The Tour de Langkawi continues its growth and has confirmed that there will be at least five ProTeams on the start line for the 2014 edition of the race. Katusha and Team Tinkoff-Saxo will make their debut at the Malaysian race that still hopes to attract the interest from an additional two teams from the top level.

The 19th edition of the Tour de Langkawi is taking shape and it is very likely that the Malaysian event will be able to present a stronger line-up than ever. The first 20 teams have now confirmed their participation and with 5 ProTeams already in the line-up, the team will have at least the same number of teams from the highest level as they had in 2012.

The 10-stage Malaysian race takes place from February 27 to March 8 and is an important preparation event for many European professionals who are happy to get 10 days of quality racing in warm conditions under their belt early in the year. The race is mostly known for its many flat stages but includes the brutal queen stage to the top of the Genting Highlands that usually determines the GC.

Last year Astana, Orica-GreenEDGE, Belkin, Garmin-Sharp and Omega Pharma-Quick Step did the race and the former three will all return in 2014. They will be joined by Tinkoff-Saxo and Katusha who will ride the race for the very first time.

“We have two more spots available for Pro Teams as per now”, LTdL chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal revealed. “We’re trying hard to get two more of the world’s best teams. Compared to last year, we’ve lost the participation of Garmin-Sharp and Omega Pharma-Quick Step. They’ve told us they were happy with their experience and they like our race very much but this time around, it could simply not fit into their schedule. They’ll be welcome back next year.

"However, they’ve been replaced by two of the biggest teams in the world: Katusha from Russia and Tinkoff-Saxo, which is the team of Alberto Contador even though it doesn’t mean that he will come to Malaysia.”

In fact, Contador will not be present in the Malaysian race as he has already announced his tentative schedule that will see him ride the Volta ao Algarve and either the Paris-Nice or the Tirreno-Adriatico at that time of the year.

For both Katusha and Tinkoff-Saxo, it will be an unprecedented participation to LTdL with their current organization but the first version of a team sponsored by Russian magnate Oleg Tinkov goes as far back as 2007. “Le Tour de Langkawi was the first race of Tinkoff Credit System as a Pro Continental team that year”, Emir remembered.

“Their first ever pro victory was stage 9 from Putrajaya to Seremban with Pavel Brutt.” The first Tinkoff team became Katusha as Russia’s Global Cycling Project in 2009 while Tinkoff became a co-sponsor of the Saxo Bank team in 2012. This week, he announced to have purchased 100% of the shares of the team previously owned by Bjarne Riis who remains in the role of team manager.

“Being trusted by these very important people in cycling show the credibility of our event worldwide”, Emir added as he also praised Orica-GreenEdge, Astana and Belkin for entering LTdL once again.

Up to date, four Pro Continental teams have also signed up: MTN-Qhubeka, Unitedhealthcare, Androni Giocattoli and first timers Team Colombia whose enrolment form features Fabio Duarte. The former U23 world champion was second to Vincenzo Nibali in last year’s queen stage of the Giro d’Italia.

“We could get more European teams as many of them are willing to come to Malaysia”, Emir continued, “but we also feel that it is our duty as Asian organizers to give the riders of our continent a chance to perform at the highest level.”

Continental teams to line up will be Terengganu TSG from Malaysia, KSPO from Korea, Aisan Racing from Japan, Giant-Champion System (formerly known as Max Success) from China, CCN Gios from Brunei, OCBC Singapore, Synergy Baku from Azerbaijan, Tabriz Petrochemical from Iran as well as national teams from Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong.

The 19th edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from February 27 to March 8, 2014 is set to cover a total distance of 1,506.5km over 10 stages, the UCI 2.HC (hors category) race featuring again as one of the biggest events on the UCI Asia Tour calendar.