IPOH, Sept 27 – XDS-Astana rider Matteo Malucelli demonstrated his prowess by winning Stage 1 of the 2026 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL26) from Shah Alam, Selangor to Kampar, Perak today – effectively erasing doubts surrounding an injury he sustained during a training session yesterday morning.
It marks the seventh stage victory for the WorldTeam rider, resuming a winning streak that was interrupted last year when he was involved in a crash and eliminated on Stage 6 from Shah Alam to Port Dickson in the state of Negeri Sembilan.
In a final sprint effort in Kampar, the 32-year-old Italian edged out Modern Adventure Cycling Team rider Riley Pickrell and Caja Rural-Seguros RGA’s top sprinter, Fernando Gaviria, completing the 193km ride in 4 hours, 06 minutes and 53 seconds with an average speed of 46.94 km/h.
The victory earned him a 10-second time bonus and 15 points in the Sprint classification, qualifying Malucelli to wear the leader’s orange jersey sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) as well as the blue jersey sponsored by the 2027 Malaysia SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games Organizing Secretariat (MASOC).
With only one Category 4 climb at kilometer 9 after the start, Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu Team rider Petr Rikunov claimed the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey sponsored by Bubbles O2.
Meanwhile, Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) rider Nur Aiman Rosli who was active in the breakaway group and picked up a 3-second time bonus at the second sprint zone in Kuala Selangor, placed sixth overall (GC) to earn the white jersey sponsored by the National Sports Council (MSN) as the Best Asian Rider.
Malucelli was visibly surprised by his ability to hold off late charges from Pickrell and Gaviria during the mass sprint to the finish line, even after witnessing teammate Aaron Gate crash on the final corner.
“Yes, I’m surprised and happy because I was injured yesterday, and my hand still hurts. I even saw Aaron (Gate) lose control and crash. But my teammate (Gleb Syritsa) brought me to the front. They worked hard along the route today and controlled the tempo at the front of the peloton well.
“When crossing the finish line, neither my rival (Pickrell) nor I were sure who had won, but once he signaled to me, I knew for certain that I had won,” Malucelli added.
He noted that following this strong start, he hopes to maintain the momentum to support his teammates through the upcoming hilly stages before seeking further stage wins on flat terrain.
Meanwhile, TGS’s Nur Aiman Rosli said the white jersey gives him the motivation to keep pushing for a podium finish, despite admitting that his initial plan to dominate the single climb zone in Meru fell through after failing to break away earlier on.
Although he initially formed part of a five-rider lead group alongside Javier Ibanez (Caja Rural), Pablo Carrascosa (Equipo Kern Pharma), Andrei Stephanov (Chengdu) and Liam Cuthbertson (St George), the breakaway dwindled to three riders and was caught by the peloton with 10km remaining.
“I tried my best today. But it was very tough due to windy conditions and intense heat, especially over the final 60km. However, this is only the first stage, and there are still opportunities ahead,” he said.
Rikunov smiled over his efforts in working hard to dominate the early climb in Meru.
“It was just the first 9km, and after seeing many breakaway attempts, I decided to drop back into the peloton controlled by Astana.
“I just hope to finish the race in top 10 overall, as my job tomorrow is to support Jonathan (Caicedo),” he said.
In somewhat unexpected news at the end of the race, title favourite Geoffrey Bouchard from Team TotalEnergies failed to finish (DNF), leaving 118 riders to continue on for Stage 2 tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s Stage 2 is considered the first major test of LTdL26, covering a 145km route from Taiping, Perak to the summit finish at Mount Jerai in the state of Kedah.
The route features three sprint zones in Selama (km41), Padang Serai (km99.5) and Aman Jaya (km114.3) before the riders tackle an 11km climb to the summit of Mount Jerai, situated 971 meters above sea level.
The 30th edition of LTdL26, holding a 2.ProSeries status, is organized by Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia (KBS) through MSN in full cooperation with the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).
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