Loose ends from Langkawi

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2005 Tour de Langkawi winner Ryan Cox and his Barloworld team are still waiting for their share of prize money(Image credit: Mark Gunter/Cyclingnews)

A week and a half ago in Kuala Lumpur, previous title sponsor Telekom Malaysia announced its commitment to the Tour de Langkawi race in 2006, continuing a partnership that began since the race's inception a decade ago. However, Cyclingnews has since discovered prize money is still owed to four of the five best-performing teams at this year's race, among them the team of race winner Ryan Cox, which - according to UCI rules - prevents next year's race from going ahead. Anthony Tan reports.

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"We're missing a fair bit of coin from that race," said Cyclingnews diarist Trent Wilson, one of the seven men who represented the team from Colombia-Selle Italia. Before the team's star rider Jose Rujano finished on the podium at the Giro d'Italia, the Venezuelan finished second overall to Cox at the Tour de Langkawi. American Pro Continental Team Navigators Insurance is also in the same boat, according to team manager Ed Beamon: "I'm square with everything else, but we still waiting on prize money," he said.

Wismilak team manager Scott Guyton told Cyclingnews, "I definitely know the prize money hasn't been paid. I definitely know the prize money was supposed to come into my account and it hasn't come yet." Guyton, a former professional from New Zealand, also believed the team had not yet been reimbursed for their airfares to Malaysia, which had to be paid in advance due to logistical problems on behalf of the race organisers. "We were sitting at the airport and we were arguing to get on the plane because we knew we had to get on. I think we ended up buying four business class seats just to get on the fricking plane. As a manager at my first race, it was an absolute nightmare."

Donnellan said he didn't receive the anti-doping control results from the UCI until May, which is basically a clearance from cycling's governing body to pay prize money owing. He then says as many teams as possible were paid at the time including the largest beneficiaries, Ceramica Panaria - Navigare, having won seven out of the ten stages on offer. This was confirmed by their Australian sprinter Graeme Brown to Cyclingnews, who took five stages in this year's race.

"The teams that we had a good relationship with, we asked for their patience until we sorted out this money outstanding," said Donnellan. "It's taken this length of time - I mean, I had to get the Malaysian government involved - but it's all been sorted out literally in the last two weeks. I've even contacted Ryan Cox to say, 'Listen mate, if it helps you, give us your individual bank accounts so I can help you direct.'"

First run in 1996 at the request of then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the race was sold two years later to a man named Datuk Wan Lokman, who established a company known as First Cartel Sdn Bhd to operate it. Wan Lokman ran the race for seven years, employing the services of UK-based company The Events Group to manage the organisational and logistical aspects, whereby managing director and experienced race organiser Alan Rushton was given the title of 'race controller' and employed McQuaid under his wing, among others.

In late 2004, Wan Lokman approached Rushton to find a buyer, who turned out to be a previous employee of Rushton's, Simon Donnellan. Previously a radio engineer, Donnellan met a local woman while working in Malaysia and married her, changing his name to Imram Abdullah to reflect his new religious status as a Muslim. When the papers were signed, one of the conditions was that certain people were to stay on board for the next three years as "detailed technical consultants with First Cartel"; this included Rushton and Brian Venner, an employee for well-known British television production company VTV and who was responsible for coordinating the race's television operations and producing much of the footage.

However, even though VTV and The Events Group personnel were present at this year's race, it appears they are slowly being squeezed out of the picture. Cyclingnews has learned they, along with the four aforementioned teams are claiming monies owed, with VTV's dues in the form of a very serious legal action pending against First Cartel in Kuala Lumpur. Said one of The Events Group staff, who asked not to be named: "There's a big pincer move going on at the moment and it's not very pleasant; you're either in the click and you get paid or you're outside the click and you can f*&% off."

There's also a history of riders, team staff and media being very well looked after in the form of an all-expenses paid trip, never a cheap exercise. A director of First Cartel, Abdullah Kamal Shafi', said in a press release issued on October 6, 2004 that the UCI's restructure of professional cycling and the subsequent upgrading of the race to 'HC' status (the highest classification for a Continental Tour) meant the cost to run the 10-day race would be between RM18-20 million (US$5.3M). Total prize money was also slashed by approximately two-thirds.

Along with Wismilak, the late handover saw partner Malaysia Airlines unable to fly in a number of national teams including Iran, Great Britain and Ireland. They were told to pay for their tickets upfront and upon arrival in Malaysia, they would reimbursed the full amount. But the money on arrival wasn't there and at least two of those teams are still waiting for part of their airfare expenses to be paid.

Still waiting, Cox says he doesn't care how he gets paid, just so long as he and his team are paid and as soon as possible. "You know, the smaller teams aren't making millions, so you are actually waiting for some prize money to come through, because it does help, you know. I do understand that they don't hand out prize money straight away because they've got to do dope controls and all of that - but it doesn't take a year to do dope controls," he said.

Recently-retired Wismilak rider David McKenzie is strongly of the opinion that the UCI should be stepping in to help. "This is where I believe the UCI falls down, where they fell down with teams like [Linda] McCartney, like Mercury," he said. "After the McCartney thing, it's left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth, but I was absolutely disappointed with the UCI over that. They've got good lawyers and auditors and solicitors and things like that, and I believe they should be provided in situations like these."

The Langkawi situation highlights the financial difficulties of staging a high-profile event in non-cycling oriented regions like Asia. Particularly in Malaysia, race organisers have been status-crazy with a tendency to overlook development of cycling in the region and pay more attention to the bells and whistles. The advent of the ProTour and separate Continental calendars have forced a rethink, admits Donnellan.

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