KUALA LUMPUR: Arvid de Kleijn proved he is back to his best after claiming his fifth Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) stage win today (Sept 29).
The Tudor Pro Cycling Team rider won the 166.1 kilometre second stage which started in Padang Besar and ended in Kepala Batas in a time of three hours, 29 minutes and 59 seconds.
Stage one winner Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana Team) and Enrico Zanoncello (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) settled for second and third in the bunch sprint.
De Kleijn nearly missed this year’s LTdL after suffering a broken collar bone during a crash earlier this year which sidelined him for three months.
The Dutchman, whose nickname is Little Gorilla, was delighted to once again find himself on the top step of the podium.
De Kleijn had previously won four stages over the last two editions of the UCI ProSeries tour.
“It is hard to win here in Langkawi so it is definitely nice to end this difficult period with a win. It gives you confidence,” said de Kleijn.
“I know I am fast enough to win but you have to show it and today I did. Obviously, I am super happy.
“The boys’ did an amazing job to put me on the right wheel and from then on it was perfect, I came out at the right moment.
“I am looking forward to the next stages but first, we will enjoy this one.”
Malucelli, who is the defending champion in the orange jersey competition (points classification), admitted it was not his day.
“Arvid was perfect today, he was in the right position in the final 200 metres,” said Malucelli.
“In this race, timing and positioning is very important. I was too far back in the final few kilometres and lost a lot of energy to get to the front.
“Of course I would like to win every day but it is not always possible. This is a game, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”
Malucelli remains in charge of the orange jersey (27 points) but de Kleijn is now a close second (24 points). Uno-X Mobility’s Erlend Blikra is third (15 points).
Malucelli also leads the general classification with a two second advantage over second placed de Kleijn. Terengganu Cycling Team’s (TSG) Nur Aiman Rosli is third (+9s) overall.
Aiman also remains in the lead in the Asian riders’ classification (white jersey.
TSG again claimed the Best Southeast Asian Rider daily award – which is based on daily finishing position – this time through sprinter Wan Abdul Rahman Hamdan who finished sixth in the bunch sprint.
Malaysia Pro Cycling’s (MPC) Izzat Hilmi Abdul Halil also did well to place seventh on the day.
The third stage tomorrow (Sept 30) from Gerik to Pasir Puteh will cover 198.2 kilometres – the second longest in the tour this year.
The stage will feature categorised climbs in Gerik (category three), Sri Banding (category 2) and Puncak Titiwangsa (category one) as well as intermediate sprints at Jeli, Bukit Bunga and Machang.
– Article source: www.nst.com.my
