Tudor bank on Dainese to conquer steep slopes at LTdL

KUALA LUMPUR: ProTeam outfit Tudor Pro Cycling are aiming for more sting in their attack as they bank on new sprint specialist Alberto Dainese to conquer the steep slopes at the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from Sept 28–Oct 5.

LTdL chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal said Dainese arrives with an impressive pedigree, having won two stages in the Giro d’Italia in 2022 and 2023, as well as a stage in the 2023 Vuelta a Espana.

His inclusion follows the absence of Arvid de Kleijn, who amassed four stage wins in the last two editions of the LTdL.

“Arvid has his own fan base here since winning two stages in 2022 and claiming the Sprint King jersey, and although he repeated his two stage wins last year, he failed to defend the jersey, which was taken by Matteo Malucelli,” said Emir.

“Perhaps for that reason, Tudor have sent Dainese, who boasts a bigger reputation and greater Grand Tour experience.

“This will be his first appearance in the LTdL, which has its own challenges, including racing in more extreme weather.’’

Other riders on Tudor’s preliminary list are Robin Froideraux, Mika Heming, Mathys Rondel, Roland Thalmann and Yannis Voisard.

This year’s race will cross 12 states in the Peninsular covering a total distance of 1,243.5km.

Twenty two teams have confirmed entries, which involves three WorldTeam teams, eight ProTeam teams, 10 Continental teams and the Malaysian national team.

It will start in Langkawi Island on Sept 28 (first stage) for 96.5 km followed by the second stage from Padang Besar, Perlis to Kepala Batas, Penang (170.1km); the third stage from Gerik, Perak to Pasir Puteh, Kelantan (198.2km).

The fourth stage is from Kuala Terengganu to Kemaman (140.8km) followed by the fifth stage from Temerloh to Bukit Fraser, Pahang (133.7km); the sixth stage from Shah Alam, Selangor to Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan (123.4km); the seventh stage from Melaka to Medini, Johor (214.6km) and the eighth stage from Tangkak, Johor to Kuala Lumpur (180.5km). — Bernama