TOP RIDERS READY TO STRIKE

Filippo Pozzato of Wilier Triestina

Jakub Mareczko of Wilier Triestina

Jacques Janse Van Rensburg from Dimension Data

Egan Bernal from Androni

Anuar Manan TSG looking good for stage wins

KUALA TERENGGANU, Tuesday, 21 February 2017 : Cycling superstar Filippo Pozzato and up and coming sprinter Jakub Mareczko (Willier Triestina), GC contender Jacques Janse van Rensburg (Dimension Data), Colombian prodigy Egan Bernal (Androni Giocattoli) and local hero Anuar Manan (Terengganu TSG) attended the top riders pre-race press conference in Kuala Terengganu ahead of the 22^nd edition of Le Tour de Langkawi due to start in Kuala Berang on Wednesday 22 February.

Anuar Manan: “We’ve been training and taking part in local criteriums for six weeks in Australia under our new coach Jeremy Hunt who’s been a Team Sky rider. The condition is good but other teams have also prepared LTdL very seriously. For the next LTdL, some young Malaysian riders have a good potential for performing but for now, it’s still up to me and my team-mates.”

Jakub Mareczko: “There are many good sprinters on the start line, mostly from Italy with Nicolas Marini from Nippo-Vini Fantini, Marco Benfatto and Andrea Palini of Androni Giocattoli. I also know Scott Sunderland from Australia for racing him in China before. I’ll try to repeat the stage victory I got here last year. We have a strong team for that with Rafael Andriato and Filippo Pozzato to lead me out in the finales.”

Filippo Pozzato: “I’ve wanted to do Le Tour de Langkawi many times but I was always doing Tirreno-Adriatico. Since our team hasn’t been invited to Tirreno-Adriatico, I took the opportunity to come here after the Tour of Oman to get a good condition for Milan-Sanremo. I’d like to go for a stage win myself but we also have a great team to lead Mareczko out in the bunch sprints.”

Jacques Janse van Rensburg: “This is my seventh time taking part in Le Tour de Langkawi. There’s always a nice atmosphere for racing here. We came with an all rounded team for sprinting and riding for GC, which seems to work for our team as we won this race in the past two years. We have an all African team, except from Ben O’Connor who is an Australian. I hope to be able to fight for GC. Cameron Highlands is always a tough climb at the end and that’s where the GC should be decided.”

Egan Bernal: “I’ve trained a lot ahead of this season and I started racing in Argentina with the Vuelta a San Juan. I felt good there, so I want to do well at Le Tour de Langkawi. It’s a good race for me and an important event in my career. Many Colombians have made their fame over here. I’m still very young. I don’t have enough experience yet to be able to tell where and when I’ll be a winner. I want to learn first. I’ve been told that Cameron Highlands isn’t a too hard climb. I hope it’ll be a good one for me.”

Organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia and managed by Ciclista Sports Sdn Bhd, the 22nd edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from 22 February to 1 March, 2017 is set to cover more than 1,200km over 8 stages, the UCI 2.HC (hors category) race featuring again as one of the biggest events on the UCI Asia Tour calendar.

BMW Group Malaysia is the Official Automotive Partner of Le Tour de Langkawi Malaysia 2017.

(L-R) Mr. Shahirudeen Seeni Mohamed (Director of Ciclista Sports Sdn Bhd), Mr. Emir Abdul Jalal (CEO LTdL 2017), 

Mr. Owen Riley (Head of BMW Motorrad), Mr. Sashi Ambi (Head of Corporate Communications, 

BMW Group Malaysia), Mr. Kidd Yam (Head of MINI) and Mr Jayden Lieu (Dealer Principal, Wheelcorp Premium).

Premium automaker supports Asia’s premier cycling stage race with a fleet of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad vehicles and is the White Jersey Sponsor for the Best Asian Rider.

KUALA LUMPUR, Monday, 13 February 2017 : BMW Group Malaysia and Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) today announced the appointment of the premium automaker as the Official Automotive Partner of the Le Tour de Langkawi Malaysia competition for the year 2017.

Speaking at the official announcement ceremony, LTdL Chief Executive Officer Emir Abdul Jalal said, “The Le Tour de Langkawi competition is the highest ranked stage race on the Asia Tour calendar with a UCI 2.HC status much like the competitions held in China and Japan - the Tour of Qinghai Lake, the Tour of Hainan as well as the Japan Cup. Our event remains Asia’s premier cycling stage race because we support Asian cycling more than any organizer does at this level of competition.”

