LTdL 2026: Italian sprinter Malucelli wins Stage 1 despite pre‑race crash
KAMPAR, Sept 27 — Italian sprint ace Matteo Malucelli from XDS Astana Team, shrugged off the pain of a pre-race tr...
KAMPAR, September 27 — Italian sprint star Matteo Malucelli of XDS Astana Team overcame a pre-race crash to triumph in Stage 1 of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2026. The 32-year-old sprinter finished ahead of Riley Pickrell and Fernando Gaviria in a high-speed bunch sprint, completing the race in four hours, six minutes and 53 seconds.
Malucelli secured both the overall leader's orange jersey and the sprinter classification blue jersey. Following the race, he explained that his crash yesterday was a mere obstacle and a good answer to his body, indicating that if he won the first stage, he would have more opportunities in the upcoming stages. XDS Astana Team's sports director Peter Kennaugh confirmed that Malucelli was allowed to start the race after precautionary scans at the hospital.
Malucelli praised his team's tactical expertise, particularly the lead-out by Gleb Syritsa, Aaron Gate, and GoNovember, which helped him navigate the difficult technical corners. This victory is Malucelli's 23rd career win and extends his recent winning streak following his stage victory at the Tour of Taihu Lake in China just 11 days ago.
The victory also secured him the King of the Mountains (KOM) polka-dot jersey, leading the competition in mountain points. Competitors continue in Stage 2, a grueling 145.6km route from Taiping to Gunung Jerai.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
