The eight-day Malaysian race is back with a late-season slot and a line-up heavy on WorldTour teams
The Tour de Langkawi peloton when it last ran in 2020(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
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
George Bennett is one of the strongest climbers on the start list (Image credit: Getty Images)
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, however, things look settled, with Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech all-but confirmed as the two teams to lose WorldTour status in 2023, while Alpecin-Deceuninck and Arkéa-Samsic are promoted.
At Langkawi, there are 200 points on offer for the overall winner and 20 per stage win, which will not be enough to change anyone’s fortunes. Movistar are safe after Enric Mas' exploits at the Vuelta a España and Il Lombardia, while Lotto Soudal have a seemingly insurmountable gap of more than a thousand points to their nearest rivals.
That means playing it safe for points isn’t going to be the game for any of those among the field. Instead, it will be an all-out battle for stage, category and overall glory.
UAE Team Emirates are fielding former winner Ryan Gibbons but it seems far more likely that it will be George Bennett who is leading the charge for the team. The rider from New Zealand has had some strong results in the tours in the second half of the season after coming back from a COVID-19-shortened Tour de France.
He took second at the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon and his seventh overall at the Tour de l’Ain could have potentially been more if an ice sock induced mechanical hadn’t held him back. Perhaps he will be looking for some alternate cooling methods in the heat of Malaysia as he takes on the Tour de Langkawi for the first time.
Movistar have Oscar Rodriguez among their trio of climbers, with the 2018 Vuelta a España stage winner joined by Augusto Rubio Reyes and Vuelta a Asturias winner Iván Sosa.
Mark Padun and Esteban Chaves are among the EF Education-EasyPost line-up. The tour is familiar territory for Chaves, having placed fourth at the 2014 edition, with fourth on the Genting Highlands finish. It was then a welcome step in his early return from a terrible 2013 crash that left him with brain trauma and a long list of injuries. Asked if he may be looking to make a step up to the podium this year, his answer was: "I’ll do my best and we will see."
Cofidis have the experienced Spanish rider Ion Izagarre as one to watch on the climbing stages, while former Movistar rider Eduardo Sepúlveda – who won a stage of the Tour of Turkey this year and took third overall – is lining up for Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli.
The route
The Tour de Langkawi in 2020 on its way up the Genting Highlands (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
It may be called the Tour of Langkawi but while the island off northwestern Malaysia may be the eponymous endpoint, this is one of those occasions where it is as much about the journey as the destination.
After flying into Kuala Lumpur, the riders will spend the first three stages within reach of the nation’s capital before the stages stretch out towards the north and then transfer over to Langkawi, known as the Jewel of Kedah, for the last two stages.
The initial stages aren’t without their challenges, with the 157.3 km opening day from Kuala Pilah including 5 categorised climbs – all category 2 and 3 – before the race charges down from Look Out Point for an expected sprint in front of the Petronas Twin Tower in the centre of Kuala Lumpur.
Two category 3 climbs await on the flatter stage 2 but it is the longest stage of the race at 178.9km.
Then there is stage 3, which is set to be a make or break point for overall challengers. The 131.9km stage from Putrajaya to the Genting Highlands has a history of proving pivotal. Riders will face two category 2 climbs, one of them the familiar Look Out Point from near the end of stage 1, as they skirt past Kuala Lumpur and toward the final battle of the day.
Riders will face the dual challenge of the HC climbs of Gohtong Jaya and Genting Highlands in quick succession with the Gohtong Jaya KOM just 20km before the finish line. It is only a short downhill before the road starts to rise again toward the Genting Highlands finale, with the last 8km of racing delivering an average gradient of 10% and sections of 15%.
Profile of stage 3 of the Tour de Langkawi 2022 (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)
Then it is onto Sabak Bernam for a flat 137.9km stage to provide some relief and excitement for the sprinters. The race is likely to also deliver more opportunity for a bunch sprint over the next two stages – stage 5 from Kuala Kangsar to Kulim and stage 6 from Georgetown to Alor Setar – as the race heads north and ever closer to its Langkawi finale.
The first stage on Langkawi from Kuah to Gunung Raya may be the shortest of the race at 90.8km but it is not without its challenges and is the most likely stage, after the Genting Highlands, to sway the GC. That is thanks to the route that spirals in toward a steep finishing climb, Gunung Raya, which takes riders from 34m to 864m above sea level over 13km, with the last 300 metres delivering a final sting with a gradient of 15%.
The final stage on Tuesday October 18 loops its way around the island on the Kuah Langkawi loop to deliver 115.9km and a finale for the sprinters. Once the riders have crossed the line in Pekan Kuah the jerseys - yellow for overall leader, red for king of the mountains, green for sprint king, and white for best Asian rider - will find their final home.
The stages
Stage 1 - Kuala Pilah to Kuala Lumpur 157.3km
Stage 2 - Kuala Klawang to Raub 178.9km
Stage 3 - Putrajaya to Genting HIghlands 123.7km
Stage 4 - Sabak Bernam to Meru Raya 137.9km
Stage 5 - Kuala Kangsar to Kulim 172km
Stage 6 - Georgetown to Alor Setar 120.4km
Stage 7 - Kuah to Gunung Raya, Langkawi 90.8km
Stage 8 - Kuah Langkawi Loop 115.9km
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Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.
