While the focus might be on the WorldTeam and the ProTeam status in Le Tour de Langkawi 2023, there is no doubt that the 11 Continental teams taking part are quite capable of springing surprises.
In fact, in the past 26 editions of LTdL, several Continental teams from Asia have won various jerseys and classifications with Hong Kong-born rider Wong Kam Po (Team Telekom All Stars) the first to thwart the dominance of the European riders by winning Stage 4 of LTdL 2000.
Based on the list of continental teams invited to this 27th edition of LTdL, it is not impossible that the riders from Asia with the Continental teams will shine again as they look to stand tall against those from the WorldTeam and ProTeam outfits.
Other than the five teams from Southeast Asian including the Malaysian national squad, the six Asian continental teams that have expressed their agreement to ride in LTdL2023 are KSPO Pro from South Korea, JCL Team Ukyo (Japan) and three teams from China – Hengxiang Cycling Team, Li Ning Star and Giant Cycling Team.
Another continental team is St George Continental Cycling Team from Australia.
Of these six teams, KSPO, Ukyo, Hengxiang, Giant and St George have made their appearances several times in LTdL while Li Ning will be making their debut.
Previously, the organiser of LTdL 2023 had released the teams from Southeast Asia that will be taking part this year and they are Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team (TSG), 7-Eleven Cliqq-Air21 (Philippines), Nusantara Cycling Team (Indonesia) and Roojai Online Insurance (Thailand).
The Malaysian national squad completes the list.
It is understood that the organizers are currently in the process of identifying another Continental team from Asia to fill the list of 11 continental teams that will be in the peloton this time around.
Chief Operating Officer of LTdL 2023, Emir Abdul Jalal said, the maturity shown by riders from the Asian continent in LTdL every year proves that they have gained a lot of experience when they are up against riders from the more formidable European teams.
“Fans may want to see this LTdL filled with big teams from Europe, but we should not set aside the original objective of organising the LTdL itself, which is to give Asian continental riders the opportunity to compete with the world’s best.
“So, we do our best not to marginalise teams from Asia by filling half of the allotted slots with professional teams from the Asian continent,” he said in a media statement today.
Previously, it was announced that seven teams with ProTeam status will compete this year and they are Caja Rural Seguros RGA, Equipo Kern Pharma and Euskaltel Euskadi; Green Project-Bardiani CSF Faizane and Team Corratec-Selle Italia (Italy), Human Powered Health (United States) and Tudor Pro Cycling Team (Switzerland).
Apart from TSG who are expected to repeat their previous successes when they won the yellow jersey through Artem Ovechkin alongside four stage wins, it can be considered that the Hengxiang Cycling Team is also another successful team in LTdL.
“Fans should still remember the glimpse of Hengxiang rider Wang Meiyin in LTdL 2013 who won in Cameron Highlands and when he wore the yellow jersey for two days. He also won the King of the Mountain jersey and also Asia’s Best Rider in that edition.
“Although Meiyin has since retired and Hengxiang have yet to give us the final list of riders, the team which now consists of two Latvian riders, have their own distinctive reputation,” he said.
Other than Hengxiang and TSG, KSPO have also recorded stage victories in LTdL previously with Seo Joon-yong having won Stage 5 of LTdL 2015.
JCL Team Ukyo also deserve respect because the Japanese team is currently ranked 36th in the world, based on the latest UCI rankings (as of 1 August 2023).
LTdL 2023, which is a ProSeries status, is an eight-stage competitive race with a total distance of 1280.3km and is organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports through the National Sports Council (MSN) with the collaboration of the National Cycling Federation of Malaysia (PKBM).
CONTINENTAL TEAMS IN LTDL 2023
TERENGGANU POLYGON CYCLING TEAM (MAS)
7-ELEVEN CLIQQ-AIR21 (PHI)
NUSANTARA CYCLING TEAM (INA)
ROOJAI ONLINE INSURANCE CYCLING TEAM (THA)
HENGXIANG CYCLING TEAM (CHN)
LI NING STAR(CHN)
ST GEORGE CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM (AUS)
GIANT CYCLING TEAM (CHN)
KSPO PROFESIONAL CYCLING TEAM (KOR)
JCL TEAM UKYO (JPN)