Emir added that the most prestigious cycling stage race in the country was pleased to have BMW Group Malaysia as the Official Automotive Partner for the competition in 2017 and hoped that the new partnership would the best push for the competition this year.

Echoing Emir, Sashi Ambi, Head of Corporate Communications, BMW Group Malaysia said, “Le Tour de Langkawi 2017 is our first ever presence in the sport of cycling at the highest level in the region and we at BMW Group Malaysia are very excited with the opportunity. We are also pleased to be the White Jersey Sponsor for the competition as the White Jersey is the award for the Best Asian Rider which signifies the discovery of local or regional talent and heroes in the sport.”

Ambi added that BMW Group Malaysia views identifying, developing and supporting emerging talent a premium expression but more than this, to be able to be part of the success of these talents and to share these successes with fellow Malaysians across the country for inspiration and future talent creation is an important direction the premium automaker wants to pursue.

In saying this, Ambi was referring to Terengganu born rider Muhamad Adiq Hussainie Othman who became the first Malaysian to ever receive the award of Best Asian Rider since its inception at the third edition of LTdL in 1998. At only the age of 26, the competition in 2017 will be Adiq’s eighth consecutive participation in the prestigious cycling stage race. This time around, however, he is turning up as the defending champion in the Best Asian Rider Category, the winner of the White Jersey last year.

“Adiq’s courageous defense of the white jersey with the backing of his team TSG has been one of the highlights of last year’s race.” said LTdL Chief Executive Officer Emir Abdul Jalal. “Many Malaysians have been touched and inspired by his performance. Throughout this special classification, we’re delighted to show that Malaysians can successfully compete against the best riders of the continent.”

Emir added that cycling is predominantly a European sport and with all the participation requests received from Europe, America and Oceania, one might think that Asian teams would be left out but that’s out of question. He said, “Officials at the international cycling union (UCI) keep saying that cycling is growing faster in Asia than anywhere else in the world and we are proud to be part of this movement which is why we give priority to the Asian teams when it comes to selection at continental level.”

At the 2017 Le Tour de Langkawi, asian riders will get a chance to challenge WorldTour giants and Grand Tours cyclists from the Pro Continental ranks from China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and of course Malaysia. Another first for the competition, Thailand has registered a continental team, Thailand Continental Cycling Team which includes popular Malaysian LTdL rider Loh Sea Keong who has been in the competition ten times and is the only Malaysian to have raced with a WorldTour team with Giant-Shimano in 2014.

New teams to lookout for at the competition this year include Keyi Look Cycling Team from China, the Singapore-registered Infinite AIS, Malaysia’s Sapura Cycling Team and KFC of Indonesia.

PREVIOUS WINNERS OF THE BEST ASIAN RIDER COMPETITION

AT LE TOUR DE LANGKAWI:

1998: Tonton Susanto (INA)

1999: Hideto Yukinari (JAP)

2000: Wang Kam Po (HKG)

2001: Wang Kam Po (HKG)

2002: Tonton Susanto (INA)

2003: Tomoya Kano (JAP)

2004: Ghader Mizbani (IRA)

2005: Koji Fukushima (JAP)

2006: Hossein Askari (IRA)

2007: Ghader Mizbani (IRA)

2008: Shinichi Fukushima (JAP)

2009: Tonton Susanto (INA)

2010: Gong Hyo Suk (KOR)

2011: Rahim Emami (IRA)

2012: Alexandr Dyachenko (KAZ)

2013: Wang Meiyin (CHN)

2014: Mirsamad Pourseyedigolakhour (IRA)

2015: Tomohiro Hayakawa (JAP)

2016: Adiq Hussainie Othman (MAS)

As the Official Automotive Partner, BMW Group Malaysia will be supporting the Le Tour de Langkawi Malaysia 2017 with a fleet of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad vehicles which will be utilized throughout the competition by Marshalls, Officials as well as special shuttles for the riding teams.

At the official announcement, BMW Group Malaysia presented LTdl with the fleet of cars and motorcycles which will be utilized in the competition this year. The premium automaker was represented by Mr. Sashi Ambi, Head of Corporate Communications, BMW Group Malaysia; Mr. Kidd Yam, Head of MINI and Mr. Owen Riley, Head of BMW Motorrad.

Organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia and managed by Ciclista Sports Sdn Bhd, the 22nd edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from 22 February to 1 March, 2017 is set to cover more than 1,200km over 8 stages, the UCI 2.HC (hors category) race featuring again as one of the biggest events on the UCI Asia Tour calendar.

