Sports- Cycling LTDL 2018 organiser assures the safety of participants

KUALA LUMPUR: The organiser of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2018, Ciclista Sports Sdn Bhd has given its assurance on the safety of riders in the top Asia cycling championship which will be flagged off in Kangar, Perlis on Sunday.
Ciclista Sports chief executive officer, M Kumaresan said the organiser was fully aware of the safety of cyclists and had prepared contingency plans in the event of road damage or collapse and landslides.
"All 22 competing teams will be informed of competition route change one day before the race starts due to landslides and road damage but we hope these incidents will not happen.
"Our technical team will be conducting an inspection, one day before to ensure the smooth running of the race," said Kumaresan.
In this regard, Kumaresan said officers of the International Cycling Union (UCI) would be arriving in Langkawi on March 16 to see for themselves the proceeding of the championship until the final stage on March 25.
He said several UCI technical requirements included signboards, fence barriers and several other pieces of equipment to ensure the race complied with criteria set for the international cycling race.
A total of 22 teams with World Professional Tour, Professional Continental, Continental and national status have confirmed their participation in the 1,341km race across eight states in Peninsular Malaysia.
The LTdL 2018 competition, however, will only feature two World Tour teams, Dimension Data and Astana while the Professional Continental teams comprised Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec, Bardiani CSF, Manzana Postobon, Wilier Triestina and Bennelong Swiss wellness Cycling. — Bernama