Il Tour of Langkawi, It was the last race of any importance of the year. The race took place in an exotic country, Malaysia, which, as often happens, offers great contradictions to the eye: the luxurious skyscrapers of the cities and the old-fashioned villages of the countryside.
Eight stages, from Kuala Lumpur, in the central-southern part of Malaysia, in Kuah, In Langkawi proper, further north. Lots of rain and a good dose of cheering…
Bisolti present
And he was also part of the Asian chaos Alessandro Bisolti, sided with his Drone Hopper-AndroniIt wasn't easy to get results like in the past. There were so many squads, and Bisolti himself immediately told us that the level has changed significantly compared to pre-Covid.
Alessandro, unfortunately, due to a mix-up with the judges and a good dose of bad luck he was forced to raise the white flag prematurely, but it still accompanied us to discover the race.
"For me," says Bisolti, "it was a tiring, strange, and... short-lived adventure! Due to a series of unfavorable coincidences, I was forced to stop early.
"My gear shift cable broke. Since there were no team cars, I didn't have a spare bike in the car I was following. There was a bike, but it was in the middle of the team car. It took us a long time to get it, and besides, it wasn't even my bike, but someone else's. Thick. In reality, at that moment the flagship wasn't even there. It had remained behind in the traffic. The fact is that when I set off again the limit had passed."
«I had to stop three times to adjust the saddle. I had the Allen key. To avoid stopping the fourth time, I got help from the team car. We were far from the leaders and from the finish line (about 70 kilometers, ed.), but the jury was super strict. At the end of the stage, they disqualified me for towing.
In China and Asia in general, Bisolti says judges have always been a bit strict, but sometimes a little common sense is needed, especially since teams don't have all the usual resources, and they have to adapt.
Before and after Covid
«Compared to 2019 – says Bisolti – the level is certainly higher. Last year, it was contested only by local teams. In 2019, there was only one WorldTour team, if I'm not mistaken, Astana; this time, there were six. And that also changed the way the race was run.
«In these races, we used to start fighting right away, even on the flat stages, but now the race is more controlled."
Another difference was the timing. Before Covid, the Tour de Langkawi was held in spring, now it's in October. And that changes a lot. Now there are the monsoons.
"They're two totally different climates. This is the rainy season in those parts, you can't believe how much we've taken in. Constant downpours, a kilometer of downpours, and a kilometer of dry weather.
«In March, however, the heat is oppressive, at least 40°. This time it was 35°, but We'd only see the sun for ten minutes in total. Not to mention the humidity. It was impossible to live without air conditioning. As soon as you left the hotel your arms got wet."
And with the WorldTour, the media landscape also changed. This time, the race was broadcast by Eurosport.
«Despite a few directorial errors, such as missing the end of the third leg, the race was still broadcast on a major international channel. It's certainly grown as a whole. And cycling is well known. The driver of our bus knew all about it. Tour of Italy and he dreamed of climbing the Stelvio."
Petronas Tower
By stopping early, Bisolti missed a slice of the wildest part of the Tour de Langkawi. But he didn't lose the race's DNA. Furthermore, Bisolti is a true expert at describing certain environments. He already did so with the Tour du Rwanda. The ornate Petronas Towers were a bit of a symbol of the Asian trip.
"Compared to Rwanda," Bisolti continues, "I noticed perhaps a little less enthusiasm. But it's also true that I mostly experienced the first part, the one in Kuala Lumpur. And Kuala Lumpur is a huge city and cannot compare to the warmth and crowds of the small villages like those in the Rwandan forest. And in fact… At the arrival of the third stage there were really a lot of people".
«In the days before the race, during training, they took photos and videos of us from the scooters. Another amazing thing was the traffic. It took us an hour and a half to get back to the hotel, covering the 15 kilometers. And we were on a six-lane ring road.
«Or the same when we went out for a jog: every 50 meters we were stopped at a traffic light with 100 scooters and 300 cars behind us!».
No “Montezuma”
Usually, when traveling to exotic countries, or those with less "Western" lifestyles, the "Montezuma's curse" is always lurking. And this is independent of latitude and longitude: just a few tiny differences in the composition of water and vegetables are enough to trigger a stomach ache.
«But in this case it went well – continues Bisolti – In Langkawi, no such problems. We riders always had our own pasta, rice, or chicken. And the vegetables were just cooked.
«In front of us there was a large shopping centre where we could buy the same things we have here. I usually travel with cans of tuna in my suitcase, but not this time. But I did have my moka pot!
Wide streets
The Tour de Langkawi isn't a particularly tough race. The stages are short and fairly flat, but when the climbs hit, everything changes a bit.
«It changes – concludes Bisolti – because there is a different concept of the road. In Malaysia, all the roads are wide, all like ring roads. On a nearly 20-kilometer climb at 8-9%, there were two lanes going up and two going down. And this didn't even give you a sense of the gradient. No hairpin bends, no sharp turns... killer!
«But you realized how hard they were, when going downhill you reached 110 km/h".
