been promoted to the highest ranks of international cycling. They are the defending champions of Le Tour de Langkawi, having won it last year with Algeria’s Youcef Reguigui when the squad was still called MTN-Qhubeka.

“Newly created teams have participated to the fame of Le Tour de Langkawi as they made history on our roads like Tinkoff claim their very first pro win with Pavel Brutt in 2007 in Seremban”, Emir recalled. “In that perspective, we’re delighted to give a chance to One Pro Cycling, Roth and Funvic-Soul-Carrefour who are new in the pro continental ranks. Funvic-Soul-Carrefour will be the first ever team from Brazil taking part in Le Tour de Langkawi. It’s nice of them come to Malaysia the year that the whole world will go to Brazil for the Olympic Games.”

Funvic-Soul-Carrefour represents South America, Unitedhealthcare is from North America, Drapac hails from Oceania, Skydive Dubai comes from the Middle East while there will be a flavor of both Western and Eastern Europe with Italy’s Androni, Southeast and Bardiani competing against Russia’s Astana and Tinkoff.

Asia has the largest contingent with 11 teams on the start list. “We don’t forget our roots”, Emir insisted. “Le Tour de Langkawi is Asia’s premier bicycle race. It’s the oldest UCI H.C. stage race on this continent. Cycling is booming in this part of the world. With all the requests we received, we could have filled up the start list with European teams only but we believe it’s our duty to make half of the field Asian and give the Asian cyclists the opportunity to challenge Tour de France giants Astana, Tinkoff and Dimension Data.”

All Asian countries with a strong cycling culture will make their way to Alor Setar for the teams presentation on February 23^rd alongside the three Malaysian teams: Hong Kong, which is last week’s double winner of the Asian championship with Cheung King Lok in both Elite time trial and road race, China (Hengxiang and Giant-Champion System), Japan (Aisan), Korea (KSPO, a stage winning team in 2015 with Seo Joon Yong in Kuantan), Indonesia (with last year’s teams champions Pegasus) and the Philippines (7-Eleven) after a long absence.

“We have a very well balanced field that will give a chance to cyclists from very different horizons. With the Asian teams competition being contested by more teams than ever, it’ll make the race very intense from start to finish”, Emir concluded.

THE 22 TEAMS FOR THE 2016 LE TOUR DE LANGKAWI:

No.	TEAMS
WORLD TOUR (3)
1	ASTANA PRO TEAM (AST) – KAZ
2	TINKOFF (TNK) - RUS
3	DIMENSION DATA (DDD) - RSA
PROFESSIONAL CONTINENTAL (8)
4	ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI - SIDERMEC (AND) – ITA
5	SOUTHEAST - VENEZUELA (STH) - ITA
6	UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL  CYCLING TEAM (UHC) – USA
7	DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING (DPC) - AUS
8	ONE PRO CYCLING (UK)
9	BARDIANI CSF (BAR) - ITA
10	TEAM ROTH (ROT) - SUI
11	FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES - CARREFOUR (FSC) - BRA
CONTINENTAL (10)
12	TERENGGANU CYCLING TEAM (TSG) – MAS
13	AISAN RACING TEAM (AIS) - JPN
14	HENGXIANG CYCLING TEAM(HEN) - CHN
15	PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM (PCT) - INA
16	KSPO (KSP) - KOR
17	NSC-MYCRON TEAM (NSC) - MAS
18	GIANT - CHAMPION SYSTEM PRO CYCLING (MSS) - CHN
19	TEAM 7-ELEVEN-SAVA RBP PHILIPPINES (T7E) - PHI
20	SKYDIVE DUBAI PRO CYCLING TEAM (SKD) - UAE
21	HKSI PRO TEAM - CHN
NATIONAL (1)
22	MALAYSIA