Le Tour de Langkawi 2017 – Stage 2 [Highlights]

February 22, 2017

Le Tour de Langkawi 2017 – Stage 2– Jerteh – Gerik – 208,1 KM

The Tour de Langkawi is a multiple stage bicycle race held in Malaysia. It is named after the archipelago Langkawi, where the first edition started and finished. The race has been held annually since 1996, primarily in the month of February. It usually consists of 10 day-long segments (stages) over 10 days. While the route changes each year, the Genting Highlands climb, the toughest in the tour, is always included. Tour de Langkawi is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.HC road race in the UCI Asia Tour calendar.

In 2016, John Murphy was the early season successful story for UnitedHealthcare as he won stages of the Herald Sun Tour and Tour de Langkawi. Fast forward 12-months and its new signing Travis McCabe who is notching the wins.

On the stage 2 of the Tour de Langkawi into Gerik, the longest day of this year’s race at 208 kilometres, it was McCabe raising his arms in triumph and doubling his 2017 win count. McCabe and his UnitedHealthcare team formed the winning sprint train with the American too fast for Filippo Pozzato (Wilier Triestina) and Ryan Gibbons (Dimension Data).

“We came here with the ambition to win and we really wanted to work on the lead-out train that we have,” McCabe said after the hot and humid day’s racing.

“We showed yesterday that we have the lead-out train and the power to deliver me to the line. I made a real amateur mistake and jumped way too early yesterday. Today was about being patient, and being mindful of the metre markers and going when I needed to go, and it paid off.”

Stage 1 winner and yellow jersey wearer Scott Sunderland was unable to make it over the hilly parcours in the front group. By finishing in third place, Gibbons did enough to secure the yellow jersey and is the new race leader.

“My team was perfect for the last 15 kilometres. They sat on the front and then without two kilometres to go, UnitedHealthcare came to the front, they really had a good lead out so congratulations to them. Coming down the final drag I was sitting perfectly on Travis’ wheel, I was just a bit under geared,” said Gibbons.

“I had a bike change early on and it didn’t have the same gears as my normal race bike, that is my own fault, and with the speed of the downhill I just ran out of gears and couldn’t get the win today.”

How it unfolded

Stage 2 of this year’s Tour de Langkawi saw the peloton assemble in Jerteh. Early nerves in the peloton caused Filippo Pozzato and Harif Saleh to hit the deck, followed by a throng of attacks in the attempt to establish the breakaway. Saleh was forced to retire from the race due to his injuries with the aggressive pace too much to handle.

After 40km of racing, the break finally went clear with 14 riders quickly putting two minutes between themselves and the peloton. Two riders made it across to the leaders before the peloton sat up, content with the composition of the break.

However, with news that Dimension Data duo Adrien Niyonshuti and Jacques Janse van Rensburg were in the break, the Androni Giocattoli controlled peloton started to chase down them down. The four-minute lead dropped dramatically to just over one minute with the hard chase from the bunch that was not going to let the move stick.

Niyonshuti and Lorenzo Rota (Bardiani CSF) decided to attack the breakaway, splintering it and leaving riders with the option of chasing or sitting up. From the splintered break, Loh Sea Keong (Thailand), Joonyong Seo (KSPO), and Ameer Ahmad Kamal (Malaysia) managed to bridge across to the two leaders to form a leading quintet, 50 seconds ahead of the chasing bunch.

At the base of the category one climb, the breakaway had swelled to 20 riders and pulled out a three-minute advantage. Midway up the climb, Niyonshuti and John Ebsen went clear as the new leaders on the road to leave behind the breakaway. Ebsen then rode away from the Rwandan to go solo with yellow jersey holder Sunderland struggling on the climb and losing contact.

Ebsen was allowed to dangle out in front before a group of three riders bridged across to the Dane. On the second categorised climb of the day, he again took maximum points to secure the KOM jersey.

On the flat run-in to the finish, the breakaway was swept up as the sprint teams took over to set up the bunch kick finale. Following the good work of the ‘blue train’, inside the final 150 metres it was McCabe timing his run to perfection and taking the victory.

