Not secure at the top

Unstoppable: XDS Astana’s Matteo Malucelli (centre) celebrating after crossing the finish line during Stage Four. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

KUANTAN: The green jersey, which also signifies the overall race lead, could change hands as the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) enters its fifth stage today from Temerloh to Fraser’s Hill.

XDS Astana’s Matteo Malucelli, who has led the overall standings since Stage One on Sunday, hinted at the possibility as today’s 123.1km route – known as the queen stage – is expected to test his ability as a sprint specialist.

Although he holds a 22-second advantage over his closest challengers, it is far from a comfortable lead with two categorised climbs on the route – the first at km83.6 in Raub, followed by the main challenge at km123.1 in Fraser’s Hill, which features an elevation of 1,247m to the summit finish.

Before that, the riders will go through three intermediate sprint zones – at km15.3 in Mentakab, km34.7 in Bukit Damar, and the final one at km54.8 in Mempaga.

Malucelli, however, said he would not mind losing the jersey as long as it remains within the team. His teammate Aaron Gate is currently best placed to take over the lead, sitting just 26 seconds behind Malucelli, who has an overall time of 13’15:45s after four stages.

“Tomorrow (today), I will try to conserve my energy. There are still three flat stages remaining, so I won’t be going for the finish again.

“Yes, it will most likely be my last day in the leader’s jersey. I hope the jersey changes hands, but not the team. So I hope Aaron (Gate) or (Nicolya) Vinokurov can take over the jersey tomorrow (today),” said Malucelli.

The Italian rider had just won the fourth stage yesterday from Terengganu to Kemaman, marking his third victory in this year’s Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL).

Apart from keeping his hold on the green jersey, he also retained the orange jersey as the points classification leader with 57 points and is expected to continue his dominance in that category today.

“It’s incredible – three wins out of four stages. A lot has changed compared to last year, especially my mindset. In a big team like Astana, winning is considered normal, so I’m happy the team trust me and my legs are feeling good,” added Malucelli.

The polka-dot jersey for the King of the Mountains remains with Patrick Eddy of Team Picnic PostNL, who has collected 15 points, while the white jersey for the best Asian rider is still held by Terengganu Cycling Team’s (TSG) Vadim Pronskiy (13’16:18s).