The Petronas Tour de Langkawi returns from October 11 to 18, helping herald the restart of international racing in the region after more than two years where events across the east of Asia have been constrained by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 1097km Malaysian tour, which takes riders through a wall of heat and humidity as they traverse lush forested terrain inland and ride alongside the sparkling blue waters of the coast, began in 1996 but last ran in 2020.
Its regular early-season time slot meant it managed to go ahead before the pandemic brought things to a halt in 2020, but it was a place on the calendar that had initially looked to be working against it this year.
The 2022 edition was rescheduled twice – once from March through COVID-19 related issues and then from June due to calendar clashes. The continued pursuit of options other than cancellation, however, means that as well as being one of the last events in the region to run before the pandemic, it will be one of the first to return.
China’s WorldTour ranked Tour of Guangxi, which was due to finish off the top-tier season, was cancelled again this year. However, the 1.Pro-ranked Japan Cup on October 16, plus the Tour de France Criterium events in Singapore and Japan, mean there will be plenty of international riders making the journey over to the region in October and November.
Whether it’s the time slot, an enthusiasm to return to the region after a period of absence, or the intensity of the relegation battle, it’s a bumper crop of top-tier teams on the start list for the Tour de Langkawi this year. UAE Team Emirates, Cofidis, Lotto Soudal, EF Education-EasyPost and Movistar will be lining up at the race for the first time, while Astana-Qazaqstan are returning.
Alpecin-Deceuninck, soon to be a WorldTour outfit, Uno-X Pro Cycling, Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli, and Burgos-BH have also made the journey to Malaysia to line up alongside national and continental teams largely from the Asia/Pacific region.
That means the promise is high for exciting racing and a Tour de Langkawi that could stand out in history for far more than the unusual October time-slot.
The contenders
Looking with an eye to the points on offer in a tight relegation battle could potentially have added some extra incentive to travel out to Malaysia for some teams like Movistar and Lotto Soudal when they entered. Now,…
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