The biggest ever edition of the Telekom Malaysia Tour de Langkawi will get underway this Friday in Malaysia, featuring an impressive lineup of squads including four ProTour teams. The Discovery Channel Team of Lance Armstrong will take part, albeit without the multiple Tour de France winner who is still preparing for the season. Triple TDF podium finisher Joseba Beloki will lead the in-form Liberty Seguros squad, recent winners of the Tour Down Under in Australia, while the presence of Credit Agricole and Domina Vacanze add prestige to the event.

Mid-race 2004 yellow jersey wearer Marlon Perez leads the Colombia-Selle Italia squad, while established pro outfits Acqua & Sapone, Team Barloworld, Ceramica Panaria-Navigarre, Landbourwkrediet-Colnago, MrBookemaker.com and Navigators Insurance also come for their share of the spoils. An additional five professional teams will take part, as will four national teams. The latter include a seven-man Ireland squad led by David McCann and Paul Griffin, both clearly in good form on the basis of their second and sixth place respectively in the recent Tour of Siam.

Flanders Afincom professional Stephen Gallagher is also hoping to go well, as are Paul Healion, Paídi O’Brien, Roger Aiken and Sean Lacey.

The ten-stage race gets underway this Friday with a 107 kilometre road stage lapping the Malaysian holiday island of Langkawi. Day two will see the riders face 172 kilometres between Kangar to Kepala Batas, while twenty four hours later the first mountains occur on the longest stage of the race, a 172.5 km race from Gerik to Tanah Merah.

Day four provides opportunity for the power riders to take time out of the pure climbers through a flat 20.3 kilometre time trial. Stages five and six are likewise bereft of hills, taking the riders 164 kilometres to Kuala Terengganu and 153 kilometres to Cukai in Terengganu, while day seven’s 168 kilomeres from Maran to Raub are more undulating. Almost certainly, the biggest shakeup will take place on the following day’s stage to the top of the gruelling Genting Highlands climb; although short at just 98 kilometres, this day of racing always upends the general classification.

After Genting, just two more stages remain. Day nine sees the riders race 165 kilometres from Menara Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya, while the concluding stage features the customary Kuala Lumpur Criterium, a flat out street race over just 65 kilometres.

So who will win? Team Barloworld-Valsir’s Ryan Cox has completed over 8,000 kilometres in training in order to improve on his second place twelve months ago; he is certainly psyched. His team-mate Tiaan Kannemeyer is also in very good shape. Tom Danielson won in 2003 and will be backed by a strong Discovery Channel team, while last year’s race leader Marlon Perez should also feature. As a Tour de France podium finisher Joseba Beloki has the ability to triumph, although at this early stage of the season he is probably here to get into condition rather than to act as a challenger.

And of course there is Jörg Jaksche. A year ago he was almost unstoppable in the early season, winning the Tour of the Mediterranean and Paris Nice. He too should be prominent and, backed by the strong Liberty Seguros team, must be considered one of the real danger men. As for the Irish riders, they will be hoping to land a high stage or overall placing between the race start in Langkawi on Friday and the conclusion in Kuala Lumpur ten days later.

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10th Telekom Malaysia Tour de Langkawi, Malaysia (2.HC)

Stage 1, January 28: Langkawi – Langkawi, 106.9 km
Stage 2, January 29: Kangar - Kepala Batas, 171.6 km
Stage 3, January 30: Gerik - Tanah Merah, 172.5 km
Stage 4, January 31: Bachok ITT, 20.3 km
Stage 5, February 1: Kota Bahru - Kuala Terengganu, 163.9 km
Stage 6, February 2: Kuala Berang - Cukai in Terengganu, 152 km
Stage 7, February 3: Maran – Raub, 167.7 km
Stage 8, February 4: Kuala Kubu Bahru – Genting (97.9 km)
Stage 9, February 5: Menara Kuala Lumpur – Putrajaya, 164.8 km
Stage 10, February 6: Kuala Lumpur Criterium, 65 km


TDL Past winners:

2004: Freddy Gonzalez (Col) Colombia Selle-Italia
2003: Tom Danielson (USA) Saturn
2002: Hernan Dario Munoz (Col) Colombia-Selle
2001: Paolo Lanfranchi (Ita) Mapei-Quickstep
2000: Christopher Horner (Usa) Mercury
1999: Paolo Lanfranchi (Ita) Mapei-Quickstep
1998: Gabrielle Missaglia (Ita) Mapei-Bricobi
1997: Luca Scinto (Ita) MG-Technogym
1996: Damian Mcdonald (Aus) Giant-AIS