Results :
1 Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team 5:04:41
2 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Wilier Triestina
3 Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Team Dimension Data
4 Alberto Cecchin (Ita) Team Wilier Triestina
5 Yevgeniy Gidich (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors
6 Marco Maronese (Ita) Bardiani CSF
7 Riccardo Stacchiotti (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
8 Rafael Andriato (Bra) Team Wilier Triestina
9 Cameron Bayly (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
10 Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team
11 Wilmar Paredes (Col) Manzana Postobon Team
12 Tanner Putt (USA) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team
13 M Ameer Ahmad Kamal (Mas) Malaysia National Team
14 Zhiwen Chen (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
15 Marcelo Felipe (Phi) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine
16 Sergey Vlassenko (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors
17 Joonyong Seo (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
18 Chris Harper (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
19 Enrico Barbin (Ita) Bardiani CSF
20 Mekseb Debesay (Eri) Team Dimension Data
21 Hideto Nakane (Jpn) Nippo – Vini Fantini
22 Penghai Deng (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
23 Maxat Ayazbayev (Kaz) Keyi Look Cycling Team
24 Robbie Hucker (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
25 Fernando Orjuela (Col) Manzana Postobon Team
26 Daniel Jaramillo Diez (Col) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team
27 Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) Androni Giocattoli
28 Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Team Wilier Triestina
29 Tomohiro Hayakawa (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team
30 Timothy Roe (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
31 Bernado Suaza Arango (Col) Manzana Postobon Team
32 Ivan Ramiro Sosa Cuervo (Col) Androni Giocattoli
33 Fausto Masnada (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
34 Ben O’Connor (Aus) Team Dimension Data
35 Dadi Suryadi (Ina) Terengganu Cycling Team
36 Yecid Sierra (Col) Manzana Postobon Team
37 Hang Shi (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
38 Nik Mohd Azwan Zulkiflie (Mas) Malaysia National Team
39 Masakazu Ito (Jpn) Nippo – Vini Fantini
40 Dmitriy Lukyanov (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors
41 Niccolo Pacinotti (Ita) Bardiani CSF
42 Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Bardiani CSF
43 Greg Henderson (NZl) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team
44 M Nur Aiman Mohd Zariff (Mas) Malaysia National Team
45 Siyu Yang (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
46 Wilmar Jahir Perez Munoz (Col) Sapura Cycling Team 0:00:11
47 Victor Nino Corredor (Col) Sapura Cycling Team 0:00:14
48 John Kronborg Ebsen (Den) Infinite AIS Cycling Team 0:00:16
49 Carlos Alzate Escobar (Col) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team
50 Ying Hon Ronald Yeung (HKg) Infinite AIS Cycling Team
51 Adrien Niyonshuti (Rwa) Team Dimension Data 0:00:19
52 Sea Keong Loh (Mas) Thailand Continental Cycling Team 0:00:23
53 Jesse James Ewart (Aus) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine
54 Daeyeon Kim (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
55 Nick Dougall (RSA) Team Dimension Data 0:02:20
56 Khunakorn Nonthichan (Tha) Infinite AIS Cycling Team 0:07:53
57 Nelson Martin (Phi) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine
58 M Ameen Ahmad Kamal (Mas) Malaysia National Team
59 Jacques Van Rensburg (RSA) Team Dimension Data 0:12:06
60 Juan Villegas (Col) Manzana Postobon Team
61 M. Izzat Hilmi Abd Halil (Mas) Sapura Cycling Team 0:22:22
62 M Afiq Huznie Othman (Mas) Infinite AIS Cycling Team
63 Tianhao Gu (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
64 Aspan Zhukenov (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors
65 Aiman Cahyadi (Ina) Sapura Cycling Team
66 Akmal Hakim Zakaria (Mas) Sapura Cycling Team
67 Xiang Yuan Li (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
68 Haiwang Liu (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
69 Eiman Firdaus Mohd Zamri (Mas) Malaysia National Team
70 Haesung Cho (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
71 Shotaro Watanabe (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team
72 Scott Sunderland (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness 0:22:27
73 Marino Kobayashi (Jpn) Nippo – Vini Fantini
74 Sergio Higuita (Col) Manzana Postobon Team
75 Marco Benfatto (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
76 Giacomo Berlato (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
77 Kota Sumiyoshi (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team
78 Thurakit Boonratanathanakorn (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
79 Dominic Perez (Phi) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine
80 Stepan Astafyev (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors
81 Taras Voropayev (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors
82 Anthony Giacoppo (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
83 Thanawut Sanikwathi (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
84 Yahui Shi (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
85 Xin Wang (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
86 Navuti Liphongyu (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
87 Kritsada Changpad (Tha) Infinite AIS Cycling Team
88 Phuchong Saiudomsin (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
89 Mohd Zamri Saleh (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team
90 Bonjoe Martin (Phi) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine
91 Tanaphon Seanaumnuayphon (Tha) Infinite AIS Cycling Team
92 Irwandie Lakasek (Mas) Malaysia National Team
93 Anuar Manan (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team
94 Giuseppe Fonzi (Ita) Team Wilier Triestina
95 Andrea Palini (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
96 Seungwoo Choi (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
97 Nicolas Marini (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
98 Shiki Kuroeda (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team
99 Ryohei Komori (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team
100 Jakub Mareczko (Ita) Team Wilier Triestina
101 Adrian Hegyvary (USA) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team
102 Sofian Nabil Mohd Bakri (Mas) Sapura Cycling Team
103 En Huang (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
104 Sukho Kang (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
105 Nur Amirull Fakhruddin Mazuki (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team
106 Sungbaek Park (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
107 Shijin Zhang (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
108 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF
OTL Sarawut Sirironnachai (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team 0:41:41
OTL Simone Velasco (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:42:21
DNF Luca Pacioni (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
DNF Mohd Harrif Saleh (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team
DNF Hiroaki Harada (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team
DNF Josh Berry (Aus) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine

