With Max Poole set to become only the second British rider to win the Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi general classification, let’s take a look at some interesting statistics and records about the iconic Malaysian tour which made its debut in 1996.
Italian sprinter Andrea Guardini holds the record for winning the most stages in Le Tour de Langkawi. He has won 24 stages which he achieved between 2011 to 2018.
Simon Carr (EF Education EasyPost) was the first British rider to win the general classification which he achieved last year (2023).
Wong Kam-Po (Hong Kong) is the first Asian rider to win a stage in Le Tour de Langkawi, which he achieved during the 2000 edition.
Le Tour de Langkawi’s biggest field was in 2001 when 173 riders started the tour.
Terengganu Cycling Team sprinter Harrif Saleh holds the record for the most appearances in the tour. The 36-year-old has now competed in 15 editions of the race.
Harrif also holds the record for winning the most stages for a Malaysian rider having won one stage in 2019 and two in 2020.
Anuar Manan became the first Malaysian rider to win a stage in the tour when he won in Port Dickson in 2010, he also became the first Malaysian to win the sprinters classification that year.
Adiq Husainie Othman (2016) and Nur Aiman Zariff (2020) became the first Malaysians to win the Asian riders classification and climbers classification respectively.
Kuala Lumpur has hosted the most stage finishes among all states – 22. Langkawi (20) and Kuala Terengganu (16) are second and third in the list.
The shortest ever stage of the tour was in 1996 from Tanjung Malim to Genting Highlands (63km). The longest stage was in 2000 from Mersing to Melaka (244km).