News for January 30

Tour de Langkawi fact sheet

By Tommy Campbell in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

February 1 sees the start of the Tour de Langkawi, Malaysia's national tour and one of the richest events on the pro calendar. The race consists of ten stages, starting with a time trial and concluding with a city center criterium in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Here's a mixed bag of TdL facts and information.

1/ The Tour de Langkawi is a sanctioned Union Cycliste Internationale stage race with world ranking points on offer.

2/ It brings together cyclists and teams from all corners of the globe. It is a national tour, which attracts massive interest from the general public.

3/ Riders from up to 40 nations including the Italians and the French come to Malaysia in early February. The Italians head the list of overall wins since the inauguration back in 1996. Paolo Lanfranchi has two victories to his credit, 1999 and last year.

4/ Competitors have a variety of terrain to contend with and an average temperature of approximately 28-30 Celsius. The mix is good with flat and hilly stages. Thrown in for good measure is an individual time trial and a city centre criterium.

5/ The smooth running of the Tour de Langkawi has benefited from the close collaboration between race organisers, State Government, local authorities and the various uniformed bodies. The event has enjoyed the full support of the Malaysian Government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

6/ Also the race has benefited enormously from the active participation of generous sponsors since its inception in 1996. Now Telekom Malaysia, the country's telecommunications giant is the title sponsor. Alongside Telekom Malaysia are Tourism Malaysia, Milo, Genting, Perodua, Malaysian Airlines, Gamuda, Petronas and Proton.

7/ All top class events rely on the cavalcade, which is an intrinsic part of its promotion. The Tour de Langkawi's cavalcade has 70 vehicles participating for the duration of the event.

8/ All dietary needs of riders and event staff are well catered for. Accommodation is of the highest quality with four and five star hotels available to the tour personnel.

9/ Security is of the highest quality. Traffic surveillance from the air by the Police Air Wing coordinates with the traffic police on motorbikes to ensure an orderly closure of the race route. Supplementing this support are more than 50 marshals, also on motorbikes. In addition countless numbers of general duty police are on hand along the route each day.

10/ Proton, the national car maker gives full backing to teams and cyclists with the best possible transportation.

11/ The Tour de Langkawi projects itself through the Press Corp as one of the international cycling events in the world.

12/ A general prize fund is available, plus world ranking points courtesy of Telekom Malaysia the Tour de Langkawi de Langkawi. Each day's top 25 riders are in the money and the prize list for general classification goes down to 30. The event is regarded as one of richest on the UCI calendar.

13/ As a public spectacle, the Tour de Langkawi is also a festival of colour and fun. Entertainment including cultural shows and side shows forms part of the action alongside the racing.

14/ The Malaysian people have given their enthusiastic support. Spectators from villages and cities around the race route come in their thousands.

15/ Organisers First Cartel have a dedicated group of professional and highly committed individuals. Thirty departments are involved in the logistics plus European Consultants, Sport for Television who manage the technical aspects.