It’s a shame as Malucelli’s withdrawal due to crash dims rivalry spotlight

Unstoppable: Arvid De Kleijn (fourth from right and below) making a dash to the finish line. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

MELAKA: The much-anticipated rivalry between Arvid De Kleijn and Matteo Malucelli in the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) has come to an abrupt end after Malucelli was forced to withdraw from the race.

For De Kleijn, Malucelli’s absence due to a crash, may have opened the door for other riders to challenge for the orange jersey but the former admitted that the race would feel different without his fiercest rival, whose presence had raised the intensity of the competition.