St George Returns To LTdL 2025

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20th (Bernama) -- Australian Continental team, St George Continental Cycling Team is back to compete in the eight-stage Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 (LTdL) after a year's absence.

The National Sports Council (NSC) in a statement today said the team's lineup for this year includes young Malaysian rider Tsen Ren Bao, who was signed last March and as the son of Malaysian legend Tsen Seong Hoong, he is expected to be a key attraction for the local fans. 

He will join five other riders to tackle the challenging race which starts on Sept 28 in Langkawi and ends on Oct 5 in front of the PETRONAS Twin Towers (KLCC).

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According to LTdL25 Chief Operating Officer (COO) Emir Abdul Jalal, Ren Bao’s presence was a significant factor in inviting St George, after ARA-Skip Capital represented Australia last year.

"We know our local fans want to see Ren Bao ride with his professional team at LTdL25. That's why we invited St George again for the first time since 2023. This is also our way of supporting Ren Bao's professional career, as he is a talented and promising new-generation rider," Emir said in statement.

Last year, at the age of 21, Ren Bao finished 56th in the overall individual classification during his first participation. Despite competing in more than 10 races this year, the 2024 national individual time trial (ITT) runner-up has faced bad luck due to several accidents and injuries.

The three other young riders on the St George line-up are New Zealand-born riders Mitchel Fitzsimons (22) and Nate Hadden (19), who will focus on the flat stages, along with the versatile Declan Tresize (23), who has trained with teams like Astana and ARA-Skip Capital. 

The two most experienced riders are former Bolton Equities-Black Spoke rider Ben Carman (30), who joined the team in August and British rider Daniel Whitehouse (30), who is the team's main contender for a top spot in the overall classification.

Of the six riders, only Ren Bao has previously competed in the LTdL as the team did not include two of their top-performing riders this year, Nick Kergozou and Tom Sexton.

As one of Asia's most prestigious races, LTDL 2025 drawing 22 teams from around the world, is organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) through the NSC, with support from the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).

The race will begin in Langkawi Island on Sept 28 with the first stage covering a distance of 96.7 kilometers (km) followed by Stage 2 from Padang Besar, Perlis to KepalaBatas, Penang (166.1km); Stage 3 from Gerik, Perak to Pasir Puteh, Kelantan (198.2km). 

Stage 4 from Kuala Terengganu to Kemaman(141.5km); Stage 5 from Temerloh to Fraser's Hill, Pahang (123.1km); Stage 6 from Shah Alam, Selangor to Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan (123.5km); Stage 7 from Melaka to Medini, Johor (214.9km) and Stage 8 from Tangkak, Johor to Kuala Lumpur (180.2km) on Oct 5.

-- BERNAMA