KEMAMAN: Nur Aiman Rosli kept Malaysian fans on the edge of their seats but in the end it was Matteo Malucelli who again ended the day on top in the fourth stage of Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) today (Oct 1).
Malucelli (XDS Astana Team) proved he remains the man to beat when it comes to bunch sprints after emerging victorious in the 141.5 kilometre stage from Kuala Terengganu to Kemaman in three hours, 17 minutes and 56 seconds.
Manuel Penalver (Team Polti VisitMalta) and Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Mobility) settled for second and third while Enrico Zanoncello (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) and Marc Brustenga (Equipo Kern Pharma) rounded out the top five on the day.
Malucelli, who has now won three out of four stages in LTdL this year, downplayed his win.
The Italian won three out of eight stages in LTdL last year with his former team JCL Team Ukyo.
“I never like to start the sprint from the head of the bunch but today there were two right turns near the finish (so we had to be in a good position),” said Malucelli.
“The plan was to stay at the front and wait for the Uno-X train to arrive before going for it. Aaron Gate did a perfect lead-out for me and I was able to sprint perfectly.
“As I said before, when you move to a big team (Astana), the mentality also changes, because it is normal for big teams to win.
“The team does everything to set you up for victory so you have to win. For me, I am just doing my job, nothing more.”
Malaysia Pro Cycling’s (MPC) Izzat Hilmi Abdul Halil came in seventh and subsequently won the Best Southeast Asian rider daily award. Terengganu Cycling Team’s (TSG) Harrif Saleh placed 12th.
But it was Aiman who had Malaysian fans hoping he could secure what would have been a sensational win for TSG.
The 26-year-old went on an early breakway with Yauhen Sobal (Chengdu DYC Cycling Team) and Vojtech Kminek (Burgos Burpellet BH).
It was down to Aiman and Sobal in the last 20 kilometres before the Malaysian national champion went solo for the last 11km. In the end, the sprinters teams reeled Aiman in within the last four km.
Aiman, who won the intermediate sprints at Marang and Paka, was rewarded with the Most Combative Rider daily award.
Malucelli continues to lead the general classification (green jersey) with a 22 second advantage over Blikra, who is his nearest rival.
Malucelli (57 points) also extended his lead in the points classification (orange jersey) with Blikra (33 points) again being his main rival.
There is expected to be a shake up in the standings tomorrow as LTdL heads into the hills for its queen stage.
The fifth stage will start in Temerloh and end with a summit finish in Fraser’s Hill. There will be intermediate sprints in Mentakab, Bukit Damar and Mepaga followed by climbs in Rabu (category three) and Fraser’s Hill (category one).
– NST
