Big new Season Opener with the start of the 12th Edition of the Le Tour de Langkawi on Feb 2-11 This Top Class early Spring Asian Tour attracts another top class field from all over the world Pro Tour teams * Bouygues Telecom (France) * Credit Agricole (France) * Francaise des Jeux (France) * AG2R (France) * Unibet.com (Sweden) Continental professional teams * Tinkoff Credit Systems (Italy) * Panaria (Italy) * Selle Italia Seamenti Diquigiovanni (Venuezela), * Skil-Shimano (Holland) * Slipstream (USA) Continental teams * Victoria-ASC (Portugal) * SouthAustralia.com-AIS (Australia) * Nippo-Meitan (Japan) * Hong Kong Pro Cycling Team (Hong Kong) * Giant Asia Racing Team (Taiwan) * Discovery Channel-Marco Polo (China) * Polygon-Sweetnice (Indonesia) National teams * South Africa * South Korea * Iran * Malaysia Very exciting annual Pro-Cycling Race Starts February 2nd
Le Tour de Langkawi on Feb 2-11...MALAYSIABOLEH...support the Malaysia team kay hehee...this is my town kay...today start kay..
Ya.. Le Tour De Langkawi. The name of the event comes from the starting point of the first few editions, in Langkawi Island, Kedah....created by former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
Stage 2 results 1 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg, Ceramiche Panaria) 3:55:41 2 Daryl Impey (RSA, South Africa) 3 Alberto Loddo (Ita, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni) 4 Sung Baek Park (Kor, Korea National Team) 5 Nikolai Trusov (Rus, Tinkoff Credit System) 6 Julian Dean (NZl, Crédit Agricole) 7 Luis Rodriguez (Spa, Unibet.com) 8 Brad Huff (USA, Team Slipstream) 9 William Bonnet (Fra, Crédit Agricole) 10 Mashahiro Shinagawa (Jpn, Skil Shimano) General classification after stage 2 1 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg, Ceramiche Panaria) 5:44:50 2 Alberto Loddo (Ita, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni) 3 Koji Fukushima (Jpn, Nippo-Meitan Hompo) 0:00:05 4 Daryl Impey (RSA, South Africa) 0:00:08 5 Ruben Bongiorno (Arg, Ceramiche Panaria) 0:00:08 6 Sergey Kolesnikov (Rus, Unibet.com) 0:00:09 7 Md Nor Rizuan Zainal (Mas, Letua Cycling Team) 0:00:11 8 Thomas Voeckler (Fra, Équipe Bouygues Telecom) 0:00:12 9 Sung Baek Park (Kor, Korea National Team) 0:00:13 10 Sergiy Matveyev (Ukr, Ceramiche Panaria) 0:00:13
Frenchman Anthony Charteau has blown the Tour de Langkawi wide open with a stunning ride in stage 3, which finished in the Cameron Highlands. The money was on the more renowned climbers to conquer the third stage, a Category 1 ride up one of Malaysia's most popular highland resorts, today. Instead it was Credit Agricole's Anthony Charteau who unexpectedly hit the jackpot and became the first Frenchman to wear the yellow jersey in the Le Tour de Langkawi. Charteau, who was supposed to have set the pace for his teammate and main rider, Francesco Bellotti, was so strong going up Cameron that he made it all the way to the peak with more than three minutes to spare. Among the other better known climbers Charteau surprised today were Jose Rujano (Unibet), defending champion David George (South Africa) and Jose Serpa (Selle Italia). The 28-year-old Charteau completed the 133-kilometre long stage, which was flagged off in the royal Perak city of Kuala Kangsar, in a time of 3 hours 40 minutes and 45 seconds. He was 3 minutes 54 seconds ahead of second-placed Walter Pedraza of Selle Italia Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni. With the time he gained here, Charteau, a stage winner in the Tour of Catalunya in 2005, took over the leader's jersey from the previous day's winner, Maximiliano Richeze of Ceramiche Panaria. For the French-based Credit Agricole team, today's victory was a repeat of their success here a year ago. Then, it was Saul Raisin