Tinkoff-Saxo will give their youngsters a chance to chase some personal success when they send a very young team to the 10-stage Tour de Langkawi which starts on Thursday. Veteran Evgeny Petrov will guide 5 youngsters through the Malaysian heats, with 4 of the 6 riders being neo-professionals.

On Thursday,Tinkoff-Saxo are taking on the Malaysian stage race, Tour de Langkawi which kicks off with a short stage over 101 kilometers followed by nine other stages with a total of 1507 kilometres. Traditionally a sprinter's paradise, the race starts with three flat stages before the field is challenged with the uphill finish on the Genting Highlands that usually shapes the final GC. The stages get longer each day before the final stage to Kuala Terengganu but the final six stages could potentially end in bunch kicks as well.

Tinkoff-Saxo will participate with a young squad: Jay McCarthy, Jesper Hansen, Michael Kolar, Michael Valgren and Pawel Poljanski will form a very young nucleus of the team while Evgeny Petrov is the most experienced rider in the line-up. Hansen, Kolar, Valgren, and Poljanski are all neo-professionals.

While Kolar will be the man for the many bunch kicks, Hansen may get a chance to go for the GC in his first race of the season.

“It’s my first race of the season and I’m very excited about getting the opportunity to make a result of my own and my biggest chance is obviously on the uphill finish on stage four," he said. "If I can make a good result there, I hope for an overall top 10 result. But then again, this is my rookie year and I won’t necessarily be disappointed with less. I know I have a lot to learn and I’m also here to gain experience."

Tinkoff-Saxo DS Tristan Hoffman follow his riders closely on the roads in Malaysia.