ITALIAN professional cycling team Polti-VisitMalta will feature four specialist climbers in their second appearance at Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 from 28 September to 5 October.
The Spain-based team, operating under the guidance of cycling legends Ivan Basso and Alberto Contador, aims to challenge for both the overall individual Green Jersey and the King of the Mountain classification after failing to make an impact in last year’s edition.
Twenty seven year old Italian rider Davide Bais will lead the team, bringing experience from three Giro d’Italia appearances and a stage seven victory in the 2023 edition.
LTDL25 chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal stated that the team’s strategy demonstrates their determination to improve upon last year’s performance where they were somewhat overshadowed.
He noted that many teams racing in LTdL for the first time want to deliver strong results to show appreciation for the organiser’s invitation and earn additional points for future invitations.
Emir believes Polti, who raced as Polti-Kometa last year, specifically wants to target both stage wins and the overall individual classification victory this year.
Last year’s team failed to win any stages, with their best rider Fernando Lopez Tercero managing only fourth place in the overall individual classification.
The 23 year old Tercero returns to this year’s six rider roster alongside Bais, 25 year old Spanish cyclist Alex Martin, and 24 year old Colombian-born German rider Dario Gomez.
Emir highlighted that Polti’s strategic moves will be particularly interesting during stage three from Gerik to Pasir Puteh and stage five from Temerloh to Fraser’s Hill, both featuring Category 1 climbs.
The team’s sprinting duties will fall to Manuel Penalver, who achieved second place in Butterworth and third in Bentong last year, and is in good form after winning a stage at the Tour of Qinghai Lake.
Penalver’s efforts on flat stages will receive support from 22 year old Italian sprinter Gabriele Reccagni.
The eight stage race begins in Langkawi on 28 September with a 96.5 kilometre opening stage, concluding in Kuala Lumpur on 5 October after 1,258 kilometres of racing. – Bernama