who made it to the top of the resort first. "At the end of the day, it's a very good result for the Crédit Agricole team," said a delighted but exhausted Charteau. "My initial plan was to accompany the breakaway riders and wait for the team leader (Bellotti) at the top of the first climb. But I reached it with such a huge gap that it was out of the question for me to wait " I had to go for it." Charteau was among five riders who broke away at the 28km mark. But as they reached the foothills of Cameron, Slipstream's Mike Creed dropped off, leaving Charteau with Koji Fukushima, Lee Win Jae and Yukiya Arashiro. Receiving no assistance from the others in the leading pack, Charteau stormed away just before the halfway point and went on to claim the stage. "Although I'm not in the best shape yet, I'm also not a bad climber. With so many riders well placed in the General Classification, it's going to be easier for us to control the situation. I'm not worried about the flat stages, that's something we know how to do at Crédit Agricole. With the advantage I have now, I have to think about the overall win but if I can't make it in Genting Highlands, Bellotti will be there. The gradients suit him really well," said Charteau. Credit Agricole's success was later met with some disappointment when they learnt that Bellotti, second overall here last year, and teammate William Bonnet had been penalized for sheltering behind a vehicle. Both were fined 33 Swiss Francs and penalized 40-seconds. Bonnet and Bellotti finished sixth and seventh respectively but after the penalty were relegated to 25th and 26th position in the Stage 3 results. Bellotti, suffering from a bout of diarrhoea, had apparently stopped some time during the race to ease himself, and was trying to catch up with the rest of the riders when he was adjudged to have infringed the rules. Fukushima, one of the riders who has constantly been on the offensive and winner of two sprints today, said it was a very hard stage for him. "Our team's objective is to win a stage and we are working towards it. The fourth stage tomorrow moves to the East Coast of the peninsula. It starts Gua Musang and ends 178-kilometres later in Kota Bahru. Stage 3 results 1 Anthony Charteau (Fra, Crédit Agricole) 3:40:51 2 Walter Pedraza (Col, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Selle Italia) 0:03:54 3 Yoann Le Boulanger (Fra, Bouygues Telecom) 0:04:29 4 Thomas Voeckler (Fra, Bouygues Telecom) 5 Pavel Brutt (Rus, Tinkoff Credit Systems) 0:04:31 6 Luis Rodriguez (Spa, Unibet.com) 7 Julien Loubet (Fra, AG2R Prévoyance) 8 Benoît Poilvet (Fra, Crédit Agricole) 9 Ian McLeod (RSA, Française des Jeux) 10 Yokihiro Doi (Jpn, Skil Shimano) 0:04:36 General classification after stage 3 1 Anthony Charteau (Fra, Crédit Agricole) 9:25:43 2 Walter Pedraza (Col, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Selle Italia) 0:04:00 3 Thomas Voeckler (Fra, Bouygues Telecom) 0:04:39 4 Luis Rodriguez (Spa, Unibet.com) 0:04:43 5 Ian McLeod (RSA, Française des Jeux) 6 Pavel Brutt (Rus, Tinkoff Credit Systems) 7 Julien Loubet (Fra, AG2R Prévoyance) 8 Benoît Poilvet (Fra, Crédit Agricole) 9 Sergey Kolesnikov (Rus, Unibet.com) 0:04:45 10 Jose Serpa (Col, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Selle Italia) 0:04:48
i've seen the highlight in tv of the climb to cameron highland last night, Anthony Charteau are great man, so much energy,he left Walter Pedraza behind almost 4 minutes..i think this is his first win in le tour de langkawi, am i right?
Stage 4 of Le Tour de Langkawi finished in a bunch sprint in Kota Bharu, with Alberto Loddo (Selle Italia) winning his second stage. The overall lead remained unchanged, with Credit Agricole's Anthony Charteau still four minutes ahead of the field.
