BUKIT JALIL, 14 Sept – The World Team DSM Firmenich PostNL has named Great Britain’s rising star, Max Poole to replace Frank Van Den Broek at the Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2024.

It was announced just recently that Van Den Broek had to skip LTdL 2024 due to his participation in the UCI World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland from September 21 to 29, representing his home country, the Netherlands.

The 21-year-old Poole who will be making his debut for the team, is regarded as a fearless climber, capable of delivering high-level competition right to the final sprint to the finish line.

He recently impressed by securing four podium finishes in grand tour races, including the Vuelta a España, and finishing as the overall runner-up at the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain. Ranked 111th in the world, Poole, was borned in Scunthorpe, England.

Alongside Poole, DSM Firmenich will feature riders such as Alex Edmondson (Australia), Niklas Märkl (Germany), Casper Van Uden (Netherlands), Bjoern Koerdt (Great Britain), and Johan Dorussen (Netherlands).

DSM Firmenich is expected to be a strong contender among the 22 teams competing at LTdL 2024 in the race for the overall and stage wins, promising a balanced and intense competition between the three World Teams participating this year.

The 1,190-kilometer race will see Langkawi Island back on the route, along with two stages held for the first time in the two cities of Sarawak – Miri and Bintulu.

BUKIT JALIL, Sept 10 – Young national cyclist, Zulhelmi Zainal is set to lead Indonesia’s Nusantara Pro Cycling Team at the 2024 Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL), taking on a new challenge after his standout debut last year with the Malaysian national team.

“It’s a dream come true,” said the 24-year-old from Kluang, Johor.

“After last year’s LTdL, I was determined to join a continental team, and now it’s real. Signing with Nusantara this year on a one-year contract is a huge step in my cycling career.”

Zulhelmi turned heads at LTdL 2023, emerging as the best Asian rider in Stage 4 from Bukit Mertajam, Penang to Meru Raya in Perak.

“I’m proud of my first LTdL. Coach Mohd Yusof Nasir and the national team gave me a great start, and I’ve gained valuable experience that I’m bringing to Team Nusantara this year.”

Despite joining an Indonesian squad, Zulhelmi continues to train in Malaysia.

“Whether it’s in Indonesia or Malaysia, what matters is that I’m prepared. I’m still working out with my Malaysian teammates, keeping up my usual routine.”

Zulhelmi’s goals for LTdL 2024 are grounded but ambitious.

“I’m aiming to be among the best, especially on flat stages, and to improve on last year’s performance. Everything depends on the team’s strategy, but personally, I’m looking to step up.”

The 28th edition of LTdL kicks off from September 29 to October 6, featuring the return of Langkawi Island to the route and two new stages in Sarawak, spanning a total of 1,190 kilometers.

BUKIT JALIL, Sept 8 – Spanish professional outfit, Burgos BH will bank on the experience of Mongolian rider, Jambaljamts Sainbayar to spearhead their challenge in the coming 2024 Le Tour de Langkawi.

Sainbayar is no stranger to Malaysian fans, as he represented local professional team, Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) from 2021 to 2023, achieving numerous personal and team successes, including winning the white jersey for the best Asian rider at LTdL 2022 and the yellow jersey at the Tour of Thailand 2021.

The 27-year-old Sainbayar, who recently competed at the Paris Olympics in the road race by finishing 57th and 28th in the individual time trial, has parted ways with TSG and joined Burgos BH at the end of 2023 with a one-year contract.

This move is part of his effort to expand his career by competing at the European level after becoming Mongolia’s first professional cyclist.

Burgos BH has identified Asia as a key region to assert their dominance, having achieved several successes in regional races, including winning three stages at the Tour of Qinghai Lake (2.Pro) and the Tour of Sharjah.

In addition to Sainbayar, who is well-versed in the racing conditions in Malaysia, the Spanish outfit has also lined up  Antonio Eric Fagundez (Uruguay), Mario Aparicio (Spain), and Ander Okamika (Spain).

Completing the team of six are Clement Alleno (France) and Georgios Bouglas (Greece).

Fagundez, Aparicio, and Okamika have balanced abilities and are capable of taking on the challenges as GC riders for Burgos BH. Burgos BH’s notable success at LTdL includes winning Stage 8 in 2022 through Alex Molenaar.

A total of 22 teams, including three World Teams – EF Education Easypost from the United States, Astana Qazaqstan Team (Kazakhstan), and DMS Firminich PostNL (Netherlands)—will heat up this year’s race.

The 28th edition of LTdL is scheduled to take place from September 29 to October 6, covering eight stages with a total distance of 1,190 kilometers.

Langkawi Island is back on the route for this edition, which will also feature, for the first time, two stages in two cities in Sarawak: Miri (Stage Seven) and Bintulu (Stage Eight).

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.