KEPALA BATAS: Tudor Cycling Team rider, Arvid de Kleijn, won Stage 2 of the PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 (PLTdL25) from Padang Besar, Perlis, to Kepala Batas, Penang in a bunch sprint finish today.
After finishing third in Stage 1 in Langkawi yesterday, de Kleijn skillfully navigated the middle lane to pass Stage 1 winner, Matteo Malucelli of XDS-Astana while VF Group Bardiani CSF-Faizane rider, Enrico Zanoncello, took third place.
However, Malucelli still retains the PETRONAS Green Jersey for the overall General Classification (GC) leader with an accumulated time of 5 hours 30 minutes 50 seconds, just 2 seconds ahead of de Kleijn.
The gap for the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) Orange Jersey for the Sprint King is even tighter, at only 3 points.
The Best Local Rider for Stage 2 was Wan Abdul Rahman Hamdan of Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) who finished in sixth place, improving on his 12th place finish in Stage1. His teammate, Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli, successfully defended the Rakan Muda White Jersey for the Best Asian Rider.
With no climbing zones today, St George Continental Cycling Team rider, Ben Carman, still holds the BubblesO2 Polka Dot Jersey as the King of the Mountains.
Meanwhile, Cedric Bakke Christophersen of Unibet Tietema Rocket, who attempted a solo breakaway before the finish line, was awarded the Most Combative Rider.
The healthy rivalry between the two Sprint Kings of 2024 (Malucelli) and 2023 (De Kleijn) promises a more intense battle on the remaining flat stages, with both determined to add to their collection of PLTdL stage wins.
“It’s a great feeling. My teammates, Changizi (Sebastian), did a great job – making sure we were in the middle of the front group, and I’m happy everything worked out for us. PLTdL is a special race in my heart, but personally, I hope the weather is better for the next stages,” said De Kleijn.
This victory marks his personal fifth stage win, following victories in Stage 1 and 6 in 2023, and Stage 4 and 5 last year.
Regarding the expected tougher rivalry with Malucelli, he said that personally, they have no issues. They are professional and they challenge each other to increase their stage-win tally.
The Swiss rider explained that although the race started in heavy rain and with slick roads, which added an almost 3km neutral zone, his team remained calm and relaxed despite attempts by some riders to break away.
He noted that Tudor only began their work at the front of the peloton in the final few kilometers before entering Kepala Batas town under blazing heat, which then culminated in a bunch sprint.
“It was actually a tough race and I hope the weather changes for the better after this,” said De Kleijn.
Meanwhile, Malucelli was clearly disappointed with his tactical execution in the final sprint. “My teammates (Astana) worked hard to pull us to the front and find a comfortable space, but perhaps I made a small mistake by sprinting too early and ran out of energy at the last moment,” said Malucelli who won 3 stages last year with the Japanese Continental team, JCL UKYO.
Regarding the leader’s and Sprint King’s jerseys, which he has worn for two consecutive stages, the Italian rider stated he will try to defend them, even though he is aware that Stage 3 from Gerik to Pasir Puteh involves some challenging climbs.
“I know this route because I raced it in 2018 (with Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec). We will see how the situation is tomorrow. But we will try to control the race, although we know it will be difficult since we only have six riders,”said Malucelli who has collected four PLTdL stage victories so far.
Stage 3 from Gerik,Perak to Pasir Puteh, Kelantan tomorrow with a distance of 198.2km, featuring three climbing zones – Gerik (Category 3), Sri Banding (Category 2) and Puncak Titiwangsa (Category 1).
Riders will then face a flat route with three sprint zones in Jeli (km117.3), Bukit Bunga (km134.1) and Machang (km179.1) before finishing in front of the Pasir Puteh Land and District Office.
The 29th edition of PLTdL25, the 2.ProSeries status in the UCI Asia race calendar, involves 8 stages with a total distance of 1,244.2km. It is organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) through the National Sports Council (MSN) in collaboration with the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).
