The Tour de Langkawi may be welcoming international riders back to Malaysian racing after a cancellation in 2021, but there is a group that are probably feeling more like the 2.Pro tour could be a last goodbye.
A goodbye to this season, a goodbye to their team – and desperately hoping it’s not also a goodbye to their cycling careers. Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli is facing an uncertain future as it searches to find a new sponsor to keep it going through 2023, so Langkawi could be the team’s final race. That makes it a final chance for its riders to make an impression as they scramble to find a team spot for next year.
“Our situation in the team now is not so good, maybe the team will close maybe not,” Eduard Grosu told Cyclingnews on the sidelines of the race in Malaysia. “For the moment I don’t find a team for the next season. Also my teammates are searching for a team.”
It’s not an uncommon story in the peloton, with stage 6 winner Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Pro Cycling) just one of those finding himself without a contract for 2023. Other riders like stage 2 winner Craig Wiggins (ARA Pro Cycling Sunshine Coast) are trying to use the race as an opportunity to snag their first step into the professional ranks.
However, riders like Blikra and Wiggins have an advantage with teammates who have their own plans in place for next year and have been supporting them in the sprints, while at Drone Hopper, all the riders facing the same difficult situation, so they have been told they are free to go for their own chances.
“It’s difficult to make good results when you are alone but I will try,” said Grosu. “I am focussed to win a stage and find a good team for next season.”
Grosu, who won stage 3 of the Tour of Romania last month, has amassed three top-10 results at the Tour de Langkawi, taking to the podium in third on stage 4. Teammate Eduardo Sepulveda, who came to Drone Hopper-Androni in 2021 after spending three seasons at Movistar, is also looking for results at Langkawi as he works to find a place for next season. However, it's no easy task with many riders looking and very few spots at this stage of the year.
“Always you can start a conversation but every team says they are full,” said Sepulveda. “I know it is not easy but I keep positive in my mind.”
Sepulveda came sixth on the steep slopes of the Genting Highlands stage and is also sitting sixth in the overall competition, just 22 seconds away from the podium.
“I try to not think too much about the contract but stay focussed in the race because I want to race but I hope something is coming,” Sepulveda told Cyclingnews. “This is the last race of the season so I need to enjoy it, but also I hope something comes.”
The remaining stage best suited to Sepulveda was stage 7 with its finishing climb of Gunung Raya not only offering an opportunity for a top stage result but also the potential for him to try and climb toward that final overall podium spot, but unfortunately the weather has prevented that from going ahead. Flooding in Langkawi on Sunday and landslides on the climb leading to a late change of plan, with the much flatter route of stage 8 now being used in instead.
It's now a stage more suited to teammate Grosu, as it is more likely to come down to a bunch sprint, perhaps with a reduced field, which will give the 30-year-old a chance to add another strong result to his list as he continues the search for a team slot in 2023.
“I don’t know maybe I’m old, maybe it’s because the teams are already full,” said Grosu with a shrug. “But I am still fighting for a place for next year.”
