KUALA LUMPUR, 9 Sept – Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team (TSG) wants to live up to its status as the best team in the Asian continent when it lines up against the powerhouses in the 26th edition of PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi 2022, on 11-18 October.
Currently ranked as the 32nd best team in the world after collecting 1174.75 points and rated as the best team from Asia, TSG however does not want that lofty position to put unnecessary pressure on its riders.
TSG’s Chief Operating Officer, Nasiruddin Wan Idrus said, the six riders who will be selected a few days before the tour begins, are aware of their respective responsibilities and roles to raise the team’s challenge.
“We want to be realistic where we are aiming for only one podium win, whether it’s a stage win or overall, but the riders know what is expected of them because they have enough experience riding and competing at this level.
“What is certain is that TSG has made its plans to put the riders in the best physical and mental condition to compete in the peloton which contains many elite riders from teams with World Team and Pro Continental Team status,” said Nasiruddin when contacted by the PETRONAS LTdL 2022 Media Office.
Nasiruddin said, the team will list its six best riders after the Iran Tour and Tour de Taiwan which starts in early October, while the riders who did not participate in the two races will have a training centre in Gerik, Perak.
TSG will likely put in two of their calibre climbers, Anatolii Budiak from Ukraine and Jambaljamts Sainbayar (Mongolia). They gave some encouraging results at the recent Tour of Sakarya race in Turkiye at the end of last month.
Other than having the duo battle for the overall best individual and team positions, Sainbayar is also expected to strengthen the team’s challenge in the Asian team competition, alongside the two local riders who will be identified at a later date.
Will local sprint specialist Harrif Saleh be selected as part of the peloton this year?
Everything will be determined a few days before PETRONAS LTdL 2022 which starts in Kuala Pilah on 11 October 2022.
Nasiruddin said TSG expects intense competition from the six elite World Tour teams namely UAE Team Emirates, Cofidis, Lotto-Soudal, EF Education-EasyPost, Movistar and Astana-Kazaqstan, in addition to the four Pro Continental teams namely Drone Harper- Androni Giacattoli, Uno X-Pro Cycling, Alpecin-Deceuninck and Burgos-BH.
Stage 1 of PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi 2022 will begin in Kuala Pilah to Kuala Lumpur for a distance of 157.3km; Stage 2 Kuala Klawang-Raub (178.9km); Stage 3 Putrajaya-Genting Highlands (123.7km); Stage 4 Sabak Bernam-Meru Raya (137.9km); Stage 5 Kuala Kangsar-Kulim (172.0km); Stage 6 Georgetown-Alor Setar (120.4km); Stage 7 Kuah-Gunung Raya (90.8km) and Stage 8 Loop Langkawi (115.9km), involving a total distance of 1,096.9km.
ABOUT PETRONAS LE TOUR de LANGKAWI
PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) is a cycling race initiated by former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad with the objective of boosting the tourism sector and highlighting Malaysia as an attractive destination through the concept of sports tourism.
First organized in 1996 with a UCI 2.6 status, the LTdL has grown rapidly to reach the highest status of 2.0 Hors, making it the most prestigious and largest race in Asia.
PETRONAS LTdL was granted ProSeries status after the absence of the Hors category under the 3-level event structure introduced by the world body Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for 2020. PETRONAS LTdL attracts the participation of riders and teams from Europe, Asia, America, Africa, South America and Oceania.
Last year, the race had to be cancelled due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw all local and international sporting events not being given permission to be organized for almost two years.
ABOUT HUMAN VOYAGE
Human Voyage (M) Sdn. Bhd. is an event management company focussed in organising cycling and touring events. Human Voyage’s involvement and success include organizing world-class cycling events such as the “Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge” in addition to being the organizer of the 20th edition of PETRONAS LTdL in 2015. Human Voyage was again the organizer of PETRONAS LTdL in 2019 and 2020.
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