KUALA LUMPUR, August 15 – Astana Qazaqstan Team, the prestigious WorldTeam, has officially announced its participation in the highly anticipated 27th edition of Le Tour de Langkawi 2023, scheduled to take place from September 23 to September 30, 2023.
Despite maintaining a relatively low profile in major international races throughout the ongoing 2023 season, the Astana Qazaqstan Team, a consistent presence in Le Tour de Langkawi since its debut in 2012, remains a prominent contender for victory in the forthcoming eight-stage competition.
The team’s commendable track record speaks volumes. In 2012, Alexandr Dyachenko secured a remarkable fourth place in the General Classification (GC), while the combined efforts of Andrey Zeits and Valentin Iglinsky propelled the team to a second-place team finish, narrowly trailing Androni Giocatoli-Venezuela.
The Astana Qazaqstan Team’s inaugural stage triumph was achieved by Italian rider Andrea Guardini in the 2013 edition on Stage 7, spanning the route from Kuantan to Dungun. Subsequently, Ricardo Minali seized victory on two stages during the 2018 event.
Of the trio that marked the team’s initial era, Andrey Zeits, now at the age of 36, remains a steadfast member of the Astana team, achieving a notable 10th place in the General Classification (GC) during the previous year’s contest. Additionally, sprint specialist Gleb Syritsa secured a Stage 1 triumph, propelling Astana to an impressive seventh-place overall finish.
Although Astana has yet to disclose its final roster of six riders, LTdL 2023’s organizers are confident that the squad, under the guidance of legendary manager Alexander Vinokourov, will assemble a formidable lineup ready to take on the challenges of the Category 2 ProSeries status race.
Emir Abdul Jalal, Chief Operating Officer of LTdL2023, emphasized that Astana is committed to upholding its WorldTeam status and reputation in every race it participates in, and Le Tour de Langkawi is no exception. Astana’s recent ranking, placing 20th overall among UCI’s professional teams with 4557.4 points as of August 8, bolsters the anticipation of their competitive performance.
Emir stated, “The opportunity to pick up further ranking points from the LTdL 2023 will definitely not be missed by Astana, especially when it is now towards the end of the racing season. Although they may not send the likes of Mark Cavendish, Simone Velasco or Kazakhstan’s national champion Alexey Lutsenko here, I am sure they will pick the best possible line-up from the team’s list of 30 riders”
Astana finds itself in a pivotal situation, necessitating the accumulation of adequate points towards their UCI ranking to forestall any potential relegation to a lower division.
It’s worth noting that Velasco triumphed in Stage 3 of this year’s Vuelta a la Communitat Valenciana. However, Cavendish, whose aspirations to augment his collection of Grand Tour victories were hindered by a collarbone fracture sustained during the Tour de France, managed only one victory in Stage 21 of the Giro d’Italia.
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Presently, the standout cyclist for Astana is Alexey Lutsenko, who not only secured the yellow jersey in the Giro di Sicilia but also clinched two stages in the Circuito de Getxo-Memorial Hermanos Otxoa. He additionally dominated the road event and the individual time trial at Kazakhstan’s national championships this year.
Alongside Zeits and Syritsa, other significant contributors include Yevgeniy Fedorov, who secured a Stage 1 victory in Kuching during LTdL 2020; Vadim Pronskiy, who achieved a notable third place overall in LTdL 2019; and Yevgeniy Gidich, the 2022 national champion, who achieved sixth place in LTdL 2018.
Emir highlighted, “These names have enraptured the fans in several editions of LTdL and they are well aware of the challenges of the hot and rainy weather. Their experience may be used as the benchmark by the Astana team in choosing the names of the six riders to compete later.”
The 27th edition of LTdL 2023 will span a total distance of 1,280.3 kilometers and is meticulously organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in collaboration with the National Sports Council (MSN) and the National Cycling Federation of Malaysia (PKBM). The race is set to commence in Kerteh, Terengganu on September 23, traversing 11 of the 12 states in the Peninsula and culminating at Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) on September 30.
A total of 132 riders from 22 teams, representing WorldTeam, ProTeam, Continental status, and the Malaysian national team, are poised to participate in this prestigious cycling spectacle.
