BUKIT JALIL, 6^th Sept – Astana Qazaqstan Team will bank on sprint specialist, Gleb Syritsa to bring them glory in the Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2024, which will take place from September 29 to October 6.

This year’s edition marks the third time Syritsa racing for Astana, a team which frequently dominates the final sprints to the finish line in each stage.

He himself has consistently winning stages in the previous editions, one stage in 2022 and two stages in 2023.

The 24-year-old Russian rider will be supported by four riders from Kazakhstan – Vadim Pronsky, Igor Chzan, Yevgeny Gidich, Anton Kuzmin, and German rider Rudiger Selig, according to Astana’s official lineup.

The quest for the sprinter’s Orange Jersey is Syritsa’s dream after missing out last year when Tudor’s Arvid de Kleijn from the Netherlands won with 72 points, followed by Syritsa with 58 points, and Sasha Weemaes (Human Powered Health) with 55 points.

Astana is expected to strengthen its strategy this year, by partnering Syritsa with Selig as his main lead-out man in setting up the final sprint strategy in each of the 1,190-kilometer race stages.

Selig, 35, is an experienced sprinter with notable achievements, including second place in a stage of La Vuelta a España 2016 and Giro d’Italia 2017.

Meanwhile, Kuzmin, 27, is expected to pose a challenge for a top position in the General Classification (GC), with a record of finishing third and fourth at the Tour of Iran and Tour of Istanbul last year.

However, Syritsa and Selig are set to face a tough task this year, as the flatter routes mean the competition among 22 teams will likely be decided at the finish line.

The race will be more open among sprinters, especially with the presence of two other WorldTeams—DSM Firmenich PostNL and EF Education-EasyPost—each fielding their strongest lineups.

LTdL 2024 will consist of an eight-stage race, with the 28th edition returning to Langkawi for the first stage and also covering two locations in Sarawak – Miri and Bintulu.

BUKIT JALIL,4^th Sept – The Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2024 is heating up with the confirmation of Frank Van Den Broek making an appearance, this year.

The 23-year-old rider from the Netherlands, has been named as one of the riders of the World Team DSM Firmenich PostNL, who is making a debut this year.

Van Den Broeck will certainly carry a special aura, as he recently enjoyed a sweet success in his professional career when he finished second behind his teammate Romain Bardet in the first stage of this year’s ‘Grand Tour’ – Tour de France.

Describing his performance as extraordinary in the Tour de France, the young rider’s ability is well-balanced, showing remarkable endurance in high-altitude stages, breaking away on the 206-kilometer route from Firenze to Rimini, and maintaining that momentum alongside Bardet across the finish line — a stage that also saw overall champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) finish only in 4th place.

He continued his momentum with the team by winning the first stage – Team Time Trial (TTT) of the Tour of Denmark, placing seventh overall individually recently, and emerging as the overall champion at the Tour of Turkiye 2024.

Besides Van Den Broek, the DSM Firmenich team will feature riders such as Alex Edmondson (Australia), Niklas Markl (Germany), Casper Van Uden (Netherlands), Bjoern Koerdt (Great Britain), and Johan Dorussen (Netherlands).

The DSM Firmenich team is seen as a strong contender among the 22 teams competing in LTdL 2024 in the battle for overall and stage victories, promising fierce competition among the three World Teams participating in LTdL this year.

Meanwhile, Edmondson, or more fondly known as Edmo, will be a highlight of LTdL 2024 as his personal profile shows he will appear in his hometown, Miri, Sarawak, which will be the starting line of stage 7 of LTdL this year.

Edmo, 30, has been part of the Australian track cycling team with appearances at the 2012 London Olympics, won the 2014 World Championship in individual pursuit, and claimed a silver medal in the team pursuit at the 2016 Rio Olympics, before transitioning to road racing with Orica GreenEdge from 2016 to 2022.

This year’s 1,190-kilometer race, which is scheduled to be held from September 29 to October 6, will see Langkawi Island back on the route, along with two stages for the first time ever being held in two cities in Sarawak – Miri and Bintulu.

