Matteo’s on the fast lane

Darting ahead: XDS Astana Team rider Matteo Malucelli (centre) leading the pack as they head for the finish line during the Stage One race. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

LANGKAWI: Overall leader Matteo Malucelli is hungry for more victories after making a strong start to his Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) campaign yesterday.

The Italian XDS Astana Team rider powered to victory with a time of 2’00:22s in the opening stage in Kuah, Langkawi, edging out Erlend Blikra of Uno-X Mobility and Arvid De Kleijn of Tudor Pro Cycling in a thrilling bunch sprint finish.

It was the perfect start for Malucelli, who also ended last year’s LTdL on a high note by winning the final stage in Bintulu.

However, Malucelli was quick to remind that the race is far from over, saying he hopes to avoid the same fate as last year’s stage one winner, Gleb Syritsa, who was unable to add to his tally after his early success in Kuah.

“Last year, the opening stage was won by Gleb Syritsa, but he didn’t go on to win any more stages after that. So it’s fine, this is just the first one.

“We still have six stages to go, maybe five or six flat ones.

“We’ll take it easy, one day at a time. I think it’s important to start with a win, of course,” said Malucelli.

For the record, Malucelli won three out of the eight stages contested last year.

He first triumphed in Stage Two from Arau to Butterworth, followed by two more victories in Bintulu.

At the same time, he also expressed his gratitude to his teammates for playing a crucial role in helping him surge to the front group and cross the finish line first.

“We started in the rain, and it wasn’t the best weather for me, but it was fine. The conditions improved kilometre by kilometre, and the heat actually worked to my advantage.

“Anton Kuzmin did a great job at the front today (yesterday) in controlling the peloton, and two of my other teammates, including Lev Gonov, also gave me strong support,” he said.

Malucelli now holds not only the green jersey as the overall leader but also the orange jersey as the best sprinter after collecting 15 points.

Today’s second stage from Padang Besar to Kepala Batas presents another opportunity for him to widen his lead, with three sprint zones up for grabs in Jitra, Pendang and Sungai Petani.