BUKIT JALIL – This year’s edition of the Le Tour de Langkawi will feature new technology – with high-tech body cameras being used by race commissaires, especially those on bikes, to assist in recording any incidents throughout the race.
National Sports Council director Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said this is in line with what is being used for other cycling tours around the world.
“The body cams will help the race commissaires, especially those on bikes, to record important incidents during the race.
“If there are any protests the footage will be used as evidence in evaluating any type of objections,” said Shapawi after an event to introduce early sponsors for this year’s edition of the tour here today.
Chinese firm Zhejiang Dahua will sponsor the equipment being used on the tour, and the technology partnership does not end there as TikTok will also live stream the race.
A total of 22 teams have confirmed their participation in the International Cycling Union ProSeries race. But the list of riders has yet to be finalised as nine teams have made changes to their roster.
This is not unique as teams often make last-minute team changes to compensate for their weakness and their opponents’ strength.
“There are nine teams that have made changes to their rider list to better strategise and achieve their targets at LTdL.”
The nine teams are Astana Qazaqstan Team, EF Education-EasyPost, Euskaltel-Euskadi, Team Corrtec-Selle Italia, Green Project-CSF- Bardiani Faizane, Tudor Pro Cycling Team, St George Continental Cycling Team, JCL Team Ukyo and HengXiang Cycling Team.
Meanwhile, five teams have requested to arrive early to acclimatise for the road race.
Four teams will arrive on September 18 – Green Project-CSF- Bardiani Faizane, Bolton Equities Black Spoke Pro Cycling, Team Corrtec-Selle Italia, and Li Ning Star Riders, while KSPO Professional from South Korea will arrive on the 20th.
The race will flag off on September 23 in Kerteh and will end in the nation’s capital on the 30th. – September 6, 2023