AFTER 24 years of existence, PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) heads towards another great journey into the new decade, marking new milestones with the 25th Anniversary celebration of Malaysia’s premier cycle race at the Petronas Twin Towers here, tonight.
Fittingly, the colourful silver jubilee celebration of the UCI ProSeries race at Petronas Plaza, Twin Towers were made more significant with the presence of Prime Minister and race founder, Yang Amat Berhormat Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who conceived the initial idea of having just “a small round island cycle race” to boost tourism in Langkawi in 1996.
What was supposed to be a modest international stage race in 1996 has now turned into an iconic Tour recognised as Asia’s biggest cycle race.
With the Tokyo Olympic Games looming closer, LTdL 2020 is expected to draw significant attention from World Tour and Pro Continental outfits around the world as well as riders from national teams. Under UCI’s new race structure, only 30 Hors Classe or Class 1 races around the world are selected to be in the UCI ProSeries, just a notch below the World Tour Series (comprising 3 Grand Tours – Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta Espana – UCI Classics Series and other UCI WorldTour races.
The 8-stage Jubilee edition challenge is scheduled from 7 to 14 February 2020, covering a total distance of 1095.7km across 9 states which include Sarawak, Terengganu, Pahang, Federal Territories (Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur) Selangor, Perak , Penang and Kedah.
Adding another feather to its cap is the staging of two additional races – the Criterium International in Kota Kinabalu (6 February 2020) and the Malaysian Classics in Langkawi (15 February 2020) – which serve to provide pre and post event excitement and added value to spectators, cycling fans and sport fraternities as well as sponsors.
YAB Tun Dr Mahathir, in his officiating speech, praised the exponential growth of LTdL, stressing that it has surpassed his expectation in all aspects, from being a small round island race to a world-class cycle event envied by many.
“Not only Malaysia and Langkawi are now firmly placed in the world’s map primary holiday destinations due to expansion of Le Tour de Langkawi, other districts in Malaysia have benefitted too. LTdL has touched the hearts of many Malaysians and its return to Sabah and Sarawak will definitely add to the sense of uniqueness and adventure offered throughout the race,” said Tun Dr Mahathir.
He commended race organisers, Human Voyage who initiated two additional races to further popularise cycling in the country – the Criterium International and Malaysia Classics – both adopting the concept of one-day races which is widely popular in Europe.
In thanking the various sponsors and corporate entities for their involvement in making the Tour a success, Tun Dr Mahathir paid tribute to PETRONAS, Title Sponsor of the 2020 race which has been among the prime movers of the race.
“For the first time ever, we saw the iconic PETRONAS Twin Towers as the background for the grand depart of LTdL 2019. Thank you to all sponsors for your generosity, we hope the same cooperation would be extended to LTdL in the future,” said Tun Dr Mahathir.
Human Voyage Chief Executive Officer Datuk Ahmad Mustafa, meanwhile, urged Malaysians from all walks of life to come out in droves and support the 2020 Tour as the race enters the new decade with new image and status.
“Apart from the intense competition amongst teams and riders, we intend to spread the excitement and share the celebration of this jubilee edition all around the country, from Sabah right up to Langkawi. LTdL 2020 will be much more than just an international sporting and cycling event,” he said.
In conjunction with the race’s 25th Anniversary, various sporting and social activities have been planned as part of its efforts to engage and excite the community.
Given the new ProSeries status, LTDL 2020 looks set to attract top tier teams representing top WorldTour, Pro Continental and notable continental teams across five different continents in Asia, Oceania, Africa, America and Europe.
Le Tour de Langkawi 2020
Celebrating 25 Years of Cycling Excellence
TOUR FACTS
A 10-day colourful sporting celebration is on the cards with the race proper set to get underway on 7 February in Kuching and ends in Langkawi on 14 February 2020.
In conjunction with the 25th Anniversary of the race, riders, fans and cycling fraternity are in for a treat with the staging of, for the first time ever, two additional pre and post Tour races, aimed at further stimulating the growth of cycling in this part of the world.
- The CRITERIUM INTERNATIONAL will be be held on Feb 6 in Kota Kinabalu, over a distance of 95.2km, providing great opportunities for Under-23 Malaysian and ASEAN riders to compete against UCI elite and professional cyclists in a highly competitive atmosphere. The race also aims to become a breeding ground for young future road champions.
- The MALAYSIA CLASSICS, dubbed the “Race of the Champions” will be held on 15 February in Langkawi, featuring national champions from all over the world. The organisers hope to grow the race to be among the most popular and competitive one-day races, regionally and globally.Le Tour de Langkawi 2020
10-DAY STAGE SUMMARY
STAGE
DATE
START
FINISH
DISTANCE
5 Feb (WED)
TEAM PRESENTATION, KOTA KINABALU WATERFRONT
Criterium
International
6 Feb (THURS)
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu
95.2km
STAGE 1
7 Feb (FRI)
Kuching, Padang Merdeka
Kuching, Padang Merdeka
90km
STAGE 2
8 Feb (SAT)
Kuala Terengganu
Kerteh
175km
STAGE 3
9 Feb (SUN)
Temerloh
KLCC, Kuala Lumpur
162.5km
STAGE 4
10 Feb (MON)
Putrajaya
Genting Highlands
124.9km
STAGE 5
11 Feb (TUES)
Kuala Kubu Baru
Ipoh
156km
STAGE 6
12 Feb (WED)
Taiping
Penang Island
151.3km
STAGE 7
13 Feb (THURS)
Bagan
Alor Setar
130km
STAGE 8
14 Feb (FRI)
Dataran Lang, Langkawi
Kuah – Kuah Loop
110km
TOTAL RACE DISTANCE
1095.7km
MALAYSIAN CLASSIC
15 Feb (SAT)
Kuah
Kuah Loop
160km
Issued by Media247 on behalf of Le Tour de Langkawi 2020.
For further enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact the following:
Ku Mohd Lufti Ku Yahya (017 258 0396) / Zailatul Farita (019 300 7882) / Naser Wahab (019 957 8955)
