BATU PAHAT, Johor, Oct 3 – Equipo Kern Pharma rider Nil Gimeno Ferrer pulled off a surprise victory to claim the first professional win of his career after winning Stage 7 of the Le Tour de Langkawi 2026 (LTdL26) from Melaka to Batu Pahat, Johor today.
In a flat stage expected to end in a mass sprint finish, Gimeno who was part of an early breakaway group that initially featured seven riders before shrinking to four, did a great effort to outpace Burgos Burpellet-BH rider Mario Aparicio and Andrei Stepanov of Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu who finished third.
Dutch rider Adne van Engelen of Terengganu TSG, who was also in the lead group, was awarded the Most Combative Rider for Stage 7.
Gimeno completed the 158.9km route, which started at Dataran Pahlawan, Melaka and finished at Jalan Rahmat, Batu Pahat with a time of 3 hours, 12 minutes and 33 seconds – 33 seconds ahead of the main peloton led by Stage 6 winner Riley Pickrell of Modern Adventure Cycling Team.
At the end of Stage 7, held under scorching heat, all jersey leaders retained their respective classifications. Overall General Classification (GC) Orange Jersey holder Lennart Jasch (Tudor Pro Cycling), sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), comfortably maintained his lead with a 26-second cushion over his nearest rival, Abel Balderstone (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA).
With no climb zones during the stage, Jasch also retained the King of the Mountains Polka Dot Jersey (sponsored by Bubbles O2), holding a 4-point lead over Petr Rikunov (Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu).
Meanwhile, Stage 1 and Stage 3 winner Matteo Malucelli of WorldTeam XDS-Astana, who leads the Sprint Points classification with 49 points, will continue to battle his closest challenger, Pickrell (45 points), for the Blue Jersey (sponsored by the 2027 SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games Secretariat – MASOC) until tomorrow’s final stage.
Aisan Racing Team rider Yuhi Todome also safely held onto the National Sports Council (MSN) Best Asian Rider White Jersey, maintaining a 3-minute, 44-second lead over Malaysian rider Tsen Ren Bao of St George Continental Cycling Team.
The Stage 7 victory was immensely meaningful for Gimeno, a 22-year-old native of Valladolid, who had finished 51st overall and 3rd in the King of the Mountains classification during his LTdL debut last year.
“I am so happy, in fact I still can’t believe it. It feels like being on the moon. I admit I felt a bit awkward being surrounded by journalists and answering questions during the press conference.
“Undeniably, this is a meaningful victory, not just for me, but for all my teammates, the crew and team management, because our team’s status for next season remains uncertain and we might be disbanded.
“I hope today’s win can convince our sponsors or new sponsors to help this team survive,” said Gimeno who launched his sprint at the precise moment from the left side of the route toward the finish line.
He added that all the riders in the breakaway worked hard to ensure a safe gap ahead of the chasing peloton led by Astana and Tudor.
Meanwhile, Jasch, a German rider from Munich, acknowledged that the peloton was forced to work hard all day to catch the fast-moving lead group.
“Yes, we are getting closer (to the final stage) and it looks easy, but in reality all the riders worked extremely hard. I couldn’t believe the speed tempo of the front group today.
“However, I just needed to hold on, and the picture of being crowned GC winner of this tour is becoming clearer. Tomorrow is the final day, and I must hold on,” said Jasch, who won Stage 2 at the summit of Gunung Jerai and has held the lead ever since.
Tomorrow, the 8th and final stage will flag off in Muar and finish in Putrajaya, covering a distance of 188.3km. It will serve as the final opportunity for riders to challenge for the four main jerseys in this 30th edition of LTdL.
A total of 109 remaining riders will be flagged off at Dataran Tanjung Emas, Muar, tackling three sprint zones in Simpang Ampat, Seremban and Nilai as well as a Category 3 climb zone at Bukit Mantin, before finishing at Presint 3, Putrajaya.
The stage is expected to end in a bunch sprint finish, though a breakaway move by a small group, similar to Stage 7 is not ruled out.
The 30th edition of LTdL26, rated as a 2.ProSeries event, is organized by KBS through MSN in collaboration with the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).
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