KUALA LUMPUR: Italian rider Manuele Tarozzi will once again be VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane’s main hope to spring a surprise at the Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 (LTdL 2025) from Sept 28 to Oct 5.
The 27-year-old caught attention last year when he won Stage Six of LTdL 2024, despite his primary role being that of an all-rounder.
Besides several flat stages, the Stage Five route from Temerloh to Fraser’s Hill is regarded as best suited to his climbing strength, making him a key contender for the green jersey as overall champion.
Tarozzi, who has competed in the Giro d’Italia, has also displayed fine form this season, grabbing the King of the Mountains title at the Tirreno Adriatico earlier this year and finishing fourth in the Giro’s mountain classification in May.
Tarozzi’s teammates, Luca Covili and Alex Tolio, will support his bid for the green jersey under coach Mirko Rossato.
LTdL 2025 chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal said Bardiani is among the most regular participants of the race and aims to recapture the dominance they enjoyed nearly two decades ago.
“Formed in 1982, the team has previously competed under the names Scrigno-Gaerne, Ceramica Panaria, Colnago CSF and Green Project-Bardiani, but many still remember their dominance in LTdL 2005 when they won seven out of 10 stages.
“With three riders capable of sprinting, it’s not impossible for Bardiani to repeat that feat and claim several stage victories in this year’s race,” he said in a statement today.
LTdL 2025 will cover 12 states across Peninsular Malaysia over a total distance of 1,243.5 kilometres, featuring 22 teams comprising three WorldTeams, eight ProTeams, 10 Continental teams and a Malaysian national team.
The race begins in Langkawi (96.5 km), followed by Padang Besar-Kepala Batas (170.1 km), Gerik-Pasir Puteh (198.2 km), Kuala Terengganu-Kemaman (140.8 km), Temerloh-Fraser’s Hill (133.7 km), Shah Alam-Port Dickson (123.4 km), Melaka-Medini (214.6 km) and Tangkak-Kuala Lumpur (180.5 km).
– NST