General Classification after Stage 2 :
1 Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Team Dimension Data 7:59:13
2 Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team 0:00:03
3 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Wilier Triestina 0:00:11
4 Alberto Cecchin (Ita) Team Wilier Triestina
5 Yevgeniy Gidich (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors 0:00:13
6 Enrico Barbin (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:00:16
7 Rafael Andriato (Bra) Team Wilier Triestina 0:00:17
8 Riccardo Stacchiotti (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini
9 Chris Harper (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
10 Hideto Nakane (Jpn) Nippo – Vini Fantini
11 Robbie Hucker (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
12 Cameron Bayly (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
13 Tanner Putt (USA) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team
14 Daniel Jaramillo Diez (Col) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team
15 Fernando Orjuela (Col) Manzana Postobon Team
16 Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) Androni Giocattoli
17 Sergey Vlassenko (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors
18 Bernado Suaza Arango (Col) Manzana Postobon Team
19 Tomohiro Hayakawa (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team
20 Timothy Roe (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
21 Ivan Ramiro Sosa Cuervo (Col) Androni Giocattoli
22 Fausto Masnada (Ita) Androni Giocattoli
23 Dmitriy Lukyanov (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors
24 Ben O’Connor (Aus) Team Dimension Data
25 Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Team Wilier Triestina 0:00:28
26 Mekseb Debesay (Eri) Team Dimension Data 0:00:31
27 Greg Henderson (NZl) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team 0:00:33
28 Adrien Niyonshuti (Rwa) Team Dimension Data 0:00:45
29 Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:00:49
30 Carlos Alzate Escobar (Col) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team 0:00:52
31 Marcelo Felipe (Phi) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine 0:01:14
32 Dadi Suryadi (Ina) Terengganu Cycling Team 0:01:16
33 Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team 0:01:22
34 Maxat Ayazbayev (Kaz) Keyi Look Cycling Team 0:01:24
35 Wilmar Jahir Perez Munoz (Col) Sapura Cycling Team 0:01:27
36 Victor Nino Corredor (Col) Sapura Cycling Team
37 Joonyong Seo (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling 0:01:30
38 Penghai Deng (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
39 Wilmar Paredes (Col) Manzana Postobon Team
40 Siyu Yang (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
41 Nik Mohd Azwan Zulkiflie (Mas) Malaysia National Team
42 Yecid Sierra (Col) Manzana Postobon Team
43 Niccolo Pacinotti (Ita) Bardiani CSF
44 M Nur Aiman Mohd Zariff (Mas) Malaysia National Team
45 John Kronborg Ebsen (Den) Infinite AIS Cycling Team 0:01:46
46 Ying Hon Ronald Yeung (HKg) Infinite AIS Cycling Team
47 Jesse James Ewart (Aus) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine 0:01:53
48 Daeyeon Kim (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
49 Hang Shi (Chn) Giant Cycling Team 0:02:10
50 Nick Dougall (RSA) Team Dimension Data 0:03:00
51 M Ameer Ahmad Kamal (Mas) Malaysia National Team 0:04:16
52 Marco Maronese (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:04:19
53 Masakazu Ito (Jpn) Nippo – Vini Fantini
54 Zhiwen Chen (Chn) Giant Cycling Team 0:05:23
55 Sea Keong Loh (Mas) Thailand Continental Cycling Team 0:06:03
