LANGKAWI: With Genting Highlands out of the equation, the battle for the Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi green jersey (general classification) is expected to be a much more open affair this year.
Defending champion Simon Carr (EF Education-EasyPost) said the third stage climb up to Cameron Highlands on Tuesday (Oct 3) is not as tough as the climb up to Genting Highlands, which has traditionally hosted the queen stage for LTdL over the years.
Genting Highlands has been left out this year due to scheduled roadworks there.
The UCI ProSeries tour starts tomorrow (Sept 29).
"Winning LTdL last year was definitely a big achievement for me. I think I am in similar shape to last season and the ambition of the team here is to do well in the GC," said Carr during a press conference in Kuah today.
"The course this year, however, is really different. Last year it came down to that one stage in Genting Highlands but this year the climb (Cameron Highlands) is slightly easier.
"It will be more open and will be more difficult to predict. It may not be a pure climber who wins the GC. To be honest, even a sprinter-type could win the GC with bonus seconds if they can make it over that climb.
"We have to just wait and see how it unfolds."
The third stage will start in Taiping and pass Kuala Kangsar, Sungai Siput and Ipoh before beginning a hors categorie climb up to Cameron Highlands with a maximum elevation of 1,620 metres. The gradients, however, are not as steep as Genting Highlands.
Carr's main rivals include Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL's Max Poole who is in hot form after scoring four podium finishes (stage) at the recently concluded Vuelta a Espana.
Poole, however, downplayed his chances in the GC here.
Both Carr and Poole are English.
"Vuelta was super hard, we just have to wait and see how the legs are," said Poole at the same press conference.
"I think like Simon said, it is quite a strange route. There is one (climb) on the third stage but there are quite a few guys who can pass it.
"I don't think it is quite as straightforward as what it seems. We have to see.
"But we (Dsm) have a good team here and we will also go for the sprints."
Poole's DSM teammate Casper van Uden (Netherlands) is among those expected to excel in the bunch sprints alongside Tudor Pro Cycling's Arvid de Kleijn (Netherlands), Astana Qazaqstan's Gleb Syritsa (Russian) and Corratec-Vini Fantini's Jakub Mareczko (Italy).
The latter three have all tasted stage wins in LTdL in recent years.
De Kleijn, who won the points classification last year, is eager to resume his rivalry with Syritsa here.
"I am back here to battle with Gleb again, I think we have a nice sprint field here," said De Kleijn.
"I had a good start to the season before I picked up an injury (knee). It took me four months to really get back into form.
"But I have started winning again and the last three weeks have been good."
The first stage tomorrow will see riders racing a 96.5 kilometre round island course in Langkawi which features three intermediate sprints at Harbour Park, Kampung Bayas and Padang Matsirat as well as one category four climb (lookout point). The stage will start and end in Kuah town.