Malucelli bounces back from crash to win LTdL opener

Kampar, Malaysia witnessed Matteo Malucelli's impressive recovery from a training crash as he triumphed in the opening stage of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL). The XDS Astana Team rider completed an 193km journey from Shah Alam to Kampar in 4 hours, six minutes and 26 seconds. Malucelli edged out competitors Riley Pickrell and Fernando Gaviria of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA in a bunch sprint.

Securing the victory, Malucelli donned the orange jersey as overall leader of the race. Additionally, he claimed the coveted blue sprint jersey with 15 points, surpassing Pickrell's 12 and Gaviria's nine. Malucelli's participation was initially uncertain following a corner mishap during training on Saturday, which caused a heavy landing on his hand.

However, an X-ray revealed no serious fracture, allowing the 32-year-old to partake in the race. Reflecting on his performance, Malucelli expressed his initial uncertainty about winning, but his post-race statement underscored the positive impact on his body following the crash. This victory marked his 23rd career win, occurring 11 days after his previous triumph at the Tour of Taihu Lake in China.

Malucelli credited his teammates for their pivotal role in controlling the race and setting him up for the final sprint, with Gleb Syritsa providing the lead-out, followed by Aaron Gate and Gonov. Despite the challenging course with multiple corners, Malucelli persevered and gave his best. In the mountains classification, Pet Rikunov of China Development Team led with four points, followed by Kee Zhe Yie of Terengganu Cycling Team on two and Syawal Mazlin of Malaysia Pro Cycling on one.

Terengganu Cycling Team's Nur Aiman Rosli emerged as the best Asian rider, completing the stage in 4:06:53. ART's Oda Hijiri and Malaysia Pro Cycling's Izzat Hilmi Halil rounded out the top five.