Date: Saturday, 17 March 2018
Dimension Data will be looking to notch up a fourth successive Tour de Langkawi title in the eight-day race that starts in Kangar, Malaysia, tomorrow.
Youcef Reguigui started the sequence of victories in 2015 with South Africa’s Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Ryan Gibbons extending the team’s title run in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Ryan Gibbons (in yellow) pictured here when he won the Tour de Langkawi last year. Photo: Stiehl Photography
The African team’s younger riders – Eritrean Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier, SA’s Baby Giro king of the mountains winner Nicholas Dlamini and Welshman Scott Davies – will have the chance to lead the charge this year as the team’s top sprinters are focused on the European spring classics.
Former SA national road champion Jaco Venter and compatriot Johann van Zyl, who were both part of the 2016 winning squad, and Eritrea’s Mekseb Debesay, who played an important role in assuring victory at last year’s event, complete the line-up.
DiData’s sport director, Gino van Oudenhove, said their squad lacked a top sprinter and would need to be proactive and go on the offensive to score stage results and bonus seconds in the hunt for a high placing in the general classification.
He said their riders were aware of the task at hand ready to fight.
“For the GC, the fifth stage will be crucial. In contrast to the sprint teams we might have the best set-up for this task.”
Full team:
Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier
Nicholas Dlamini
Scott Davies
Mekseb Debesay
Johann van Zyl
Jaco Venter
