MALAYSIA National Cycling Federation (MNCF) will leave it to the Sports Ministry to decide the next course of action for Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL).
LTdL was recently demoted from its UCI hors categorie (UCI 2.HC) to UCI 2.1 status, which MNCF president Datuk Abu Samah Wahab disclosed was due to the absence of world tour teams and a lack of international television coverage for the race this year.
Abu Samah, however, said it would not be possible for the race to retain it’s 2.HC status, even by appealing, as that category has been replaced by a new UCI ProSeries class.
“UCI r ecently rolled out changes to its road cycling structure and there is no more hors categorie. It has been replaced by the ProSeries, which is a step under the World Tour and a step above UCI 2.1 events,” said Abu Samah yesterday.
“The lack of world tour teams and international media coverage made it hard for us to be in the ProSeries class which was quite strange as the president of the commissaire panel (PCP) at the race then (April) had assured that it (absence of world tour teams) would not be a problem.
“We will be attending a working committee meeting with the Sports Ministry in Putrajaya on Monday and if they (Ministry) agree on appealing for ProSeries status, then we will discuss more about it.
“In terms of our chances (of successful appeal), it is hard for me to say.”
Abu Samah, however, said that being a UCI2.1 status race would not be the end of the world for LTdL.
“Asa2.1 race, we are still allowed to invite world tour teams to compete and can fill up to half of the field with them,” added Abu Samah.
“If we follow UCI's requirements for next year’s race by inviting world tour teams and also have international television coverage, which does not even have to be live telecast, then we will have a good chance of moving up to ProSeries status in 2021.
“The PCP of the race will, however, have to writearecommendation for us.”