STAGE 5 RESULTS Stage 5 (Kota Baru-K. Terengganu, 167km): 1. Alberto Loddo (Selle Italia Serramenti Diquigiovanni) 3'55:07, 2. Maximiliano Richeze (Ceramiche Panaria), 3. Nicholas Sanderson (SouthAustralia.com), 4. Julian Dean (Credit Agricole), 5. Ahmad Haidar Anuawar (Le Tua), 6. Park Sung-baek (Kor), 7. Pedro Costa (Vitoria ASC), 8. Anuar Manan (Le Tua), 9. Daryl Impey (Rsa), 10. Nikolai Trusov (Tinkoff Credit Systems). Malaysian riders: 13. Mohd Zamri Salleh (MNCF Development) 3'55:07, 15. Saiful Anuar Abd Aziz (MNCF Development), 16. Md Fauzan Ahmad Lutfi (Mas), 27. Mohd Jasmin Ruslan (MNCF Development), 35. Md Nor Rizuan Zainal (Le Tua). STANDINGS Overall individual: 1. Anthony Charteau (Credit Agricole) 17'21:48, 2. Walter Pedraza (Selle Italia Serramenti Diquigiovanni) 4:00 behind, 3. Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom) 4:39, 4. Luis Pasamontes (Unibet.com) 4:43, 5. Ian McLeo (Francaise des Jeux) 4:43, 6. Pavel Brutt (Tinkoff Credit Systems) 4:43, 7. Julien Loubet (AG2R) 4:43, 8. Benoit Poilvet (Credit Agricole) 4:43, 9. Sergey Kolesnikov (Unibet.com) 4:45, 10. Hossein Askari (Giant Asia Racing) 4:47. Asian individual overall: 1. Hossein Askari 17'26:35, 2. Yokihiro Doi (Skil Shimano) 0:01 behind, 3. Saeidtanha Abbas (Azad University) 0:03, 4. Ghader Mizbani (Giant Asia Racing) 0:03, 5. Park Sung-baek 0:37, 6. Tonton Susanto (Le Tua) 0:38, 7. Shinichi Fukushima (Nippo-Meitan) 1:38, 8. Tomoya Kano (Skil Shimano) 1:50, 9. Koji Fukushima (Nippo-Meitan) 1:56, 10. Amir Mustafa Rusli (MNCF Development) 2:18. Team overall: 1. Credit Agricole 52'15:42, 2. Giant Asia Racing 4:12 behind, 3. SouthAustralia.com 4:43, 4. Slipstream 4:50, 5. Tinkoff Credit Systems 6:24, 6. Azad University 6:59, 7. Nippo-Meitan 9:26, 8. Skil Shimano 9:51, 9. Selle Italia Serramenti Diquigiovanni 10:50, 10. Bouygues Telecom 11:14. Asian team overall: 1. Azad University 52'22:41, 2. Nippo-Meitan Time 2:27 behind, 3. Giant Asia Racing 3:58, 4. South Korea 9:02, 5. MNCF Development 15:24, 6. Polygon Sweetnice 15:32, 7. Hong Kong Pro 21:48, 8. Le Tua 24:10, 9. Malaysia 48:27Bernama
Stage 6 Results Alberto Loddo added another win to his total in Le Tour de Langkawi, and is now just one short of the race record of five in a single edition. There were no changes to the lead, with Charteau keeping the top spot. Alberto Loddo (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni) was victorious for the fourth time in Le Tour de Langkawi after winning stage 6 between Cukai and Kuala Terengganu. Loddo is therefore nearing Graeme Brown's record of five wins in a single edition of the race, set in the 2005 version. And once again, it was Maximiliano Richeze (Panaria) who came in second, with American Brad Huff (Slipstream) finishing third. "I thank my team mates for the good work which they have done today," said Loddo. "I was third with 500 metres to go, and even though there was a South African rider (Rupert Rheeder) in front, I was able to overtake him. I can't say how many wins I can take from this Tour, but if the team continues to work the same way, then I will not hold the brakes." There were no changes to the general classification, with Anthony Charteau (Credit Agricole) keeping the lead after coming home in 59th place today. He still has four minutes to spare against nearest challenger Walter Pedraza (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni). "The tactic was right," said Charteau after another long day of defending the jersey. "At the end, Selle Italia gave us a hand. Now we are just waiting for the climb up Genting Highlands. I'm not nervous (about Genting) where really, it is all down to physical effort and the team trusts me to maintain focus." Just like yesterday, there were several attacks at the start but all were unsuccessful until the 27 km mark when Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux), Mike Creed (Team Slipstream), Nicholas White (South Africa), Hirose Yoshimasa (Skil Shimano) and Shinichi Fukushima (Nippo-Meitan Hompo) formed a breakaway