KUAH: With both Genting Highlands and Cameron Highlands out of the equation in this year’s Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL), bonus seconds could play a major role in determining the outcome of the general classification (GC).
That is the view of Terengganu Cycling Team’s (TSG) Danish rider Mathias Bregnhoj who believes this year’s queen stage climb up to Fraser’s Hill may not be steep enough to determine the UCI ProSeries tour’s overall winner on its own.
The fifth stage (123.1km), which starts in Temerloh, will feature intermediate sprints at Mentakab, Bukit Damar and Mempaga followed by a category three climb in Raub before concluding with a summit finish in Fraser’s Hill (category one).
“Fraser’s Hill is not a super hard climb but the roads are more narrow so you will likely see a smaller group (at the finish) then you saw at Cameron Highlands last year,” said Bregnhoj today (Sept 26).
“I think maybe five to 10 guys might finish together in Fraser’s Hill.
“Of course it (Fraser’s Hill) will play a key role but I also believe that bonus seconds could be decisive in the tour.
“I think you will see some racing for bonifications during the race (among GC contenders).”
A group of 11 riders finished together in Cameron Highlands last year. Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL’s Max Poole won the sprint and went on to claim the overall title with a 13 second advantage over his nearest rival.
Poole is not defending his title this year.
Bregnhoj, who is in his first year with TSG, has come into form nicely.
He won the Tour of Route Salvation (UCI2.2) in Turkiye at the end of last month and finished second a the Tour of Salalah (UCI2.2) in Oman a fortnight ago.
He also had a strong run in Japan in May, finishing second overall at Tour de Kumano (UCI 2.2) and fifth at the Tour of Japan (UCI 2.2).
“Obviously it has been a great season for me, I have been competitive in almost all races I have competed in this year,” said Bregnhoj.
“LTdL is our home race and is important for us. We are definitely here to compete and ride for a big result.”
TSG are also fielding Vadim Pronskiy (Kazakhstan), Adne van Engelen (Netherlands), Nur Aiman Rosli, Wan Abdul Rahman Hamdan as well as fan favourite Harrif Saleh for LTdL.
LTdL begins with a 96.7km loop around Langkawi Island on Sunday (Sept 28) featuring intermediate sprints at Harbour Park, Bayas and Padang Matsirat followed by a category four climb at Bukit Malut.
– NST
