Organizers released details of the 2008 Tour de Langkawi on Monday, with the riders facing the formidable hors categorie stage to the Genting Highlands on the second day of the race.

The Malaysian state of Johor is expected to play a major role in the 13th edition of the Tour de Langkawi when the southern state hosts three of the nine stages in a revamped route for the race scheduled for February 9-17.

The route takes a significant departure from past editions, with the stage to Genting now longer and appearing earlier than it ever has before.

In a release issued Monday, organizers said they expect riders will “be all fired up” to take on the 125-kilometer race that culminates with a long haul up one of Malaysia’s most brutal climbs.

“In the past, many riders would have been rather spent by the time Genting comes around, however it will be a different story next year,” the organizer’s announcement noted. “As all the riders will be fresh, we can expect a battle royale up Genting.”

The race opens on February 9 with a flat 130-kilometer opener from Alor Setar, last visited by the Tour in 2001, to Kulim. The following day will begin in Tapah and make its way to the peak of Genting.

The tour’s toughest stage will then be followed by the tour’s longest, a 195-kilometer race from Lanchang to Cukai in the state of Terengganu. If past editions are any indication, hundreds of thousands of spectators will that day’s route.

The city of Kuantan, which hosted the start of the seventh stage in 2007, will serve as the starting point for the fourth stage, a 128-kilometer ride through rolling terrain that ends in Kuala Rompin.

The following day, the tour makes its way further south, with a spectacular route along the coast as the peloton goes past Tanjung Gemok, Mersing, Jemaluang and Mawai, before ending in an expected bunch sprint at Dataran Kejora in Bandar Penawar.

Stage six will provide yet another scenic route through Teluk Ramunia, Kota Tinggi and Sedili before finishing at the Dataran Johor in Johor Baru where the race last made an appearance in 2004.

The seventh stage takes competitors back north, through the west coast and a relatively flat 128-kilometer stage from Johor Baru to Batu Pahat where most would expect the day to end in a field sprint.

The historic city of Malacca will provide a sensational setting for the start of the eighth and penultimate stage, which cover a series of relatively easy milder climbs along the 150-kilometers to Seremban, a route that passes through Alor Gajah, Tampin, Gemencheh, Bahau, Kuala Pilah and Ampangan. While the climbs might each be easy, if taken on separately, a seemingly unending series of them might take its toll on riders and offer an opportunity for a break to shake up the GC.

Traditionally, the Tour has ended with a criterium through the streets of Kuala Lumpur, but organizers have broken with tradition and plan a 153km route from Seremban through Rembau, Kuala Klawang and Ampang before ending at Dataran Merdeka.

It is expected that a record 25 teams, including five ProTour squads, will line up at the start in Alor Setar on February 9.

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Le Tour de Langkawi 2008
February 9-17
STAGE ONE (Alor Star to Kulim) 132.4km|
STAGE TWO (Tapah to Genting Highlands) 125.4km
STAGE THREE (Lanchang to Cukai) 195.0km
STAGE FOUR (Kuantan to Kuala Rompin) 128.0km
STAGE FIVE (Kuala Rompin to Bandar Penawar) 185.7km
STAGE SIX (Bandar Penawar to Johor Baru) 183.2km
STAGE SEVEN (Johor Baru to Batu Pahat) 128.0km
STAGE EIGHT (Melaka to Seremban) 150.0km
STAGE NINE (Seremban to Kuala Lumpur) 153.8km