KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 22 teams will participate in the 29th edition of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from September 28 to October 5.
Three WorldTeams and eight ProTeams are among the confirmed participants, alongside 10 continental teams.
The WorldTeams include XDS Astana Team (Kazakhstan), Team Picnic PostNL (Netherlands), and Cofidis (France).
National Sports Council (NSC) Deputy Director-General Ariffin Mohd Ghani noted the same number of elite teams as last year.
Six of the eight ProTeams competed in this year’s Grand Tours, including Total Energies and Tudor Pro Cycling Team.
Ariffin expects fierce competition, particularly in Stages 3 and 5, despite no Genting Highlands climb this year.
Stage 7 will be the longest at 214.6 km, while the final stage covers 180 km from Tangkak to KLCC.
Full rider rosters are still pending, but the race is set to attract strong interest from cycling fans.
LTdL Chief Operating Officer Emir Abdul Jalal remains uncertain if last year’s champion Max Poole will return.
Notable riders like Fabio Jakobsen and Alexander Kristoff will compete, boosting the event’s prestige.
This year’s route spans 1,257.8 km across all 12 Peninsular Malaysia states.
Emir highlighted LTdL’s status as a premier Asian race, with more WT and ProTeam entries than other regional events.
The race is organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports through NSC and PKBM.