Bike Pure are pleased to announce it’s partnership with 2010 Le Tour de Langkawi. The 15th edition of the UCI (Hors Category) stage race runs from March 1-7th, beginning in Kota Bharu and finishing in Kuala Lumpur seven days later. Le Tour of Langkawi is Asia’s premier cycling event, equivalent
in status to several major European stage races.

Le Tour de Langkawi CEO Mohamed Bin Salleh is a strong supporter of Bike Pure’s anti-doping organization, “Le Tour de Langkawi is thrilled to collaborate with Bike Pure in support of clean cycling. As one of the biggest races in Asia, we hope that with this partnership creates fair competition and move forward into a new drug-free era for cycling all over the world.” Mohamed Bin Salleh continued “We are honoured to be the first Asian cycling event to be associated with Bike Pure for the purpose of protecting the integrity of cycling.”

In a positive move, Le Tour de Langkawi officials and staff will wear a specially commissioned Le Tour de Langkawi Bike Pure wristband to show their affiliation. The wristbands will also be handed out to spectators, team, officials and riders alike at the event.

Bike Pure feel this is a major step forward in highlighting the problems cyclesport faces as sponsors look for a positive return on their financial investment within the sport, “There is a momentum for major change within cycling, fans of the sport no longer want the dopers destroying it’s image.
This feeling is illustrated clearly by the organisers of Le Tour de Langkawi, being the first professional event to fully partner Bike Pure and show it’s commitment to anti-doping on a world wide scale.”

“Major events like Le Tour de Langkawi are put together at great expense and no organisor wishes to see his event tarnished with a doping scandal. Sponsors require positive media attention, and one single rider could destroy all this investment.”

The event will have a total of twenty teams competing under the organization of the Ministry of Youth and Sport, with a mixture of ProTour teams, Pro-Continental teams, national squads and local teams. Previous winners include Tom Danielson and Chris Horner in what is traditionally a very mountainous event. This years edition sees at least one King of the Mountains for each of the seven stages and will provide some spectacular racing in equally spectacular scenery.

Please visit the Bike Pure website at http://www.bikepure.org for the latest information and the official race site at http://www.ltdl.com.my