Statistics, however, don't matter to the other five former winners. Androni-Venezuela start as the hot favourites, as 2010 overall winner Jose Rujano admitted, with the Venezuelan's team including compatriot and defending champion Yonnatha Monsalve and 2009 winner Jose Serpa of Colombia.
Europcar's Anthony Charteau, the first French winner of LTdL, returns for the first time since his 2007 triumph which launched his international career capped by his mountains classification victory in last year's Tour de France.
Azad University Cross team of Iran will start this race with not only local hope Ng Yong Li, but 2004 overall winner Freddy Gonzalez in a squad packed with climbing prowess that features Colombian brothers Victor and Miguel Angel Nino and Iranian national champion Abbas Saeditanha.
While Rujano's admission that his Androni-Venezuela team, who arrived fresh from winning the overall team classification in the Vuelta San Luis in Argentina two weeks ago, are targeting mainly the triple peaks of Bukit Tinjau (Ampang Hill), Genting Perez and Bukit Tangga on Stage Five and the Genting climb the following day, they do not intend on losing too much time in the general classification plot which begins with a 20.3km time trial in Putrajaya today.
"Yes, I must admit we start as the favourites. The time trial, it's not for us, so we have to be careful not to lose too much time. To lose between 30 and 50 seconds will be okay, but not more," said Rujano, 30, who began his professional career in LTdL in 2004 riding in support of Gonzalez in his current team then known as Colombia-Selle Italia.
A year earlier a 25-year-old Tom Danielson, who had just switched from mountain biking to take up a pro career with the Saturn team, also made his debut in LTdL but with much greater success.
He returns with the Garmin-Barracuda team who also line up one of the world's top time triallists in David Zabriskie, who is also known for time trial victories at all three grand tours -- the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana -- but also infamously for crashing while wearing the Tour de France's yellow jersey as he did in 2005 and 2008.
Danielson admits his fond memories of LTdL, particularly his first overall victory in 2003, which propelled him into the world's biggest teams in a career that was expected to flourish but never really did until his eighth overall finish in last year's Tour de France.
Teammate and six-time US national time trial champion Zabriskie is Danielson's pick for victory in the time trial today.
But the crash-prone Zabriskie will also remind the 34-year-old Danielson of just what transpired in 2003 when he finished third behind Australian teammate Nathan O'Neill in the opening time trial in Langkawi.
Danielson eventually went on to inherit the overall lead after O'Neill crashed on the seventh stage, then battled courageously in a gripping duel with then defending champion Hernan Dario Munoz of Colombia-Selle Italia all the way up Genting Highlands to keep his lead till the end.
"The time trial back then was nine kilometres, this time it's 20, so it's quite a difference. Plus, I'm not really comfortable with doing a time trial on a regular road bike. We've got Zabriskie in the team, so I think he's going to light up the world tomorrow (today)," said Danielson.
"This race has always been close to my heart because it was here that I made my name and got myself noticed and moved on to bigger teams like Fassa Bortolo. But we've got to look at the guys from Androni and at this time of the year they are the best climbers in the world.
"So to come here and to be able to race up Genting with them will be good for me to start my year," said Danielson.
"Winning is a really big word now, as I'm not really expecting much, just to stay close as I can to them (Androni riders) and see how it all goes."
When the field groups together and rides as a peloton for the first time in this year's race tomorrow, a bunch sprint will be expected when the stage ends in Malacca and defending points classification winner Andrea Guardini returns to do battle with a mouthwatering line-up of sprinters.
Guardini's crash in the Tour of Oman on Friday gave his Farnese Vini team a scare, but the Italian joint-LTdL record stage winner, who delivered five victories last year is prepared for the likes of United Healthcare's Robert Forster, Champion System's Anuar Manan and Terengganu Cycling Team's Harrif Salleh.
"This time I see Anuar in a very good team, so I expect him to be giving us a stronger challenge. But we've prepared well and apart from the bruises I have on my hand from the crash in Oman, I'm quite confident that we've got what it takes to go for wins again," said Guardini.
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