GENTING HIGHLANDS – Ghouls, a zombie-nurse and school children – a lively set of spectators were seen to be enthusiastically waiting and cheering for their favourite local and international cyclists.
Malaysians from all walks of life, some even in entertaining costumes, continued to turn up in droves along the roadside to watch the cyclists battle it out on the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL).
Marking the 27th edition of the ProSeries road cycling race, Malaysians continue to provide positive reception and support throughout the tour series held nationwide.
Locals were more than willing to take their time, sitting by the roadside and waiting patiently just to catch a glimpse of the cyclists as they zoomed past.
School children were also spotted lining up along the LTdL route in front of their schools under the close supervision of their teachers to cheer on the cyclists and amp up the racing atmosphere.
School-goers from SK Baling in Kedah, for instance, even came up with coordinated cheers to encourage the group of cyclists as they sped through each stage along the planned routes.
In a TikTok video posted by user @bellaciouspickstop, the students can be seen lining up along the roadside wearing colourful outfits shouting coordinated cheers and waving pom-poms as the cavalcade passes by.
@bellaciouspickstop Terima kasih #ltdl2023 mai ke daerah Baling🥰. Utk anak anak SK BALING, hampa laa JUARA, serius bangga sangat2 dgn semangat hampa semua❤️🫶🏻 #ltdl2023 #balingkedah #welcometobaling #thisiskedahdarulaman💚💛 ♬ original sound – UNY.co – SitiApit
The passion shown by the school-goers and locals alike seems to indicate that LTdL continues to enjoy the limelight despite earlier controversies of the cycling tour being pulled out of the world calendar by International Cycling Union (UCI), in July, before reversing its decision a week later.
Yesterday’s Stage 5 route from Slim River to Genting Highlands saw several fans turning up in odd costumes to show their support for the cyclists.
It has become a tradition for cycling fans to turn up along the uphill road leading up to Genting Highlands dressed in various costumes to cheer on exhausted cyclists on to complete the gruelling Hors Category climb to the finish.
One fan was spotted dressed as a zombie nurse while another was dressed as a ghoul, with others holding plushies as they shouted and cheered the riders as they passed them.
The iconic LTdL has been running without fail since its inception 1996 until 2020 before it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic before subsequently resuming, last year.
This year’s race covers a staggering 1,278.42km over eight stages all over peninsula Malaysia.
There are still three stages to go until the finale, which is set at the capital city, here, on Saturday. – September 27, 2023