56 Nelson Martin (Phi) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine 0:09:23
57 M Ameen Ahmad Kamal (Mas) Malaysia National Team
58 Khunakorn Nonthichan (Tha) Infinite AIS Cycling Team
59 Jacques Van Rensburg (RSA) Team Dimension Data 0:12:23
60 Juan Villegas (Col) Manzana Postobon Team 0:18:32
61 Scott Sunderland (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness 0:22:30
62 Nicolas Marini (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini 0:22:36
63 Marco Benfatto (Ita) Androni Giocattoli 0:22:40
64 Jakub Mareczko (Ita) Team Wilier Triestina
65 Shiki Kuroeda (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team
66 Sergio Higuita (Col) Manzana Postobon Team 0:22:44
67 Phuchong Saiudomsin (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
68 Anthony Giacoppo (Aus) Isowhey Sports Swisswellness
69 Stepan Astafyev (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors
70 Giuseppe Fonzi (Ita) Team Wilier Triestina
71 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF
72 Shotaro Watanabe (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team 0:23:00
73 Ryohei Komori (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team 0:23:03
74 Sukho Kang (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling 0:23:05
75 Taras Voropayev (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors 0:23:07
76 Giacomo Berlato (Ita) Nippo – Vini Fantini 0:23:16
77 Mohd Zamri Saleh (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team 0:23:17
78 Haesung Cho (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling 0:23:44
79 Sungbaek Park (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling 0:23:48
80 Aiman Cahyadi (Ina) Sapura Cycling Team 0:23:52
81 Aspan Zhukenov (Kaz) Vino Astana Motors
82 M Afiq Huznie Othman (Mas) Infinite AIS Cycling Team
83 Nur Amirull Fakhruddin Mazuki (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team 0:23:54
84 Dominic Perez (Phi) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine 0:23:57
85 Irwandie Lakasek (Mas) Malaysia National Team
86 Kota Sumiyoshi (Jpn) Aisan Racing Team
87 Navuti Liphongyu (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
88 Seungwoo Choi (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
89 Thurakit Boonratanathanakorn (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
90 Xin Wang (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
91 Kritsada Changpad (Tha) Infinite AIS Cycling Team
92 Adrian Hegyvary (USA) UnitedHealthCare Pro Cycling Team 0:24:10
93 Thanawut Sanikwathi (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team 0:25:23
94 Shijin Zhang (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team 0:25:33
95 Tanaphon Seanaumnuayphon (Tha) Infinite AIS Cycling Team 0:25:50
96 Akmal Hakim Zakaria (Mas) Sapura Cycling Team 0:26:22
97 Haiwang Liu (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
98 Eiman Firdaus Mohd Zamri (Mas) Malaysia National Team 0:26:41
99 Xiang Yuan Li (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
100 Marino Kobayashi (Jpn) Nippo – Vini Fantini 0:26:46
101 En Huang (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team
102 Tianhao Gu (Chn) Giant Cycling Team 0:27:45
103 Yahui Shi (Chn) Keyi Look Cycling Team 0:27:50
104 Sofian Nabil Mohd Bakri (Mas) Sapura Cycling Team 0:28:07
105 Andrea Palini (Ita) Androni Giocattoli 0:29:41
106 Bonjoe Martin (Phi) 7 Eleven Roadbike Philippine 0:29:57
107 M. Izzat Hilmi Abd Halil (Mas) Sapura Cycling Team 0:30:58
108 Anuar Manan (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team 0:31:35