KUALA LUMPUR: The 29th edition of Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) concluded yesterday (Oct 5), marking the end of eight days of exciting, unpredictable world-class racing across the country.
Overall victory in the general classification (GC) went to Team TotalEnergies’ Joris Delbove who won the green jersey with a mere three second advantage over his nearest rival.
It was the smallest winning margin the UCI ProSeries tour, which debuted in 1996, had ever seen.
Uno-X Mobility’s Erlend Blikra went on to win the orange jersey (points classification) while Team Picnik PostNL’s Patrick Eddy won the polka dot jersey (mountains classification). XDS Astana’s Nicolas Vinokurov won the white jersey (Asian riders’ classification).
LTdL chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal said he had anticipated a wide open competition this year.
“When we designed the race routes, we knew it was going to be a very open race. None of the jerseys would be decided before the final day,” said Emir.
“And that would turn out to be true. Only six seconds separated the top four in the GC going into the eighth stage and only four and five points separated the leaders in the sprints (points classification) and king of the mountains (mountains classification) competitions.
“This made it very exciting for everyone and nobody knew who would win it in the end. All the riders had to give their all until the very end.”
The absence of Genting Highlands — the tour’s traditional queen stage — meant Fraser’s Hill had the job of separating the GC contenders from the pretenders this season.
The Fraser’s Hill climb is less steep than Genting Highlands but is more technical due to narrower roads and tighter turns.
Emir added that Nur Aiman Rosli’s (Terengganu Cycling Team) podium finish in stage seven (Melaka-Medini) was an emotional moment.
It was the first time a Malaysian rider scored an LTdL podium finish since Harrif Saleh won two stages in 2020.
“We (Emir and friends) had organised a youth race called ‘Road to LTdL’ in 2013-2014 using our own funds and Aiman had won,” said Emir.
“I told him at the time – he was still a kid – that I wanted him to race in LTdL one day.
“To see him actually make the podium was incredible, it made all our hard work and every penny spent as organisers worthwhile. I think a lot of us shed tears during stage seven.”
This season marks the end of a three-year commitment by the National Sports Council (NSC) to organise the tour.
NSC had taken over in 2023 after there were issues with unpaid prize money from when the race was organised by companies from the private sector.
NSC had roped in Emir, arguably the most experienced cycling race organiser in the country, in 2023 to lead their efforts.
But NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin yesterday said the cabinet will soon decide the future direction of the race, hinting that it could once again be organised by the private sector.
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Emir believes NSC should continue to organise the race as it would deliver the most value for money.
“UCI’s evaluation of the race this year yielded ‘all green’ results which means that there were no mistakes at all from us as the organisers, and UCI even said the race was on par with many other UCI World Tour events,” said Emir.
“We are very happy to receive such recognition. It was a huge relief.
“Whether or not LTdL stays with NSC depends on the government. Whatever the decision is, we will be ready.
“Personally, I have worked on organising LTdL with both the government (NSC) and also with private companies.
“When private companies are organising the race, they will always be looking to make a profit. If you are not profitable, what is the point of doing business?
“Issues, however, happen when these companies are looking to make a big profit.
“This does not happen when NSC organises the race. All funding allocated to the tour goes towards the race, the spending is transparent and there are no loopholes.
“This is why we are able to get a very high quality event when NSC organises LTdL.”
LTdL is expected to remain on its current dates in late September-early October next year. The tour had traditionally been held in February or March in its earlier years.
– NST
