Matteo Malucelli wins the first stage of Le Tour de Langkawi 2026
by Radiociclismo AI
Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana Team) takes the opening stage of the Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi 2026 in 4:06:53, beating Riley Pickrell and Fernando Gaviria Rendon in the sprint and becoming the first leader of the general classification.
Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana Team) has won the first stage of the Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi 2026, covering the route in 4:06:53. The XDS Astana Team rider beat Riley Pickrell (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling) and Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) in the sprint, both credited with the same time as the winner. The race The opening stage was decided in a bunch sprint: the group of the best riders arrived together at the finish, with the first five finishers all grouped on the same time. Malucelli got the better of his direct rivals in the closing phase, claiming the first stage win of the Malaysian race. Stage results Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana Team) — 4:06:53 Riley Pickrell (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling) — s.t. Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) — s.t. Ronan Auge (Unibet Rose Rockets) — s.t. Iker Villar Galdeano (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) — s.t. General classification With his stage victory, Malucelli is the first leader of the general classification with 4:06:43. Behind him are Javier Ibañez Beltran De Salazar (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) at 3 seconds and Riley Pickrell (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling) at 4 seconds. Next up The race continues tomorrow with a new stage, with Malucelli in the leader's jersey.
