LANGKAWI: For many riders, the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) serves as a springboard to launch their careers, but for 2017 world championship silver medallist Alexander Kristoff (pic), it will be a poignant farewell as he prepares for his final swansong before hanging up his wheels.
The Norwegian, who currently rides for Uno-X Mobility, has set himself a personal goal — to make the UCI 2.Pro Series event a platform to reach a major career milestone.
He needs just two more wins to complete a century of victories.
“Yes, this is my first time racing in Malaysia and possibly my last as a professional cyclist. For me, this race offers many opportunities for sprinters, and several have already claimed stage wins here.
“I only need two more stage victories to reach 100 in my career. That’s my main target, though I know it won’t be easy,” said Kristoff.
Kristoff’s career highlights include major classic victories at Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders.
He has also triumphed at Gent-Wevelgem and secured four prestigious stage wins at the Tour de France.
Meanwhile, last year’s orange jersey winner in the points classification, Matteo Malucelli, has enjoyed a remarkable career boost following his success at the previous edition of the LTdL.
Reflecting on his journey, the Italian admitted that he never imagined his fortunes would change so dramatically after racing last season without a contract with JCL Team Ukyo. He is now part of WorldTour outfit XDS Astana and is determined to build on last year’s achievement.
“My main goal is to try to win stages and the orange jersey, which is awarded to the points leader.
I’ll focus on winning stages first, and if I can perform like I did last year, the green jersey will naturally follow,” said Malucelli.
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