Please visit the official Tour de Langkawi
In Spite of Tsunami Tragedy
The recent horrific tsunami has not effected the schedule of the 10th
Tour de Langkawi. Neither the route, hotel resorts or facilities involved
with Le Tour de Langkawi 2005 have been affected by the tsunami. The
organisers' preparations for the event continue and remain unaffected. In
fact the organisers are busy devising a donation programme around the event
and hope that in its 10th year it will serve as a valuable fund raiser for
those who really need their help.
Scheduled to start on Jan 28 and end on Feb 6, the Tour will pass through
nine states and cover a total race distance of 1,281.1km. With several of
the world's top teams already confirmed and a prize money of RM1.6 million,
LTdL is becoming Asia's most prestigious road race.
In keeping with tradition of the Tour, several new towns, including Kepala
Batas, the home of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, will
make their debut as a host venue.
The Tour has already attracted the likes of Lance Armstrong's Discovery
Channel and Joseba Beloki's Liberty Seguros outfits, and Tour regulars
Panaria Magres have confirmed they will bring their normal strong squad to
the race. Olympic Team Pursuit gold medallists Graeme Brown and Brett
Lancaster will compete in the 10th Anniversary race later this month.
Controversial sprinter Brown has previously won a total of four stages in
Malaysia and plans to add more to his impressive tally. Lancaster hopes to
repeat the Olympic form he showed earlier this year when he scored an
impressive solo win into Raub on stage 3.
Besides Lancaster and Brown, who won two stages and the green jersey in
last year's Tour, Panaria's line-up look as capable in the mountain stages,
with Spaniard Julio Alberto Perez.
This means a potent climbing combination in the making, with Perez
complemented by former Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave climber Fortunato Baliani.
The inclusion of ace riders is an indication the team are taking the Tour
seriously and will be gunning for the leading prize of RM1.6 million for the
10th edition of the race this year.
Apart from winning the final stage in recent years, the team have
consistently performed well in the eight years they have been coming for the
race. Ceramiche Panaria's best result in the individual category was Perez's
second placing in 2000. Mercury's Christopher Horner won the Tour that year.
Also in Panaria's squad are Mirko Allegrini, Guillermo Buongiorno and
The famous Orange shirts in the Tour of Britain. Photo by
A highly successful year in 2004 has given the inspiration for Action
Cycling Team to gun for more victories in the new year, beginning with
Telekom Malaysia Le Tour de Langkawi. The Polish
outfit, eyeing a spot on the lucrative Pro Tour, enjoyed several wins in the
recent season and have guaranteed their place in the Continental
Professional teams classification for 2005.
Poland has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and this has led
to an emergence of many professional cycling teams in recent years, the
strongest being Action.
Whilst most of the team’s riders are Polish, the highly rated Bogdan
Bondariew of Ukraine will be leading the challenge for LTDL.
Bondariew has notched 18 professional wins throughout his career, with his
success in the Tour of Poland in 2001 being one of the main highlights.
The 28-year-old was also instrumental in leading the team to lift the double
at the highly competitive Solidarity Race in 2004 – winning the individual
title and leading the team to the overall team classification. Bondariew, 28,
has notched 18 professional wins throughout his career, with his success in
the Tour of Poland in 2001 being one of the highlights.
Another notable rider in the Action Team is Thomas Brozyna, the two-time
national champion of Poland. He has also ridden for the US Postal team, Banesto and CCC Polsat.
With a best finish of 21st place in Le Tour de France 2001, Brozyna took
the title at the GP Cycliste Beuce in Canada in June this year - ahead of
Australian Nathan O'Neill.
Ready for Action – Courtesy
Action Team. Click for larger