KUALA LUMPUR: Can Bardiani CSF-7 Saber restore the glory days of Italian professional cycling in the 30th edition of Le Tour de Langkawi 2026 (LTdL2026), set to run from 27 September to 4 October?
As the sole Italian squad in this year’s lineup, the ProTeam led by Team Manager Mirko Rossato, has submitted an initial six-rider roster alongside three reserves as they aim to etch Italian professional cycling dominance back into the history books, echoing the golden eras led by teams like Mapei in the race’s early years.
Having made its debut at LTdL1999 as Navigare-Gaerne before competing under various guises including Scrigno, Ceramica, Panaria-Fiordo, CSF Group, Colnago CSF, VF Group and Green Project, Bardiani once commanded the race, notably dominating bunch sprints via Graeme Brown in 2005.
However, the Reggio Emilia-based outfit has experienced a quieter run in recent years, placing fourth in the Team General Classification at LTdL2025, 10th in 2024 and 7th in 2023.
The last Italian professional outfit to claim the Team Overall title was Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia (now known as Vini Zabu) in 2018.
In their submission to the LTdL2026 Secretariat, Bardiani has named Luca Covili, Santiago Cruz Martinez, Martin Herreno, Andrea Montagner, Manuel Tarozzi and Marco Manenti as their main six, with Filippo Cettolin, Santiago Ferraro and Matteo Turconi on the reserve list.
Veteran rider Luca Covili, 29, who has six Grand Tour appearances and seven Classic starts under his belt, spearheads the squad following a seventh-place General Classification finish last year.
He will be flanked on the mountain passes by Colombian talents Santiago Cruz Martinez, 20, and Martin Herreno, 19, both of whom featured in last year’s edition.
Bardiani also pin their hopes on 28-year-old Manuel Tarozzi – winner of Stage 6 at Kulai during LTdL2024 leveraging his experience across three Grand Tours and four Classics, while 20-year-old Andrea Montagner brings firepower for the flat stages.
A key question mark remains over Marco Manenti, 23, who made steady progress this season at the Tour of Rhodes, Baku-Khankendi Azerbaijan and Tour of Qinghai Lake, but suffered a fractured finger in a crash at the PostNord Tour of Denmark in July.
LTdL2026 Secretariat Chief Operating Officer (COO) Emir Abdul Jalal expressed full confidence in the squad, noting that Bardiani remains one of Italy’s premier ProTeams with a proven pedigree.
“The competitive quality of Bardiani CSF-7 Saber is on par with fellow Italian ProTeams like Polti VisitMalta and Solution Tech NIPPO Rali.
“They were among the earliest teams to confirm participation, and they carry a distinct historical appeal given their long-standing relationship with LTdL including the iconic ‘orange train’ sprint lead-outs dominated by Graeme Brown and Brett Lancaster in years past,” said Emir in a statement today.
LTdL2026 is tipped as one of the most grueling editions in the event’s history, featuring three major mountain tests at Gunung Jerai, Cameron Highlands and Genting Highlands.
The 1,285.5km race flags off with Stage 1 from Shah Alam to Kampar (193km) and concludes with Stage 8 from Muar to Putrajaya (183.8km).
Classified as a 2.ProSeries event on the UCI Asia Tour calendar, LTdL2026 is organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) through the National Sports Council (MSN) in full partnership with the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).
