KULIM – Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Lionel Taminiaux was triumphant at the 2022 Le Tour de Langkawi Stage 5, covering a 172km route from Kuala Kangsar to Kulim today to finish at 3h 41m 42s.
It was a tight race for the Belgian rider, with Julius Van den Berg (EF Education-Easypost) coming up alongside to take second, while Carter Bettles (Ara Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) took third.
“Movistar set a good pace in the climb in the beginning to drop the bigger sprinters, I think, but I was in the front group still.
“Then Van den Berg attacked solo at the final 3km and I had to close the gap.
“I know I have a strong sprint but I managed to control it and come to the finish line for the win. It was not easy but I think I played it well,” he said after the race.
The 26-year-old has had three stage wins throughout his career after emerging champion of the Trophée Harmonie Mutuelle in 2019 and Stage 4 winner of Grand Prix des Hauts de France this year.
He is also the first Belgian to win a stage at LTdL.
Meanwhile, Ivan Sosa (Movistar) retains his overall standings in the general classification (yellow jersey) but teammate Max Kanter had taken over the best sprinters’ classification (green jersey) from Gleb Syritsa (Astana-Qazaqstan), who dropped in third spot.
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Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team’s (TSG) Muhammad Nur Aiman Zariff proudly defended his red jersey in the best climbers’ classification – King of Mountain (KoM).
However, he admitted it was not an easy task to maintain the jersey as there are five more KoMs to conquer in the remaining stages of the LTdL.
“It was a very tough race today. Attacks from other riders came nonstop from the start till the finish line.
“I might have been too aggressive when I started, but I really wanted to retain my KoM status,” said the 25-year-old.
Aiman’s teammate, Jambaljamts Sainbayar, meanwhile regained control of the white jersey as the Best Asian Rider with only one second ahead of Andrey Zeits (Astana).
Stage 6 of the LTdL will start tomorrow from Georgetown, Penang to Alor Setar, Kedah on a 120.8km route, featuring three intermediate sprints at Penang Bridge, Bagan, and Sg Petani. – The Vibes, October 15, 2022
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