BINTULU: JCL Team Ukyo rider, Matteo Malucelli put on a powerful performance to win Stage 7 of Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTDL) 2024 at Lasar Kenyalang here yesterday.
The race, which started from Miri Waterfront over a distance of 199.3 kilometres, saw Malucelli, a 30-year old Italian sprinter, clock in at four hours, eighteen minutes and three seconds (4h:18m:03s).
His final sprint in the last 10 metres allowed him to overtake two Tudor Pro Cycling Team riders, Arvid de Kleijn and Maikel Zijlaard.
Before being passed by Malucelli in the closing moments, Zijlaard created an opening for his teammate de Kleijn as they approached the finish line.
However, Malucelli was able to surge ahead with a burst of energy which enabled him to slip through the pack to achieve a dramatic finish.
“My teammates did a great job in today’s race. It was an amazing finish as I managed to overtake two Tudor riders at the end. All our hard work since the beginning of the race today paid off. In the last 3 kilometres, my teammate and I started looking for openings to position ourselves at the front.
“In the final 100 metres, I saw an opportunity and moved ahead to pass the two Tudor riders in the last 10 metres. I’m really happy with today’s win,” said Malucelli.
In the longest stage of LTDL 2024, Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) rider, Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli emerged as the best Malaysian, finishing in 22nd place.
His teammate, Mohamad Nur Aiman Mohd Zariff, drew attention by being named the ‘Most Combative Rider’ after being a key player for TSG in Stage 7.
Meanwhile, David Max Poole from Team DSM Firmenich PostNL looks set to be crowned the LTDL champion this year, with one stage remaining. Even though he finished 50th in Stage 7, the 21 year old climbing specialist from Great Britain retained the Green Jersey as overall leader with a time of 23h:20m:06s.
Poole now leads by 13 seconds over JCL Team Ukyo’s Thomas Pesenti, while Unai lribar Jauregi from Equipo Kern Pharma is in third place with an overall time of 23h:20m:26s.
The Polka Dot Jersey for the King of the Mountains for LTDL 2024 looks confirmed to go to Burgos-BH rider Munoz Mario Aparicio, who has amassed 27 points with three climbing zones in the final stage on Sunday.
The competition for the Orange Jersey as the King of the Sprint is intensifying, with Malucelli and de Kleijn continuing their rivalry into the final stage tomorrow, as both sprinters are separated by just one point.
De Kleijn, who won Stages 4 and 5 this edition, currently holds the Orange Jersey with 66 points, while Malucelli has 65 points.
Known as Little Gorilla, de Kleijn expressed mixed feelings after missing the chance for victory in Stage 7, despite still wearing the Orange Jersey. “Of course, I’m quite disappointed for not winning today. At one point, the victory was within reach, but due to a slight mistake, I missed the opportunity. I hope to make up for this disappointment in the final stage tomorrow. This is my last chance to add a victory at LTDL while also defending my status as King of the Sprint,” he explained.
JCL Team Ukyo’s Manabu Ishibashi maintained the White Jersey (Best Asian) with a time of 23h:22m:24s, followed by his teammate Yuma Koishi (23h:25m:05s) and Keigo Kusaba from Aisan Racing Team (23h:25m:09s).
In the overall standing, Equipo Kern Pharma continues to lead with a time of 70h:01m:18s, followed by Astana Qazaqstan Team (70h:02m:49s) and Team Polti Kometa (70h:02m:58s).
For the Asian category, JCL Team Ukyo also remains the overall leader with a time of 70h:12m:42s, followed by the national team of Thailand (70h:35m:30s) and Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) at 70h:35m:52s.
Stage 8, the final stage today (Sunday), will cover a distance of 147.5 km starting and ending at Lasar Kenyalang, featuring three sprint zones at Kem Batu 18, Lasar Kenyalang 1, and Lasar Kenyalang 2.
