KUALA LUMPUR: After being excluded from the tour last season, Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) is set to return to its namesake island this year and also make a few stops in Sarawak.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who officiated the LTdL launch event in Bukit Jalil today, said 11 states will be involved in the UCI ProSeries race which will be held from Sep 29 to Oct 6.
"Last year, the Youth and Sports Ministry and the National Sports Council (NSC) tried their best to bring the race to as many states as possible in Peninsular Malaysia.
"Due to a limited amount of time and budget constraints, we were not able to bring the race to Langkawi. This was questioned in parliament.
"Langkawi has been brought back into the race this year, and for the first time, we will also be heading to Miri and Bintulu in Sarawak, as well as Kulai in Johor.
"This is to allow the people of Miri and Bintulu a chance to watch the race. Previously, LTdL had been held in Kuching in 2020.
"A total of 11 states will be involved this year, with Kelantan, Terengganu and Sabah being the exceptions. NSC will organise the race for a second year in a row."
The federal government allocated RM8 million for the race last year, with the rest being raised through sponsorship. At the time, the amount needed to host a decent event was estimated to be around RM14-15 million.
Bringing the race to Sarawak is almost certain to increase the costs involved due to logistics.
Yeoh said her ministry is not able to disclose how much federal funding will be allocated for the race this year, as they are still in the process of securing more sponsors.
"We will announce the amount (federal funding) later on because we are still seeking sponsorship from the corporate sector, as well as state governments.
"Once we have the breakdown we will announce it.
"(As for taking the race to Sarawak) it is very special for Petronas (title sponsors) to go to Bintulu and Miri as it is also their 50th anniversary this year."
Langkawi will host the opening stage, a short 96.5km affair, on Sep 29.
Sarawak will host the last two stages, which includes an epic 199.3km penultimate stage on Oct 5 from Miri to Bintulu.
The final stage, on Oct 6 will be held in Bintulu. The whole tour will cover a total distance of 1,191km.
LTdL 2024 stages (Sep 29-Oct 6):
Stage 1: Kuah to Kuah (96.5km)
Stage 2: Arau to Butterworth (154.5km)
Stage 3: Taiping to Cameron Highlands (170.3km)
Stage 4: Kuala Kubu Baru to Genting Highlands (112.8km)
Stage 5: Kuala Lumpur to Melaka (167.3km)
Stage 6: Batu Pahat to Kulai (123.6km)
Stage 7: Miri to Bintulu (199.3km)
Stage 8: Bintulu to Bintulu / Loop (166.8km)