LANGKAWI: Matteo Malucelli of XDS-Astana stamped his class. He won Stage 1 of the PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 (PLTdL25) in Kuah this morning.
The PLTdL24 Sprint King, who joined Astana earlier this year after not extending his contract with JCL UKYO – held off the challenges of second-place finisher and PLTdL22 Sprint King, Erland Blikra from Uno-X Mobility and PLTdL23 Sprint King, Arvid Kleijn (Tudor Racing Team).
The large group finished the ride in 2 hours and 22 seconds, granting Malucelli a 10-second bonus, which also allowed him to take the green jersey as the overall leader sponsored by PETRONAS, and 15 points to head the Sprint King points tally and claim the orange jersey sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS).
Meanwhile, Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) rider Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli also made strides in the General Classification (GC) when he grabbed a 7-second bonus after dominating two intermediate sprint zones at Harbour Park and Padang Matsirat, in addition to a third place in the second sprint zone at Bayas. This effort earned him the white jersey sponsored by Rakan Muda as the Best Asian Rider.
St George Continental rider, Ben Carman, who broke away as they approached the sole Category 4 climb zone at Bukit Malut 16km before the finish, claimed the polka dot jersey as King of the Mountains sponsored by BubblesO2.
For Malucelli, who won Stages 2, 7, and 8 of PLTdL24, this victory in Stage 1 of PLTdL25 is a joyous occasion and provides great motivation for the remaining 7 stages.
“I was comfortable throughout the ride, and as we approached the finish line, my teammate (Anton) Kuzmin pulled me forward, but I was still watching (Alexander) Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility). But when Kristoff slowed down and Blikra started to accelerate, I also began my sprint in the last 300 meters and finally won.
“Being in a WorldTeam gives me more confidence, especially since I felt comfortable and calm throughout the race. Winning the first stage and wearing the leader’s jersey gives me confidence, but I know the responsibility is getting bigger. However, we will stay focused and concentrate day by day because there are many more stages to come,” said the 31-year-old rider who also won stages at the Tour of Presidential Turkiye and Tour of Hainan this year.
Meanwhile, Nur Aiman, who is also this year’s national road and individual time trial champion, proved he is more prepared in his third appearance at PLTdL25.
“The coach told me to try to make a breakaway, and that’s what I did. I’m happy with the white jersey (Best Asian Rider) and the second position in the GC. I have confidence and hope to do something even bigger for the team in Stage 3 (Gerik-Pasir Puteh),” he said, referring to the three early climb zones before the long flat route after crossing the Titiwangsa Range.
Although the race started in the rain with a total of 129 riders, the pace turned aggressive when Unibet-Tietema Rockets rider Aiden Maire initiated a break after 30km, and he was joined by Nur Aiman, George Mitsui (Aisan Racing Team) and Nate Hadden (St George) to form a small leading group.
This group was only 1 minute 50 seconds ahead before the peloton, driven by the Astana, Tudor and Uno-X teams, chased and caught them immediately after passing the third sprint zone.
Carman’s brief breakaway allowed him to conquer the easy Category 4 climb zone at Bukit Malut, before he was caught. Although one or two riders attempted a late break, the script for the Stage 1 finish still ended with a bunch sprint to the finish line.
One rider from the KSPO team, Lee Hosan, failed to complete the first stage and is out of the competition, further complicating matters for the South Korean Continental team which only fielded five riders this time.
Stage 2 of PLTdL25 will start in Padang Besar, Perlis to Kepala Batas, Penang tomorrow, covering a distance of 166.1km and it is once again expected to end with a bunch sprint to the finish line on Jalan Tun Hamdan Sheikh Tahir.
Without any climb zones, three intermediate sprint zones in Jitra (km54.0), Pendang (km90) and Sungai Petani (km142.9) will see fierce competition for the green jersey, the orange jersey and the white jersey.
The 29th edition of PLTdL25, which travels through all states in Peninsular Malaysia for a total distance of 1,244.2km, is listed with a 2.ProSeries status in the UCI Asia Tour race calendar.
It is organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) through the National Sports Council (MSN) in collaboration with the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).
