Joris turns the field green with envy by riding to a surprise stage win

Total shock: Total Energies Joris Delbova reacts after reaching the finishing line first during Stage 5 of the Le Tour de Langkawi.— MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

FRASER’S HILL: There was a change in the holder of the green jersey for the overall leader in the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) as expected, but few would have predicted that it would fall into the hands of Total Energies rider Joris Delbova.

The Frenchman described the 123.1km climb from Temerloh to the peak of Fraser’s Hill as not only challenging but also highly tactical.

He admitted he never expected his Stage Five victory would also see him seize the green jersey, which had been held for four consecutive stages by XDS Astana’s Matteo Malucelli.

For Delbova, this marks the biggest achievement of his career since being given full trust by his team in July.

“I was in a good position heading into the narrow section, not too far in front as the climb was quite steep. The attacks began about 5km before the finish, but in the last 3km, I could sense many riders were tiring.

“I followed (Anders) Johannessen and (Yannis) Voisard before deciding to sprint.

“There was still 1km to go — it was tough, but after that it levelled out, so I gave everything I had until the finish line.

“This result is the reward for all the hard work we’ve put in. I’ve won before in Rwanda, but my goal has always been to claim a major victory either in France or in a ProSeries race abroad.

“Now I’ve done it, and I can say this year has truly been special,” said Delbova.

Delbova’s victory also shook up the general classification standings, with the Frenchman now leading the race by just six seconds ahead of Anders Halland Johannessen, while Adrien Maire of Unibet Tietema Rockets is close behind in third.

Malucelli, meanwhile, slipped to 68th overall, 17 minutes and 42 seconds behind the leader.

Even so, he can still take pride in retaining the orange jersey as the points classification leader with 57 points.

There was no change in the polka-dot jersey, with Team Picnic PostNL’s Patrick Eddy still holding on to the King of the Mountains title.

Meanwhile, the white jersey for the best Asian rider changed hands, with XDS Astana’s Nicolya Vinokurov emerging as the new leader.

After enduring a gruelling climb yesterday, the riders will continue with Stage Six today, covering a 123.5km route from Shah Alam to Port Dickson.

The stage features no climbs, but three intermediate sprint zones await — at Jenjarom, Banting, and Sungai Pelek.