KUALA KANGSAR: After enduring yesterday’s gruelling climb at Gunung Jerai, Italian Matteo Malucelli roared back by winning Stage 3 of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from Sungai Petani to Kuala Kangsar today.
The XDS Astana rider made full use of his sprinting prowess to take charge in the final stretch of the 189.7km race, clocking a winning time of 4 hours, 31 minutes, and 59 seconds.
Malucelli edged out Riley Pickrell (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling) and Sepp Van den Boer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), who both finished with the same time in a tightly contested bunch sprint.
The victory earned Malucelli 10 bonus points and 15 stage classification points, tightening his grip on the sprint leader’s blue jersey with 32 points.
Unlike yesterday’s stage which concluded atop Gunung Jerai, today’s route was far more suited for sprinters like Malucelli.
Prior to the stage, Malucelli had already made his intentions clear about racking up as many stage wins as possible in his bid to secure the King of the Sprint title.
“I will try to win as many stages as possible to reclaim the King of the Sprint (blue) jersey in LTdL 2026,” he said.
National rider Izzat Hilmi Abdul Halil, representing Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC), also caught the eye by finishing fifth with the same time, emerging as the best Asian finisher of the stage.
In the general classification, Lennart Jasch (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) held onto the overall leader’s orange jersey with a cumulative time of 12:16:03.
Abel Balderstone (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) was second, 20 seconds behind, while his teammate Jorge Castellon was third, 38 seconds adrift.
In the white jersey classification (Best Asian Rider), Yuhi Todome (Asian Racing Team) led with a time of 12:21:03, followed by Kee Zhe Yie (Terengganu Cycling Team) at 12:21:18, with Tsen Ren Bao (St George Continental Cycling) in third place (12:21:42).
Jasch led the King of the Mountains (polka dot) standings with 15 points, edging Terengganu Cycling Team rider Aiman Zariff by just a single point (14 points), followed by Balderstone.
Meanwhile, Malucelli continued to lead the sprint points standings (blue jersey) with 32 points, ahead of Pickrell (24) and Van den Boer (14).
Stage 4 resumes tomorrow from Meru Raya to Cameron Highlands over 142.3 km, offering three intermediate sprint zones in Gopeng, Kampar and Tapah, before culminating in a Hors Catégorie summit finish at Tanah Rata.
– NST
