GURUN, Kedah, 28 Sept – Tudor Cycling Team rider Lennart Jasch won Stage 2 of Le Tour de Langkawi 2026 (LTdL26), which stretched 143km from Taiping, Perak to Gunung Jerai in the state of Kedah today.
The victory enabled the 25-year-old German rider to wear the leader’s orange jersey sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) and the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey sponsored by Bubbles O2.
Jasch, making his debut appearance with Tudor at LTdL, completed the ride which featured a steep climb in the final 11km with a time of 3 hours 37 minutes 21 seconds, finishing ahead of two Caja Rural-Seguros RGA riders – Abel Balderstone, who trailed by 26 seconds and Jan Castellon Robalt (32s behind).
He now leads the general classification (GC) with a cumulative time of 7h 44m 04s, holding a 20-second edge over Balderstone.
He also tops the King of the Mountains classification with 15 points, just 3 points ahead of the Spanish rider.
“It wasn’t a surprise because I also come from a hilly area. Today was all about who was stronger on the climb. I still respect the two Caja Rural riders who rode preety well.
“My teammates did a great job positioning me at the front as the climb started, and I stayed in the lead group while several other riders began to drop off.
“After that, I saw one rider (Balderstone) make a breakaway, but I stayed calm and only accelerated in the remaining 2km before overtaking him about 500 meters from the finish line,” said Jasch, who previously claimed a win at the Tour of the Alps and gained experience with the WorldTeam side, Redbull Bora-Hangrove.
According to Jasch, the victory at Gunung Jerai also gives him a boost of confidence ahead of two tougher upcoming climbs at Cameron Highlands and Genting Highlands.
Meanwhile, XDS-Astana rider Matteo Malucelli, who won Stage 1 in Kampar,Perak yesterday, retained the Sprinters’ classification blue jersey sponsored by the 2027 SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games Organising Secretariat (MASOC).
He holds 17 points, 5 points clear of his nearest rival, Riley Pickrell of Modern Adventure Cycling Team.
The Best Asian Rider white jersey, sponsored by the National Sports Council (MSN), swapped hands to Aisan Racing Team’s Yuhi Todome (7h 49m 04s), who holds a 15-second lead over TSG rider Kee Zhe Yie, while Tsen Ren Bao of St George Continental Team trails by 39 seconds.
Malaysia Pro Cycling rider Muhammad Iqbal Daniel Mohd Nawawi was awarded the Most Combative Rider award after he launched an early breakaway and riding solo for nearly 20 km.
However, two puncture incidents forced him to yield, and he was reabsorbed by the peloton with 20km remaining to the finish line.
Two Continental riders from 7-Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines, Cormac McGeough and Bradley Perkins, failed to finish Stage 2 and have been eliminated from competing in Stage 3 tomorrow, which runs 189.9km from Sungai Petani, Kedah to Kuala Kangsar, Perak.
Tomorrow’s route features three sprint zones in Kuala Ketil, Lawin and Sauk, alongside a Category 2 climb in Gerik.
This may trigger another battle for points in the King of the Mountains and Sprinters classifications, with the stage expected to culminate in a group sprint finish.
LTdL26 holds a 2.ProSeries status with a total distance of 1,285.5km this year. It is organised by Kementerian Belia dan Sukan Malaysia (KBS) through MSN, in cooperation with the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).
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