PETALING JAYA: Three pro teams set to compete at the upcoming Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) have made significant last-minute changes to their line-ups before the race starts on Sept 29.
Equipo Kern Pharma, Corratec Vini Fantini, and VF Group Bardiani have made swaps to their line-up before the 1,190km race starts in Langkawi and ends in Bintulu, Sarawak.
The Spanish-based Kern Pharma team will be relying on Miguel Angel Fernandez as their main sprinter, making six rider substitutions in the latest list submitted to LTdL.
Fernandez, 27, who won two stages in the Tour of Hainan last month, will have the support of compatriots Jorge Gutierrez Gonzalez, Ibon Ruiz Sedano, Unai Iribar Jauregi, Pablo Carrascocsa Miller, and Polish rider Danny Van Der Tuuk.
Meanwhile, the Corratec team will be banking on Jakub Mareczko of Italy, a stage winner in the Tour of Hainan, to lead their challenge.
Mareczko has a record of winning eight stages in the Tour of Hainan since 2015 and had previously won four stages of LTdL from 2016 to 2022.
The 30-year-old Italian will be assisted by Swiss riders Alexander Balmer and Valentin Darbellay, alongside Italians Valerio Conti and Giuliu Masotto, and also Etienne Van Empel from Holland.
Italian-based team VF Group Bardiani, on the other hand, have made three rider changes by including David Gabburo, Alex Tolio, and Luca Paletti to replace Vicente Rojas Navanjo, Filipo Turconi, and Enrico Zanoncello.
– The Star