group. They opened up a 40 second gap before extending it to more than three minutes. But just after the feed zone at the 71km mark, the bunch sped up and worked to bring back the front group thanks to the work of Tinkoff Credit Systems and Credit Agricole. At the 100km mark just outside the town of Kemasek, Credit Agricole stepped up another gear to gobble up the first part of the breakaways in an attempt to protect their leader Anthony Charteau who was in the Tour's yellow. Then it was down to Serramenti-Selle Italia to finish off the job for its sprinter Loddo, and he duly delivered. Stage 6 results 1 Alberto Loddo (Ita, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Selle Italia 3:00:57 2 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg, Ceramiche Panaria Navigare) 3 Brad Huff (USA, Team Slipstream) 4 Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn, Nippo-Meitan Hompo) 5 Mariusz Wiesiak (Pol, Nippo-Meitan Hompo) 6 Sung Baek Park (Kor, Korea National Team) 7 Rupert Rheeder (RSA, South Africa) 8 William Bonnet (Fra, Crédit Agricole) 9 Pedro Costa (Por, Vitoria ASC) 10 Franck Renier (Fra, Equipe Bouygues Telecom General classification after stage 6 1 Anthony Charteau (Fra, Crédit Agricole) 20:22:45 2 Walter Pedraza (Col, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Selle Italia) 0:04:00 3 Thomas Voeckler (Fra, Equipe Bouygues Telecom) 0:04:39 4 Luis Pasamontes Rodriguez (Spa, Unibet.com) 0:04:43 5 Ian McLeod (RSA, Française des Jeux) 6 Pavel Brutt (Rus, Tinkoff Credit Systems) 7 Julien Loubet (Fra, AG2r Prévoyance) 8 Benoit Poilvet (Fra, Crédit Agricole) 9 Sergey Kolesnikov (Rus, Unibet.com) 0:04:45 10 Hossein Askari (Irn, Giant Asia Racing Team) 0:04:47
SERRAMENTI Diquigiovanni’s Colombian riders Jose Serpa and Walter Pedraza started the chase with a four-minute deficit against Credit Agricole’s yellow jersey ace, Anthony Charteau. And what a show the duo put on in Stage Eight of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from Shah Alam to Genting Highlands yesterday. Serpa and Pedraza completed a one-two finish respectively for both team and country. ________________________________ http://www.yesiloveit.com
Langkawi 10: Charteau wins tour as Loddo equals record 11/02/2007 Le Tour de Langkawi finished with a criterium in Kuala Lumpur, won by Alberto Loddo. The Italian took his fifth stage win in this year's race, while Frenchman Anthony Charteau won the overall title. Anthony Charteau confirmed his status as the new champion of Le Tour de Langkawi, while Alberto Loddo equalled the current record of five stage wins in a single tour. Charteau, who has been protecting his lead as the tour leader since winning stage 3, could finally celebrate after today's Kuala Lumpur Criterium. He became the first Frenchman in the history of the race to win the overall title. "Winning this race is the next step in my career, although I have to point out that at the start, I was not even thinking of winning the title as we were supposed to give support to (Francesco) Bellotti," said Charteau after the race. "I have only won time trials before. so winning this stage race was very important. I will be looking to maintain my form for the ProTour races like the Tour of the Basque country and Tour of Catalunya. I hope that we will get an invitation to take part in the Le Tour de France this year." Even though the Kuala Lumpur Criterium was regarded more as a spectacle than an actual classification race, it did not stop Thomas Voeckler (Equipe Bouygues Telecom) from attacking. He was joined by Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux) and Steffen Weigold (Tinkoff Credit Systems). The peloton gave chase for Koji Fukushima (Nippo-Meitan Hompo) to join the breakaway group, as Charteau still maintained his position within the bunch to protect himself from getting in trouble. With just four laps to go in the criterium around the city of Kuala Lumpur, the bunch was driven by the boys from Ceramiche Panaria and Serramenti PVC as they joined up with the