BUKIT JALIL, 29^th Aug – The World Tour team, EF Education-EasyPost will be banking on four high profile riders to defend the overall best rider (GC) and best team titles in the upcoming PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2024, which will take place from September 29 to October 6.

The star-studded line-up is led by last year’s overall green jersey winner, Simon Carr from Great Britain, and also includes Jefferson Alexander Cepeda (Ecuador), Jhoan Esteban Chaves (Colombia), Hugh Carthy (Great Britain), Markel Beloki Fernandez (Spain) and Stefan De Bod (South Africa).

The participation of these four top climbers will surely be a major highlight in this year’s LTdL, as they all have nearly equal performances, which could put a strong challenge on two other World Team squads namely Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kazakhstan) and DMS Firminich PostNL (Netherlands).

Carr, 25, born in Hereford, has already secured two stage wins in Europe this year – at the Trofeo Calvia in Spain and the Tour of the Alps, and will definitely be out to defend the green jersey which he won last year.

Cepeda, 26, emerged as the best overall rider in the 2.1 Class 1 Tour de l’Ain in France last July, and he also finished second overall behind Carr in the 2023 LTdL.

Not to be overlooked is British-born rider Hugh Carthy, 30, who achieved second overall in the 2022 LTdL and third overall in the 2023 Gree Tour of Guangxi.

Chaes, 34, is considered the most experienced rider in the team, frequently challenging for overall standings with a record in the Giro d’Italia, where he won three stages from 2016 to 2019, and finished 35th overall in this year’s Giro.

While having four climbers, it might give EF Education an edge, the team’s overall strategy will be crucial as this year’s LTdL is slightly different than the previous editions, featuring routes with longer flat sections and an early climb in the third stage from Taiping to Cameron Highlands.

This year’s race will span 1,190 kilometers, starting from Langkawi, which returns to the race’s route, and concluding with the final two stages, held for the first time, in the Sarawak cities of Miri and Bintulu.

BUKIT JALIL, 29 Ogos – Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) dan Allianz Malaysia Berhad secara rasmi mengumumkan lanjutan kontrak penajaan bagi tempoh empat tahun bagi membantu membiayai program latihan atlet-atlet para negara bermula tahun 2025 sehingga 2028.

Ia merupakan komitmen berterusan Allianz yang menjadi rakan penaja MSN bermula pada 2022.

Kontrak baharu ini menyaksikan Allianz dilantik sebagai rakan strategik dan penaja utama program atlet-atlet para, termasuk bagi temasya sukan utama seperti Sukan Para ASEAN 2025 dan 2027, Sukan Para Asia 2026 serta Sukan Paralimpik 2028.

“MSN amat gembira dengan lanjutan kontrak penajaan ini kerana ia membuktikan kerjasama sedia ada di antara kedua-dua pihak berjalan dengan baik. Penajaan ini akan menyumbang kepada pembiayaan kos latihan dan persiapan atlet para untuk beberapa temasya sukan utama dunia yang akan datang.

“Bagi pihak MSN dan barisan atlet para negara, kami amat berterima kasih kepada pengurusan dan semua warga kerja Allianz Malaysia Berhad,” kata Ketua Pengarah MSN, Abdul Rashid Yaakub.

Pengumuman yang dibuat sebelum Kontinjen Para Malaysia berangkat ke Paris untuk Sukan Paralimpik 2024 ini adalah bukti keyakinan Allianz Malaysia terhadap kemampuan atlet-atlet para negara.

“Allianz Malaysia amat gembira dengan pengumuman lanjutan kontrak penajaan bersama MSN ini. Atlet-atlet para Malaysia telah menunjukkan kemampuan yang luar biasa dan kami yakin mereka mampu mengibarkan Jalur Gemilang dengan megahnya di Sukan Paralimpik Paris 2024 nanti.

