Malucelli Wins Stage 1 of 2025 Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi, Leads Overall and Points
The 2025 Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi kicked off today with a thrilling stage that started and ended in Kuah, covering a 96.7km loop around Langkawi island. The day belonged to Matteo Malucelli, who secured his first stage win in the event since 2024 and now leads both the overall and points classifications.
The stage saw a breakaway group of four riders dominate the early part of the race, sweeping up all intermediate sprint points. However, they were caught before the final quarter of the stage. The peloton, consisting of 129 riders, faced a category 4 climb at around 13km to go. Ben Carman (St George) capitalised on this, winning the climbers' jersey on the final climb.
The stage concluded with a sprint finish, where Matteo Malucelli (XDS-Astana) proved too strong for his competitors. He crossed the line ahead of Eriend Blikra (Uno- Mobility) and Arvid De Kleijn (Tudor Pro Cycling) in third. Malucelli's victory was his second in the event this year, further cementing his position as the rider to beat in the remaining seven stages in Peninsular Malaysia. Nuir Aiman Rosli (Terengganu Cycling) continues to lead the best Asian rider category.
With today's victory, Matteo Malucelli takes the leader's jersey and strengthens his position in the points classification. The race continues tomorrow, with the riders set to tackle the remaining seven stages in Peninsular Malaysia. The stage tomorrow will be another test of their skills and endurance, as they strive to make their mark in the prestigious event.
