KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 ― Hengxiang Cycling of China has withdrawn their participation from the 2020 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) as a precautionary measure in the face of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak.

Human Voyage chief operating officer Shahaizereen A. Hamid said, however, the team’s withdrawal would not affect the race as the slot left by Hengxiang Cycling would be filled by another team.

“We are now waiting for confirmation from three teams ― two from China and one from Hong Kong ― on their participation in the tour,” he told a media conference here yesterday.

Shahaizereen said as the organiser of the 2020 LTdL, Human Voyage would be working together with several ministries, including the Ministry of Health to conduct a thorough health screening on riders, officials and media personnel arriving from China.

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Meanwhile, he said over RM18 million was spent on this year edition, of which RM8 million was from the government while the remaining came from sponsorships.

To date, 22 teams including one World Tour team (professional team) and five professional continental teams have confirmed their participation in this year’s edition.

Stage one of the 2020 LTdL will begin in Kuching on February 7. The tour concludes with stage eight in Langkawi. The tour covers 1095.7km across nine states.

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In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the tour, Human Voyage will also host the Malaysian International Criterium Race in Kota Kinabalu on Feb 6 and the Malaysian International Classic Race in Langkawi on February 15. ― Bernama