KUALA LUMPUR – New team from China, Chengdu DYC Cycling Team and a familiar face from the Philippines, 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike, are both adopting new strategies for the 29th edition of the PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 (PLTdL25), which runs from September 28 to October 5.
Chengdu DYC, which is making its first appearance at PLTdL after being represented by Hengxiang and Li Ning Star, will field only one local rider and five foreigners from Russia, Belarus and Venezuela.
The 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Continental Team, which previously consisted of six Filipino-born riders, has now included three riders from Australia and France to lead their charge at this year’s edition.
This is a significant change, as both teams are aiming to compete with the more elite WorldTeams and ProTeams who were also participating in the race.
Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the PLTdL25 Emir Abdul Jalal said, this new approach by the Continental teams is a step toward providing a more meaningful challenge to the top European teams.
“Many realise that Continental teams, which mostly rely on local riders, have been less competitive when facing WorldTeam or ProTeam riders at PLTdL over the past few years. For example, Japan’s JCL Team UKYO, which achieved a commendable result last year, did so with the help of three Italian riders, Matteo Malucelli, Giovanni Carboni and Thomas Pesenti. They also helped Manabu Ishibashi become the Best Asian Rider and the Best Asian Team, in addition to finishing fourth overall in the team classification at PLTdL24,” he said in a statement today.
Chengdu DYC’s lineup includes three Russian riders, Petr Rikunov, Timofei Ivanov and Andrei Stepanov, along with Belarusian Yauhan Sobal and Venezuelan Roniel Campos. The sole Chinese-born rider in the team is Li Chaoyi.
Among the six riders, 28-year-old sprinter Rikunov, who previously rode for Gazprom Rusvelo, has an excellent record, including a stage win at the Tour of Qinghai Lake this year, as well as second-place finishes in a stage at both the Trans-Himalaya and Tour of Hainan.
Ivanov, 34, a former Hengxiang rider and climbing specialist, finished 15th in the King of the Mountains classification at Qinghai Lake. He will be supported by Stepanov, who has extensive experience racing in Asia and his best result was third overall at Tour Along Yellow River 2025.
Leading the pursuit for the overall green jersey sponsored by PETRONAS is the 32-year-old Venezuelan Campos, a former Li Ning Star rider who won the overall individual title at the Vuelta a Tachira from 2020 to 2022 and finished fourth in the same race this year.
Further strengthening the Chengdu DYC challenge is the oldest rider in the team – 44-year-old Sobal who has won five Belarusian national championship title.
The same approach has been adopted by 7-Eleven Cliqq, which previously fielded all-Filipino riders but this time has added two Australian riders – Luke Burns and Zachary Marriage, and one French rider, Edouard Bonnefoix.
The 21-year-old Marriage is expected to play a key role for stage wins. The rider, who previously rode for Israel Premier Tech and Bridgelane, has had a consistent year – finished second at the GP de Cotonou, second in the Young Rider classification at Volta a Portugal and second in a stage at the Santos Tour Down Under.
Marriage will be supported by another sprinter, the 26-year-old Bonnefoix, a new addition to the team who finished sixth in a stage at the Tour of Britain this year.
Burns, 27, a former Bridgelane rider, is expected to lead the team’s challenge for the overall individual classification based on his best performance of winning the King of the Mountains title at the Tour Down Under 2024 as well as finishing fifth overall at the Tour Along Yellow River this year.
The three Filipino-born riders in the 7-Eleven Cliqq squad this year are Rench Michael Bondoc, 24; Joshua Pascual, 23; and John Patrick Pagtalunan, 21.
Bondoc, who competed in PLTdL23 and Pagtalunan are expected to assist Marriage and Bonnefoix on the flat stages, while Pascual will support Burns on the climbs.
“Whether this approach of including non-Asian riders will give Chengdu DYC and 7-Eleven Cliqq the results they are hoping for, we will all get to see when the race begins,” said Emir.
The PLTdL25, a 2.ProSeries event on the UCI Asia Tour calendar, will pass through all 12 states in Peninsular Malaysia, starting in Langkawi Island on September 28 and finishing in front of KLCC on October 5, covering a total distance of 1,243.5km.
This premier Asian tour is organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) through the National Sports Council (MSN) and in collaboration with the Malaysia National Cycling Federation (MNCF).
The race will begin in Langkawi Island on September 28 with the first stage covering a distance of 96.5 kilometers (km) followed by Stage 2 from Padang Besar, Perlis to Kepala Batas, Penang (170.1km); Stage 3 from Gerik, Perak to Pasir Puteh, Kelantan (198.2km); Stage 4 from Kuala Terengganu to Kemaman (140.8km); Stage 5 from Temerloh to Fraser’s Hill, Pahang (133.7km); Stage 6 from Shah Alam, Selangor to Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan (123.4km); Stage 7 from Melaka to Medini, Johor (214.6km) and Stage 8 from Tangkak, Johor to Kuala Lumpur (180.5km) on October 5.
CHENGDU DYE CYCLING TEAM ROSTER
- PETR RIKUNOV (RUS)
- TIMOFEI IVANOV (RUS)
- YAUHAN SOBAL (BLR)
- RONIEL CAMPOS (VEN)
- ANDREI STEPANOV (RUS)
- LI CHAOYI (CHN)
7-ELEVEN CLIQQ ROADBIKE PHILIPPINES ROSTER
- LUKE BURNS (AUS)
- EDOUARD BONNEFOIX (FRA)
- ZACHARY MARRIAGE (AUS)
- RENCH MICHAEL BONDOC (PHI)
- JOSHUA PASCUAL (PHI)
- JOHN PATRICK PAGTALUNAN (PHI)
