An Aussie repeat in Langkawi?

Can the Tour de Langkawi regain its former glory, and can anAustralian repeat the feat of inaugural winner Damian McDonald? AsksAnthony Tan from Malaysia.

It's fair to say the Le Tour de Langkawi has been through a rough patch. And it's still not out of the woods.

Political infighting, a change of Prime Minister, missing prize money, reduced budgets, lack of big names, its place in the calendar – elements that separately or in unison, have all contributed to an ebb and flow of interest in what was once the fourth richest stage race in the world.

That's right: in terms of prize money awarded, the Tour de Langkawi was once second to only the three Grand Tours.

Little wonder '90s super team Mapei used to like coming so much, and after Australian Damian McDonald's win in the inaugural edition staged in 1996, the Aussie national team has continued to send a squad each year, team manager Brian Stephens now part of the Langkawi furniture after 14 editions. Tragically, three years ago on March 23, Damian was killed in a collision in Melbourne's Burnley Tunnel.

Like all races, first and foremost, it is the quality of teams and depth of those squads that create interest.

This year, among 20 participating teams, just one ProTour squad, Footon-Servetto-Fuji, has decided to come, and they only arrived the day before the race started – given them next to nil time to acclimatise to the sweltering heat of the tropics.

The biggest name, though, does not come from this Spanish-backed squad, but a rider from one of two participating ProContinental outfits: ISD-Neri's flyweight Venezuelan, José Rujano.

However, since his breakthrough season in 2005, where he finished second overall in Langkawi before going onto third overall in the Giro d'Italia including a magnificent stage win to the French ski village of Sestrière, the 28-year-old has been lost in the wilderness, and never realised his true potential.

Time is fast running out for Rujano, so this race is a solid litmus test for his major season objective, the 2010 Giro – provided his team is granted a wildcard start. There, he could be one of Cadel Evans' biggest adversaries.

With the Malaysian Sports Ministry now in control and 7.5 million Malaysian Ringgit worth of government funding and a further RM1.5 million from sponsors, the Tour de Langkawi has a shot at rebuilding itself.

Yet if its desire is return to its former glory and be among the world's top races, there needs to be a lot more moolah from where that came from.

Two Australian squads are here: Jayco-Skins and Drapac-Porsche.

In 2009, the national team had Jumpin' Jai Crawford at their disposal, where he rode brilliantly to finish second overall to José Serpa. With one stage win already under the belt courtesy of Michael Matthews, does Stephens possess as good a team this time round?

"I think potentially. We knew Jai was a top-flight climber and was going to be up there on the GC. This year, we've got a few… one, Pat[rick] Lane, is a good climber and potentially as good but he's a bit untried," Stephens told me on the race's opening day, before Matthews won the stage to Kuala Berang.

"All these flat stages, we've got some pretty fast guys as well, so I think we'll concentrate on the stage finishes for the early part, and Pat's just going to make sure he keeps himself up in the mix. And as we get closer to Genting, we'll concentrate more on [helping] Pat.

"Richard [Lang]'s more of the sprinter type and Pat's more of a climber, but the rest of them are pretty much all in the mix for fast finishes and breaks. So that's sort of the team we wanted to come here with, that sort of style of racing, because that's how it will turn out."

Drapac-Porsche has also tasted success in Malaysia, with Mitchell Docker taking the leader's jersey two years ago and climbing well enough to finish sxith overall. "We've come here with an equally good team," their team manager, Agostino Giramondo, assured me.

"Hopefully, the race [for GC] will form into a breakaway situation. We've noticed this year there's a lack of good sprinters, and for us not having a designated sprinter, we don't think it will be a problem this year because we believe the race will be won at Genting Highlands."

So who are they banking on?

"We've brought two out this year – Lachlan Norris and Peter McDonald," Agostino said. "Peter McDonald went really well here two years ago, but he was assigned to work for Mitchell Docker.

"This year, without a designated sprinter, Peter and Lachlan have free reign to have a go during the week and also on Saturday [Stage 6] to Genting Highlands."

Auspiciously, their rider David Pell made the winning break on Tuesday's second leg. Although he finished last in the sprint, the stage won by South African Jay Thomson, he's one of three riders now three minutes in front of the rest of the field; five seconds off the lead in second overall, Pell's got a great chance of taking the race lead.

Still, for an Aussie to stand a chance against what looks like a rejuvenated and in-form Rujano, they'll probably need a few more minutes than that.