BENTONG: It was better late than never for Tudor Pro Cycling Team’s Arvid De Kleijn as the Dutch rider finally got his first stage win at this year’s Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL).
Having won two stages during last year’s edition, De Kleijn said yesterday’s win at Stage 4 from Kuala Kubu Baru to Bentong was a relief for himself and the team, who struggled to find their footing in the previous three stages.
De Kleijn crossed the line with a time of 2’53:37 ahead of Stage 2 winner Matteo Malucelli of JCL Team Ukyo and Manuel Penalver Aniorte of Team Polti Kometa.
“It feels great to win even though it came after three stages. We’ve been searching for this one since the race started, added to the fact that I was responsible for not winning the other stages,” said De Kleijn, whose nickname is ‘‘Little Gorilla’’.
“My teammates did an incredible job. I have to say it was close to the finish line with the breakaway group.
“We had to sacrifice everyone getting there, except Maikel Zijlaard, and he put me into position and into speed.
“I felt that I still had something left in me, so I had to dig deep to get the nice finish.’’
After the 131.2km ride yesterday, De Kleijn said he feels that he’s in good form, noting that he had won two races, the Grand Prix d’Isbergues and GP de Fourmies in France last month.
But compared to racing back home, De Kleijn said the Malaysian race route brings its own sets of challenges.
“I did two races before this and won both, so I would say that I am in good form.
“But the sprinting here is so different from racing in Europe. You need to adjust your sprinting tactics and that’s where I think we had some trouble in the previous stages.
“But now we have found the right thing to do,” he said.
De Kleijn will be hoping he stays true to form as the race continues from Kuala Lumpur to Melaka today, covering a distance of 167.3km.
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