THE opening stage begins with the peloton charging from the administrative capital of Putrajaya to Jenderam, Bangi before the first intermediate sprint of the tour in Kajang, at the 38 kilometre point.

If the trend in recent editions of LTdL is anything to go by, then the peloton could be broken up by early attacks in view of the first intermediate sprint and the subsequent one just nine kilometres later in Semenyih. It is then flat all the way heading into Broga, Lenggeng and Mantin, where the frontrunners will be those in with a chance of taking the first king of the mountains points on offer with a category 4 climb at Bukit Puyoh.

From there on, the race cuts a flat figure into Pajam, Labu and Salak Tinggi where the tempo is expected to rise moving into the zone for the third intermediate sprint at Nilai, closing accounts for the sprinters before the race turns into undulating terrain all the way to the finish in Senawang.

If the bunch is kept under tight control by the teams with contenders in a bunched finish, a sprinter will likely pull on the first yellow jersey of the race.