KUALA LUMPUR – It’s a wrap for the 2023 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL), and organiser chief operating officer Emir Abdul Jalal is brimming with satisfaction regarding the seamless execution of this year’s race.
In its 27th edition, the International Cycling Union ProSeries event charted a staggering course of 1,278.42km, spanning eight stages across the picturesque landscapes of Peninsular Malaysia.
Emir commended the quality of the live broadcast, underscoring its accolades from international rights holders such as Eurosport.
He shared that the standard of their live telecast had soared to new heights, aligning with renowned races like the Vuelta a España and the Tour de France, as it amassed over 30 to 40 million views across diverse platforms.
“The standard of our live telecast has improved by leaps and bounds, on par with the Vuelta a Espana and the Tour de France.
“Our social media too has been amazing, I think across all platforms we have gotten more than 30 to 40 million views this year.
“So, our promotional plan has been very effective in promoting the race,” he added.
Emir added that the surge in viewership could pave the way for increased sponsorship for next year’s edition.
In a mere three months, they managed to secure RM7.8 million in sponsorships, augmenting the RM8 million contribution from the government.
Looking ahead to the next race, Emir outlined their plans to attract more sponsors, which will be aided by improvements in the sponsorship department.
“If we can get more money in, we can attract more teams with World status to compete, and we can also get better quality riders to participate,” he said.
Acknowledging the vital role of promotional efforts in garnering support from rural areas, Emir lauded the meticulous planning behind these initiatives.
“Everything pretty much went as planned, there were little hiccups here and there, but that is normal.
“The main thing is the extraordinary reception from the public, starting from the team presentation until the first stage in Terengganu. The best was in Baling. Even in (the finishing) Kuala Lumpur City Centre (yesterday) was packed with people.
“There’s a lot of hard work that went into ensuring this happens, our promotional team created school and kampung cheering competitions.
“They sent out brochures to all the kampung and schools along the race routes, so it’s not magic that the public is lining up at the roadsides supporting the race,” said Emir after the completion of the final stage yesterday.
However, Emir’s future as COO for the next race is uncertain, despite having big dreams for LTdL.
“We want to elevate the status of LTdL from ProSeries to World Tour, I feel like that is realistic in the next five to 10 years.
“We’ve also had discussions of holding stages in neighbouring countries like Singapore and Thailand, but there are immigration issues that need to be ironed out first,” he said.
This year’s race sees Simon Carr win the overall Individual General Classification, which makes him the first British rider to do so.
His team, EF Education-EasyPost, also wheels away with the Team General Classification, taking home RM183,825 in prize money.
The Best Asian Team goes to Roojai Online Insurance.
Malaysia’s two representatives, the Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team (TSG) and the National Team, finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
TSG took home RM40,250, and the National Team pocketed RM27,800. – October 1, 2023
Overall LTdL individual classification:
Individual General Classification (Green Jersey): Simon Carr of EF Education-EasyPost
Best Asian Rider (White Jersey): Vadim Pronskiy of Astan Qazaqstan
Best Sprinter (Orange Jersey): Arvid de Kleijn of Tudor Pro Cycling Team
Best Climber (Polka Dot Jersey): Simon Pellaud of Tudor Pro Cycling Team