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).