KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 – The Swiss ProTeam, Tudor Pro Cycling Team is set to bank their hopes on their new sprint specialist, Alberto Dainese to dominate the flat stages of the eight-day PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 (PLTdL25) which runs from September 28 to October 5.
While not including Arvid de Kleijn who claimed four stage wins in the 2023 and 2024 PLTdL, Dainese arrives with a bigger reputation, having won two stages at the Giro d’Italia in 2022 and 2023 as well as one stage at the Vuelta a Espana in 2023.
The 27-year-old rider from Abano Terme, Italy was recruited by Tudor from Team Sunweb last year and has been designated as the primary weapon among the six riders which the team submitted to the PLTdL25 Secretariat.
PLTdL25 Chief Operating Officer, Emir Abdul Jalal, stated that while the organisers are unsure why Tudor did not include de Kleijn, Dainese’s presence shows the team’s determination to dominate the flat stages and reclaim the King of Sprints orange jersey, sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. This will be the team’s third consecutive year competing.
“Arvid has his own fans in the PLTdL since he won two stages in 2023 and the King of Sprints jersey. However, despite repeating his two stage wins last year, he failed to defend the jersey which was taken by Matteo Malucelli.
“Perhaps because of this reason, Tudor is sending Dainese who has a bigger reputation and experience on the Grand Tour stage, even though this will be Dainese’s first appearance at PLTdL, a race known for its unique challenges of competing in more extreme weather,” said Emir.
The other riders on Tudor’s preliminary roster are Robin Froideraux, Mika Heming, Mathys Rondel, Roland Thalmann and Yannis Voisard.
Froideraux, 27, and Heming, 25, are expected to act as Dainese’s lead-out men for the sprint finishes, while Voisard is Tudor’s best bet to challenge for the green jersey, sponsored by PETRONAS in the general classification.
Voisard, 27, also has Giro experience from his time with the Arkea-Samsic team in 2021, in addition to winning the Alpes Isere Tour in 2022 and competing in classics like Liege-Bastogne-Liege, La Fleche Wallonne, and the Tour of Algarve.
He will be supported by Rondel, 22, and Thalmann, 32, especially when riders face the first climb on Stage 3, the 198.2km Gerik-Pasir Puteh route which features one Category 1 (Cat1) and one Cat2 climb as it crosses the Titiwangsa Mountains.
“Tudor has been less prominent in the general classification green jersey competition with their best rider in 2023, Hannas Wilksch finishing 15th overall and Rick Pluimers only managing 12th place last year.
Voisard seems to be their best bet for both the PETRONAS green jersey and the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey this year,” Emir added.
This year’s PLTdL25, which spans 12 states in Peninsular Malaysia over a total distance of 1,243.5km, will feature 22 teams including 3 WorldTeams, 8 ProTeams, 10 Continental teams and the Malaysian national team.
PLTdL25 with the ProSeries status on the UCI Asia Tour calendar, is organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) through the National Sports Council (MSN) in collaboration with the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).
The race will begin in Langkawi Island on September 28 with the first stage covering a distance of 96.5 kilometers (km) followed by Stage 2 from Padang Besar, Perlis to Kepala Batas, Penang (170.1km); Stage 3 from Gerik, Perak to Pasir Puteh, Kelantan (198.2km); Stage 4 from Kuala Terengganu to Kemaman (140.8km); Stage 5 from Temerloh to Fraser’s Hill, Pahang (133.7km); Stage 6 from Shah Alam, Selangor to Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan (123.4km); Stage 7 from Melaka to Medini, Johor (214.6km) and Stage 8 from Tangkak, Johor to Kuala Lumpur (180.5km) on October 5.
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM
- Alberto Dainese (ITA)
- Robin Froideraux (SUI)
- Mika Heming (GER)
- Mathys Rondel (FRA)
- Roland Thalmann (SUI)
- Yannis Voisard (SUI)
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