AFTER a lapse of four years, the iconic Genting Highlands is back on Malaysia’s biggest cycle race route, promising intense and gruelling cycling action in the upcoming Le Tour de Langkawi 2019 which takes place on April 6.
The Genting climb will serve as the highlight in the 8-day race which starts off in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and ends with a criterium race in Langkawi on April 13.
The 24th edition of the race, fully supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, will be organised by Human Voyage Sdn Bhd.
At the Route Launch of LTdL officiated by the Youth and Sports Minister YB Syed Saddiq bin Syed Abdul Rahman this morning, Human Voyage Sdn Bhd asserted that several factors have been taken into account in selecting the route this time.
Among them, the route picked was chosen to restore the glory of LTdL not only in terms of competition but also tourism and community factors which further contributes to the unity of the people in the country.
This year’s challenge, covering a total distance of 1,239.6km, will not be short of excitement as 132 riders from 22 teams from all over the world including top cycling nations gather at the iconic Petronas Twin Tower (KLCC) for the opening stage before ending their challenge with a criterium race in Langkawi.
Through this year’s route, riders will paddle through iconic buildings such as the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya and the Zahir Mosque in Kedah. They will also cross the scenic Batu Caves, paddy fields and Malaysia’s luscious greenery that will showcase the country’s treasures and identity.
Genting last hosted a stage of the Tour in 2014 with Iranian Samad Pourseyedi of Tabriz-Petrochemical Iran emerging as winner in the Hors climb, a victory which earned him the prestigious Yellow jersey and the Best Asian rider title.
The Tour’s “queen stage” was excluded from the race since 2015 on safety reasons due to the continuous road and construction works at the highlands. The inclusion of the Genting stage would surely relive the glory of the race and lift its profile as Asia’s biggest.
Riders will have to be at their best as they set sights on the podium in Genting which presents them the best chance to accumulate valuable points and stay in contention for the coveted Yellow jersey (Overall Champion) and the King of the Mountains title.
With four stages to go before the race wraps up, winner of the Genting Highlands stage needs to be in best shape and form to protect their position. Apart from the the race leader, wearers of the sprint jersey and Asian leader could also be under intense threats from their rivals.
It will be all action from the word go as apart from the hard climb to Genting, riders will have to endure other challenging stages such as the 213km Stage 1 from Kuala Lumpur to Tampin which takes place on the very first day of race. The stage takes riders through four climbing zones in Ampang, Bukit Peras, Bukit Tangga and Bukit Putus.
“It will be intense right from the start as riders will have to go through four hilly zones which include a Category 3 climb in Genting Peras,” said Datuk Ahmad Mustafa, Chief Executive Officer of Le Tour de Langkawi.
In fact, the race will get even more intense as riders begin their 190km ride in Stage 2 from Senawang to Melaka and Stage 3 challenge from Muar to Putrajaya which presents four hilly zones and six sprint zones.
Riders will be going all out to collect points before the Hors climb to Genting the following day.
It will be a long and strenuous day under the sun as riders endure Stage 5 from Tanjung Malim to Taiping (206km) which takes them to the hilly route in Bukit Berapit.
“The route requires teams and riders to be alert at all times to avoid fizzling out midway into the race, especially after the hard climb in Genting,” he said.
The organisers of LTdL also announced that Malaysian and European fans will be able to catch the action via live broadcast of 90 minutes of race and 30 minutes of highlights daily throughout the eight-day event. Overall, LTdL is looking at a coverage of 100 counties with 310 million viewers on television and 70 million viewers through Cycling.TV.
To enhance the fan experience and to encourage the community to come out and support this event, side activities will be held at the finishing location of each stage throughout the race.