“Kami yakin dengan pengumuman lanjutan penajaan ini, ia akan menyemarakkan lagi semangat juara semua para atlet kita semasa bertanding nanti. Allianz akan terus menyokong anda. Allianz juga memberikan perlindungan insurans perjalanan kepada semua Kontinjen Para Malaysia,” kata Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Allianz Malaysia, Sean Wang.

Perjanjian rakan strategik itu juga bakal menyaksikan Allianz Malaysia menjadi penaja utama kepada sirkit pertandingan para selain membolehkan syarikat berkenaan meneruskan inisiatif program ‘Allianz Move Forward’ dalam memberikan bantuan dan sokongan untuk atlet yang mahu mencari laluan kerjaya baharu selepas bersara daripada menjadi atlet kebangsaan.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 – The organiser of PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi 2024 (LTdL), the National Sports Council (NSC) is proud to announce Tourism Malaysia will continue its Strategic Partnership and becomes the rights holder of the King of the Mountain Polka Dot Jersey for this year’s 28th edition of the race.

NSC Director General, Abdul Rashid Yaakub, stated that Tourism Malaysia’s decision to continue this Strategic Partnership clearly proves that it was the right decision, as this partnership has provided significant returns in promotional value, branding, and marketing for Tourism Malaysia.

“Tourism Malaysia will once again be honoured as the sponsor of the ‘King Of The Mountain’ jersey, with their representative presenting the winner’s jersey at each stage of the race,” said Abdul Rashid during the official announcement at the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil today. Also present was the Deputy Director General (Planning) of Tourism Malaysia, Saidi Bundan.

Abdul Rashid also commented that the King of the Mountain category remains a very unique and popular jersey in all major world races such as the Tour de France.

It is unique not only because of the absolute strength required to conquer the highest climbs but also due to the rider’s strategic decision making in seizing opportunities, breaking away from the peloton to score points in smaller climbing zones in addition to the main climbs.

This was evident in 2023 when rider Simon Pellaud from the Tudor team won the Tourism Malaysia polka dot jersey, despite losing to overall champion Simon Carr from EF Education in the main climb at Genting Highlands.

This year’s challenge will focus on Cameron Highlands, and Simon Pellaud from the Tudor team will defend his title.

He added that KBS and NSC will continue their partnership through live broadcasts on the world’s leading cycling sports broadcaster, Eurosport, which is watched by hundreds of millions of fans, as well as on local television and social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, offering significant returns on the sponsorship provided.

He also mentioned that the viral effect from the village and school cheerleading programs during the cavalcade procession published on TikTok in 2023 will continue and is expected to bring the “Cuti-Cuti Malaysia” brand closer to the hearts of Malaysians, encouraging them to choose local vacation destinations.

Meanwhile, Saidi said, the decision to collaborate with Petronas LTdL 2023 last season was an excellent move and explained why the Strategic Partnership between both parties continues into 2024.

“The decision to establish this partnership was based on a comprehensive return on investment (ROI) package, especially the opportunity to promote ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ brand globally. This not only includes various cultural attractions, locations, and tourism centers but also presents Malaysia as a prosperous, advanced, and progressive country, helping the government attract international investment and trade.”

“We also appreciate the honour given by the organiser as a Strategic Partner with the rights to the Polka dot Jersey because this King of the Mountain jersey is very popular in any major race worldwide.”

He added that, in addition to this Strategic Partnership, Tourism Malaysia will also bring well-known influencers from Indonesia and Thailand to promote LTdL more creatively and extensively in these neighboring countries.

Tourism Malaysia will also be collaborating with six travel agencies to offer 23 special travel packages in conjunction with LTdL 2024. These packages cover popular destinations such as Langkawi, Penang, Melaka, Bukit Tinggi, Cameron Highlands, Kulai, Bintulu, and Miri. Throughout these packages, tourists will not only enjoy beautiful vacation in attractive locations but also have the opportunity to witness the prestigious LTdL race that travels across the country.

A total of 22 teams, including three WorldTeam, seven ProTeam, nine Continental teams, and three national teams including Malaysia, will compete.