leaders to set up a sprint finish. Although Voeckler and Nikolai Trusov (Tinkoff) sprinted with just 50 metres to go to the finish, Loddo was too fast as he came from the outside to win. "To win a record of five stage victories might seem big but considering the great team work which was put in by the team, it is fair," said Loddo. "The green jersey was the target when we started this Tour and from here, I hope that we can do well for the Giro d"Italia." Walter Pedraza from the Serramenti PVC outfit said that he is very happy to have won the king of the mountains red polka dot jersey. "Le Tour de Langkawi is more than just a well-organised race, it is a hard and difficult race, so winning the king of the mountains title is a great achievement," said Pedraza. The question of whether I can win at Giro is not on whether it is harder than Langkawi or otherwise, but rather on the condition of the riders themselves, which is far more important." Iranian Ghader Mizbani picked up his second blue jersey for the best Asian rider, while his Giant Asia Racing Team confirmed its status as the best team (Asian and overall). Giant Asia Racing's win of the overall team title was the first ever by a team from Asia in the 12 year history of the Tour. "I am proud to be part of this winning team although I must admit that this year, the race was a lot closer than it has been in a the last few editions," said Mizbani. "The formation of the continental teams in the last two years has helped a lot in the development of the Asian riders and it is evident from the Le Tour de Langkawi this year." Stage 10 results 1 Alberto Loddo (Ita, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Selle Italia) 1:41:55 2 Nikolai Trusov (Rus, Tinkoff Credit Systems) 3 Maximiliano Richeze (Arg, Ceramiche Panaria Navigare) 4 Julian Dean (NZl, Crédit Agricole) 5 Takashi Miyazawa (Jpn, Nippo-Meitan Hompo) 6 Ahmad Haidar Anuawar (Mas, Letua Cycling Team) 7 Nicholas Sanderson (Aus, SouthAustralia.com) 8 Mashahiro Shinagawa (Jpn, Skil Shimano) 9 Luis Rodriguez (Spa, Unibet.com) 10 Daryl Impey (RSA, South Africa) Final general classification 1 Anthony Charteau (Fra, Crédit Agricole) 32:32:14 2 Jose Serpa (Col, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Selle Italia) 0:01:02 3 Walter Pedraza (Col, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Selle Italia) 0:01:34 4 David George (RSA, South Africa) 0:03:06 5 Jay Crawford (Aus, Giant Asia Racing Team) 0:04:05 6 Ghader Mizbani (IRI, Giant Asia Racing Team) 0:04:14 7 Pavel Brutt (Rus, Tinkoff Credit Systems) 0:04:21 8 Yokihiro Doi (Jpn, Skil Shimano) 0:04:43 9 Luis Rodriguez (Spa, Unibet.com) 0:04:53 10 Hossein Askari (IRI, Giant Asia Racing Team) 0:04:54 Sprints: Alberto Loddo (Ita, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni_ King of the mountains: Walter Pedraza (Col, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni) Asian rider: Ghader Mizbani (IRI, Giant AIS Racing Team) Team: Giant Asia Racing Team Asian Team: Giant Asian Racing Team ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Langkawi 9: Charteau nearly home as Tinkoff score first win 11/02/2007 Tinkof took its first race win after today's tough ninth stage of the Tour de Langkawi. But Anthony Charteau is getting very close to winning the overall title. Current yellow jersey holder Anthony Charteau is well on the way to winning Le Tour de Langkawi following a tactical ride from Putrajaya to Seremban in stage nine today. Although the Frenchman was up against the winding road of Kuala Klawang, he kept up with the leaders through the several climbs of Bukit Tangga, Lenggeng and Bukit Mantin to maintain his more than one minute lead over his nearest challengers. Pavel Brutt from the Tinkoff Credit Systems team took the 173.1km stage for what was the first ever stage victory for the newly-formed professional continental team. "We have a team of good riders today and even though I was in the front pack, the stage was actually a lot harder than it looked," said Charteau. "I have a