SPANISH ProTeam Equipo Kern Pharma will replace the withdrawn French WorldTeam Cofidis in the upcoming Le Tour de Langkawi 2025.
Race organisers confirmed the substitution after Cofidis officially pulled out from the event last Thursday.
Chief Operating Officer of the LTdL 25 Secretariat Emir Abdul Jalal expressed confidence that the competitive level would remain high despite the change.
“Although it’s a bit disappointing to be missing a WorldTeam this time, we are still confident that the competitive spirit of LTdL 2025 will not be affected because Kern Pharma is also a great team.”
He explained that time constraints prevented securing another WorldTeam replacement, making Kern Pharma’s quick acceptance crucial.
“Due to time constraints, we didn’t have the opportunity to lobby another WorldTeam as a replacement, and Kern Pharma, which was on a list of four teams we had to set aside earlier, responded quickly and expressed their readiness to join LTdL 2025.”
Equipo Kern Pharma brings strong credentials to the Malaysian race after impressive previous performances.
The Spanish team finished third overall in the best team category during their 2023 debut before claiming the championship title last year.
The 2025 edition will feature twenty two teams competing across twelve Malaysian states.
The participant breakdown includes two WorldTeams, nine ProTeams, ten Continental teams, and one Malaysian national team.
Riders will cover a challenging total distance of 1,243.5 kilometers throughout the eight day event.
The race begins on September 28 with a 96.5 kilometer stage in Pulau Langkawi.
Subsequent stages include Padang Besar-Kepala Batas (170.1 km), Gerik-Pasir Puteh (198.2 km), and Kuala Terengganu-Kemaman (140.8 km).
The route continues with Temerloh-Bukit Fraser (133.7 km), Shah Alam-Port Dickson (123.4 km), Melaka-Medini (214.6 km), and concludes with Tangkak-Kuala Lumpur (180.5 km) on October 5. – Bernama