THE TOUGHEST TEST YET FOR LE TOUR DE LANGKAWI

PUTRAJAYA, 22 December 2017 : The 22nd edition of Le Tour de Langakawi (LTdL) from 22nd February to 1st March 2017 will truly be seen as a year when the most evident switch towards the future of Asia biggest cycling event being secured, apart from the usual business of an exciting eight stages of racing on the cards.

While the economic situations threatens to take centrestage, the organisers Ciclista Sports Sdn Bhd and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia have ensured LTdL powers on through testing times with resilience.

Kicking off from the heartland of Malaysian cycling in the East Coast of the Peninsula, LTdL 2017 will take on a rare anti-clockwised route to the West, covering scenic and popular cycling routes which fans can easily relate to.

But there will be no easy days in the saddle this time around.

If Stage 1, a short 130km blast from Kuala Berang to Kuala Terengganu in Terengganu can expectedly present the sprinters with the early honours, the 208.1km Stage 2 will see the peloton start off massaged by coastal winds from the South China Sea, but end up across the Titiwangsa Range that splits the two coasts, with the finish in Gerik.

Stage 3 from Serdang (Kedah) to Pantai Remis may be short, but it will be tricky too with a rushing peloton expected to cover the 118km swiftly for another sprinters show in a bunch sprint.

Cameron Highlands again offers itself as the queen stage of the race, with a 174km route that starts in Seri Manjung, meaning the peloton will be stretched out, with the general classification battle taking centrestage.

Stage 5 will offer a touch of the traditional, with a 148.8km stage starting in Tapah and ending in what used to be the traditional setting for the grand finish of the race, the Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.

The sixth day sees another race towards a traditional cycling hotbed, starting in Senawang and ending in Muar, Johor, before the penultimate stage sees the peloton head back towards the Klang Valley with a 148km stage from Malacca to Bandar Baru Bangi.

LTdL 2017 then ends with a parade from Setiawangsa in Kuala Lumpur, into the administrative capital of Putrajaya, where a six-lap procession around a 6km circuit awaits before the final finish line of this edition.

Minister of Youth and Sports YB Brigadier Jeneral Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar admitted this edition to be full of challenges, but he remained confident that an exciting edition will nevertheless be delivered yet again.

"It will be a very challenging year in 2017, because the Ministry of Youth and Sports will be focused on the organisation of the Sea Games, which Malaysia is hosting," said YB Khairy.

"The ministry has had to cancel, postpone or reduce the budgets of other sporting events due to the focus and priority in terms of finances given to the Sea Games, but seeing the popularity of LTdL and its importance as a sports tourism event for the nation, we decided it has to continue, even with a reduced budget," he added.

Khairy said a decision was made upon discussion with Ciclista Sports Sdn Bhd, that despite the budget cuts and various cost-cutting measures, the quality of the race will not be jeopardised.

"Ciclista Sports also understands that for an event such as this to survive in the long run, it's funding has to be fully sourced from corporate sponsors and no longer rely on government funds," he said.

LTdL 2017 Chief Executive Officer Emir Abdul Jalal agreed that this could be the toughest edition yet in terms of the challenges faces in organising the event, but despite that, the standards and quality of the event will be maintained.

"This may be the toughest year ever for us to organise, given the current economic situation and the limited budget, but we will endeavour to deliver an equally exciting race for the fans and spectators," said Emir.

"We have been working towards fully corporatising the event for some time now and that focus will remain. We are fully focused towards getting corporate sponsors on board to bring the race forward into the future."

Emir said despite the budget cuts, the standards of the race will still adhere to requirements set by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.HC status event on the UCI Asia Tour calendar.

"Of course, budget cuts are budget cuts. It means we will not be able to put on a lavish race with too many luxuries. But the standards of organisation and the quality of racing will be maintained," said Emir.

Le Tour De Langkawi 2017 Route

Stage 1 -  Wed, 22 February 2017 : Kuala Berang - Kuala Terengganu (130 km)
Stage 2 -  Thurs, 23 February 2017 : Jerteh – Gerik (208.1 km)
Stage 3 -  Fri, 24 February 2017 :  Serdang – Pantai Remis (118 km)
Stage 4 -  Sat, 25 February 2017 : Seri Manjung – Cameron Highlands (174 km)
Stage 5 -  Sun, 26 February 2017 : Tapah – Dataran Merdeka (148.8 km)
Stage 6 - Mon, 27 February 2017 : Senawang – Muar (176.3 km)
Stage 7 - Tues, 28 February 2017 : Bandaraya Melaka – Bandar Baru Bangi (148.8 km)
Stage 8 - Wed, 1 March 2017 : Setiawangsa – Putrajaya (121 km)
TOTAL DISTANCE : 1,225 km