good lead and although some had said that the heat was a problem, I love the heat, so I felt really good in the last several kilometres. "The tactic was to keep the boys from Serramenti close, so we were not too bothered when the Tinkoff rider took off. It should not be a problem to retain my lead tomorrow as I think that the Kuala Lumpur criterium is more for spectacle than an actual GC race." As expected, stage nine did provide some semblance of a challenge to the riders after the punishing climb up Genting yesterday with more than ten riders making the early break that included Brutt, Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom), Tiann Kannemeyer (South Africa), Park Sung-Baek (South Korea) and also two other new Russian riders, Serguei Klimov (Tinkoff) and Sergey Kolesnikov (Unibet.com). With more than a minute gap to the frontrunners, Credit Agricole sprang into action to lead the bunch. A chase group formed at the start of the first climb with Luis Pasamontes (Unibet.com), Jose Rujano (Unibet.com), David George (South Africa), Jose Serpa (Serramenti) and Salvatore Commesso (Tinkoff). After Jeram Toi, the breakaway groups reformed, leaving just three riders in front: Brutt, Kolesnikov and George, as the others dropped off to rejoin the fast approaching peloton. The break was later joined by Drancourt before Rujano and Pasamontes rode up to give Unibet.com control of the group as it approached the second climb at Lenggeng. The yellow jersey group then worked doubly hard to close in on the leaders as Charteau kept his dream of being the first Tour de France rider to win Le Tour de Langkawi since the Mapei years (in 2001). "I'm very happy to give Tinkoff their first win - I sprinted 800 meters from the line," said Brutt. "In terms of difficulty of between one to ten, I would give the race today a nine." After stage nine today, Walter Pedraza (Serramenti) is still in the red polka dot jersey for the king of the mountains classification, Ghader Mizbani (Giant AIS) is in the blue for the best Asian rider, and Alberto Loddo (Serramenti) is in the green for the sprints classification heading into the ultimate stage of LTDL, the traditional Kuala Lumpur criterium. "I will try to win the Kuala Lumpur Criterium tomorrow but even if I could not, I will be happy if I can win the green jersey," said Loddo. Stage 9 results 1 Pavel Brutt (Rus, Tinkoff Credit Systems) 4:07:08 2 Sergey Kolesnikov (Rus, Unibet.com) 0:00:03 3 Pierre Drancourt (Fra, Bouygues Telecom) 4 David George (RSA, South Africa) 5 Luis Rodriguez (Spa, Unibet.com) 0:00:05 6 José Rujano (Ven, Unibet.com) 0:00:10 7 Daryl Impey (RSA, South Africa) 0:00:34 8 Gene Bates (Aus, SouthAustralia.com) 9 Salvatore Commesso (Ita, Tinkoff Credit Systems) 10 Sung Baek Park (Kor, Korea National Team) General classification after stage 9 1 Anthony Charteau (Fra, Crédit Agricole) 30:50:19 2 Jose Serpa (Col, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Selle Italia) 0:01:02 3 Walter Pedraza (Col, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Selle Italia) 0:01:34 4 David George (RSA, South Africa) 0:03:06 5 Jay Crawford (Aus, Giant Asia Racing Team) 0:04:05 6 Ghader Mizbani (Irn, Giant Asia Racing Team) 0:04:14 7 Pavel Brutt (Rus, Tinkoff Credit Systems) 0:04:21 8 Yokihiro Doi (Jpn, Skil Shimano) 0:04:43 9 Luis Rodriguez (Spa, Unibet.com) 0:04:53 10 Hossein Askari (Irn, Giant Asia Racing Team) 0:04:54
AS if to symbolise the breath of new life that it got, the 12th edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) closed yesterday with record-setting feats as Anthony Charteau ascended the throne to become the first French victor in Asia's biggest cycle race. Stage 10, the traditional final day of the Tour, ended with Serramenti Diquigiovanni’s Alberto Loddo winning a bunch sprint to equal Greame Brown’s record of five stage wins which the Australian set in the 2005 LTdL. Loddo's team fell just one short of Italian team Panaria's record seven stage wins set that same year, having to be satisfied with six wins.