LANGKAWI, Sept 28 (Bernama) -- Italian rider Matteo Malucelli displayed an energetic ride to win the first stage of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2025 involving a distance of 96.7 kilometres (km) around Pulau Langkawi today.
The 30-year-old XDS Astana Team rider crossed the finish line with a time of two hours and 22 seconds in the prestigious Asian cycling race, which started and ended at Kuah.
Uno X Mobility rider Erlend Blikra and Tudor Pro Cycling Team rider Arvid de Kleijn took second and third place respectively in the race, which ended in a mass finish.
The victory earned Malucelli the green jersey as the overall leader (GC) and the orange jersey (Sprint King) after collecting 15 points
"We started in rainy conditions, and it wasn’t the best weather for me, but it was not a problem. The weather got better kilometre by kilometre, and the hot conditions were definitely an advantage for me.
"Anton Kuzmin did a very good job today at the front to control the peloton. Two other teammates, including Lev Gonov, also helped me," he said when met after the race.
National rider Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli of Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) clinched the Asia’s Best Rider title (white jersey) after dominating three sprint zones with two first places and one third-place finish.
It marked his second consecutive white jersey success in the opening stage, having also secured it last year.
“During the team discussion, I was instructed to make a breakaway. Alhamdulillah, I managed to gain bonus points, including two first places in the sprint zones.
“So I was able to secure this Asian jersey. I hope I can maintain my best performance in the next stage,” said Nur Aiman.
Another TSG rider, Mohamed Harrif Saleh, better known as Mamat, clinched the ASEAN best rider title, a new category introduced this year in conjunction with the 47th ASEAN Summit hosted by Malaysia.
The 2.Pro status race will continue tomorrow with the second stage covering 166.1km from Padang Besar to Kepala Batas, featuring three intermediate sprints in Jitra, Pendang and Sungai Petani.
-- BERNAMA
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