File photo of cyclists competing in the Le Tour de Langkawi. — Bernama photo
PUTRAJAYA: The prestigious Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) will return to Sabah and Sarawak after 23 years.
The 25th edition of the tour also comes with its new racing status – Professional Series (ProSeries) – accorded by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
The event was last held in Sabah and Sarawak during its second edition in 1997.
With the inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak, LTdL 2020 would be organised in 10 stages compared to eight in the previous edition.
Human Voyage Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Mustafa revealed that there would be an increase in cost as the organisers have started planning earlier for the silver jubilee race.
He said the official launch of LTdL 2020 will be held at the end of November and, in the initial stage, a series of discussions would be held with the respective state governments.
According to Ahmad, the early plan is to make Sabah as the first stage and followed by Kuching, Sarawak for the second stage before the country’s iconic race returns to Peninsular Malaysia starting with Terengganu from Kuala Terengganu to Kertih.
It will then travel from Temerloh to KLCC or Putrajaya followed by KLCC or Putrajaya-Genting Highlands, Kuala Kubu Bharu-Ipoh, Taiping-Penang, Bagan-Alor Setar and Langkawi Island (two stages).
“All these routes are still tentative. It is in the early stages of preparation and we will hold a series of discussions with the PDRM and the state government to identify and finalise the routes. By the end of November, we should be able to announce the final routes.
“Regarding UCI requirements, we are aware of the need for at least six World Tour teams and we will probably try to get 10.
“In terms of cost, we are aware of the increase. But we’re in discussion with Eurosport, Fox Sports Asia and ESPN for live coverage.
“For LTdL, we are 24 years old with Hors Class (HC) status and are now upgrading to ProSeries. Let us work for the ProSeries LTdL 2020,” he told reporters after attending the LTdL 2020 Main Committee meeting at Youth and Sports Ministry on Monday.
The UCI has decided that LTdL will be upgraded to ProSeries on its 2020 racing tour calendar.
The matter was confirmed by Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) president Datuk Abu Samah Abd Wahab to the media when met at the same meeting.
The LTdL race was established in 1996 and was upgraded as Hors Class (HC) cycling event in 2003.
It was demoted when UCI introduced a new cycling category, the ProSeries, to replace the HC category.
Among the reasons for the LTdL status being lowered then was that there were no professional teams as well as the lack of international news coverage. — Bernama