GENTING HIGHLANDS, Oct 1 – TotalEnergies rider Nicolas Breuillard pulled off a surprise victory in a grueling Stage 5 of the 2026 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL26) from Tapah to Genting Highlands today.
Executing a well-planned strategy, the Pertuis, France-born cyclist joined an early breakaway and dominated the ride up front, completing the 125.7km stage in 3 hours 11 minutes 26 seconds, 8 seconds ahead of Burgos Burpellet-BH rider Josh Burnett.
Tudor Cycling Team’s Lennart Jasch, who wear the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS)-sponsored orange General Classification (GC) leader’s jersey, displayed a calm composure throughout the Hors Category climb to secure third place, ahead of his closest contender Abel Balderstone (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), who finished sixth.
By collecting an additional 16 points for a total of 35 points in the King of the Mountains classification, Jasch reclaimed the Bubbles O2-sponsored polka-dot jersey, which he had lost to Stage 4 winner Petr Rikunov (Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu) at Cameron Highlands yesterday.
Meanwhile, Aisan Racing Team rider Yuhi Todome, who finished 15th at the summit (about 1,629 meters above sea level), retained the National Sports Council (MSN)-sponsored white jersey as the Best Asian Rider.
XDS-Astana’s Matteo Malucelli holds on to the MASOC (2027 SEA Games and Para Games Organising Secretariat)-sponsored blue Sprint jersey with 32 points, 8 points ahead of his closest rival, Riley Pickrell of Modern Adventure Cycling Team.
The two rivals opted not to contest the three intermediate sprint zones, choosing instead to conserve their energy and finish the stage to prepare for the remaining three flat stages.
This 30th edition of LTdL26 at Genting Highlands also marked a historical milestone for Breuillard, who became the first French rider to win atop Genting Highlands, a summit traditionally dominated by Latin American cyclists.
He decided to join five other riders in a break near the first sprint zone in Slim River. The lead group steadily increased their pace, building a gap of nearly 4 minutes and 25 seconds ahead of the main field, which grew to 5 minutes and 15 seconds after passing the third sprint zone in Batang Kali.
However, as they crossed the start line of the climb zone, the front group began to splinter until Breuillard, Bardiani CSF 7 Saber rider Edward Cruz, Burnett and Robin Carpenter (Modern Adventure) reached the final 15km of the ascent.
As Breuillard and Burnett raised their pace, Cruz and Carpenter dropped back, eventually rejoining a chasing group of climbing specialists that included Jasch, Balderstone, Jan Castellon Ribalt (Caja Rural) and Jose Manuel Diaz Gallego (Burgos).
Breuillard who placed 50th in his Tour de France debut last July and is set to join WorldTeam Astana for the 2027–2028 seasons, held firm and launched a decisive attack to distance Burnett with 2km remaining.
“I am thrilled with today’s victory. It was all down to careful planning and team effort, especially Valentin Retailleau, who helped protect me in the front group,” said Breuillard.
“My goal coming here was to chase a good position in the GC, and every day we try our best. Personally, I really wanted to win a stage this year.
“After the first climbing stage (Gunung Jerai), we started riding better, and my teammates kept motivating me. In the end, we produce great result today,” he added.
Breuillard took over GC duties after TotalEnergies’ primary climber, Geoffrey Bouchard, was forced to withdraw following a crash in Stage 1 at Kampar.
Meanwhile, Jasch mentioned that he stayed composed throughout the race despite the heat, supported by his team who kept the situation under control despite the break ahead.
“The group out front was quite fast, building almost a 5 minute gap heading into the climb. My rhythm was nearly disrupted when a few riders crashed ahead of me.
“Fortunately, in the final 7km, the weather cooled down, allowing me to focus even as I was under constant pressure from the two Caja Rural contenders (Balderstone and Ribalt).
“Now holding a 26-second lead, my focus for the remaining three stages is to stay close to Abel, and my team will certainly work hard to protect me,” said the 25-year-old German rider.
In addition, the Tsen brothers – sons of Malaysian cycling legend Tsen Seong Hoong, also featured with Tsen Ren Han representing the Malaysian national team and Tsen Ren Bao riding for St George Continental Team. They finished 29th and 30th respectively, 5 minutes 32 seconds behind Breuillard.
“He is only 19 years old, so I am very proud of his performance today and hope we can continue to improve.
“Yes, I saw my father and younger sister cheering alongside the fans. It was a very special moment,” said Ren Bao, who currently sits 25th overall, 3 minutes 44 seconds behind white jersey holder Todome.
LTdL26 continues tomorrow with Stage 6 from Pandan Indah to Rembau in Negeri Sembilan.
The 121.7km route features three Category 3 climb zones at Ampang, Bukit Hantu and Bukit Mendum, alongside three intermediate sprint zones at Ulu Beranang, Rahang and in front of the Rembau Fire and Rescue Station, 17km before the finish line at Jalan Pedas-Rembau.
The 30th edition of LTdL26, covering a total distance of 1,285.5km, is organized by KBS through MSN, with the support of the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).
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