KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- The United States-based ProTeam Modern Adventure Pro Cycling will field a balanced line-up capable of challenging more experienced teams despite being regarded as newcomers to the 2026 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL26).
The LTdL2026 Secretariat said in a statement that the team, officially established in mid-2025 and based in Greenville, South Carolina, and Girona, Spain, could make a big impact in their first year on the professional circuit as they aim to compete at the highest level, including the Tour de France, by 2032.
Led by manager Alex Howes, the team will be banking on three capable climbers - Stefan De Bod, Kieran Haug and Leo Hayter - as well as three sprinters - Robin Carpenter, Scott McGill and Riley Pickrell.
Twenty-nine-year-old De Bod is a familiar name among Malaysian cycling fans, as the South African-born rider joined local team TSG last year. He also finished second in Stage 6 (Batu Pahat to Kulai) at LTdL24 while riding for EF Education-EasyPost.
Haug, 23, an American rider from Brunswick, won the Tour of Gila last year but came in second this year, while also placing sixth at the US National Championships.
“Hayter, 25, from Britain, won the Giro d’Italia Giovani Under-23 in 2022 and comes into LTdL26 in good form after coming in third in Stage 3 en route to finishing fifth overall at the Tour of Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle-Aquitaine in France last month.
“Thirty-four-year-old American Carpenter, who previously rode for ProTeams Rally and UnitedHealthcare before taking a three-year break, has shown he still has the winning touch after claiming victory at the Yarmouth Clam Bike Festival in Maine in July. He also competed in the PostNord Tour of Denmark in August,” it added.
Meanwhile, McGill, 27, won two stages at the 2022 Volta a Portugal and one stage at the 2024 Tour of Gila, while Canadian-born Pickrell, 25, won two stages at the Sibiu Cycling Tour in 2024 and 2025, as well as second in Stage 4 of the 2026 Tour of Türkiye and third in Stage 1 of the Arctic Race of Norway in August.
LTdL26 will begin with Stage 1 from Shah Alam to Kampar on Sept 27 and conclude with Stage 8 from Muar to Putrajaya on Oct 4, spanning 1,285.5 kilometres.
The 2.ProSeries-ranked LTdL26 will feature two WorldTeams, eight ProTeams, nine Continental teams and the Malaysian national team.
It is organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports through the National Sports Council, with full support from the Malaysian National Cycling Federation.
-- BERNAMA