LTdL 2026: Astana, Picnic Arrive With Different Missions

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 (Bernama) -- The two WorldTeam outfits competing in the 30th edition of Le Tour de Langkawi 2026 (LTdL26), XDS Astana Team and Team Picnic PostNL, are entering the race with different objectives based on their preliminary rider lists submitted ahead of Stage 1 from Shah Alam to Kampar on Sept 27.

The LTdL Secretariat said in a statement today that Astana have named four sprint specialists and two climbers in their six-rider line-up, while Picnic PostNL are relying on a less established group of riders.

Astana's line-up includes Matteo Malucelli and Gleb Syritsa, who have amassed 10 stage wins each in LTdL between 2023 and 2025, alongside Lev Gonov and young rider Alessio Dalle Vedove, suggesting that the Kazakhstan-registered team are targeting bunch sprints on flatter routes.

Ecuadorian rider Harold Martin Lopez, 25, is expected to challenge for a strong position in the individual general classification (GC), alongside New Zealand rider Aaron Gate, winner of Stage 8 of LTdL25 from Tangkak to Kuala Lumpur.

Italian-born Malucelli, 32, who has considerable experience, remains a rider capable of competing at the highest level after featuring in the 2026 Giro d'Italia, while Russian rider Syritsa, 26, secured his latest stage victory at the Baku-Khankendi Tour of Azerbaijan in May.

Russian rider Gonov, 26, who also competed in LTdL25 and finished 50th in the GC, and New Zealander Gate, 30, are expected to support Lopez during climbs or lead the front group before making way for Malucelli or Syritsa in the run-in to the finish.

Picnic PostNL, which made a strong debut in 2024 through British rider Max Poole, who won the overall classification, have this time named only two pure climbers, Tim Naberman, 27, and 21-year-old Colombian Guillermo Juan Martinez.

Naberman was given the opportunity to compete in the Giro d'Italia in May but finished 132nd, while Martinez earned his chance to race in the 2026 Vuelta a Espana after finishing 16th overall in the Volta ao Algarve in February and 20th in the Tour de Pologne last month.

Australian rider Matt Dinham, who finished 15th overall in LTdL25, is expected to face a challenge in regaining his fitness after suffering a leg injury at the Tour de Suisse in June.

The other three sprinters in Picnic PostNL's line-up, managed by Melvin Pulliere, are 27-year-old Irish rider Dillon Corkery and young Dutch riders Milan de Ceuster, 20, and Mees Vlot, 21.

Chief Operating Officer of the LTdL26 Secretariat Emir Abdul Jalal said that although Astana and Picnic PostNL are WorldTeam outfits, their main objectives and strategies for this year's race were relatively clear.

"It is clear that Astana, with Malucelli and Syritsa, as well as Gate and Gonov, are placing greater emphasis on seeking stage wins on flatter routes.

"The situation appears somewhat desperate for Picnic PostNL to collect as many points as possible, and their preliminary six-rider line-up appears less convincing, but I believe some changes to their line-up will be made a few days before they fly to Malaysia," he said in the same statement.

LTdL26, which is classified as a 2.ProSeries race, will begin with Stage 1 from Shah Alam to Kampar on Sept 27 and conclude with Stage 8 from Muar to Putrajaya on Oct 4, covering a total distance of 1,285.5 kilometres.

-- BERNAMA