Le Tour de Langkawi 2018 – Stage 7 [Highlights]

March 24, 2018

Le Tour de Langkawi 2018 – Stage 7 – Nilai – Muar : 222,4 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, but has been reduced to eight stages over recent years. 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.

At the end of a dramatic five hours of racing, Manuel Belletti (Androni) held off his breakaway companion for stage 7 victory at the Tour de Langkawi. The Italian beat Eugert Zhupa (Wilier) and Ruslan Tleubayev (Astana) in the eight-rider sprint at Muar.

Artem Ovechkin (Terengganu) was facing the possibility of losing his race lead after a dramatic opening 100km of racing but recovered his early deficit to arrive in the peloton 1:28 minutes after the breakaway. With one stage to come, he now leads Lukasz Owsian (CCC) with the Pole jumping into second place from 18th via the breakaway.

Ben Dyball (St George) lost his second place overall but holds his podium position as the top-ten was reshuffled. Giuseppe Fonzi (Wilier) and Brendon Davids (Bennelong SwissWellness) also making a major leap up the standings as the breakaway got the better of the peloton for the second time this week.

“For me, it is a big relief to win today after two years, especially after last year when my season was ruined by a salmonella virus,” said Belletti off his first win since re-joining Androni. “This year I started in Argentina at the Vuelta San Juan with a great condition but on stage 3 there was a crash and I broke my collarbone and three ribs. To come back from that crash and winning today is a big relief. I hope to continue this way starting from tomorrow when I try to win again.”

Belletti, a Giro d’Italia stage winner, rejoined Androni in 2018 ten years after he started as a professional with Gianni Savio’s Pro-Continental team.

With just under one minute separating second place to 15th on GC, the final stage of the Tour de Langkawi from Rembau to Kuala Lumpur is expected to be another explosive final. However, overall victory for Ovechkin looks but all assured after he his Terengganu team weathered the storm of stage 7 and are set to make history for Malaysian cycling with the victory. A first for a Malaysian team in the 23 editions of the race.

How it unfolded

Stage 7 of the Tour de Langkawi started in front of the national velodrome in Nilai with 118 riders signing on. At 222.4km, the penultimate stage of the race was the longest of the 23rd edition and one final chance to test Artem Ovechkin’s hold on the yellow jersey.

With six categorised climbs inside the opening 100km, the attacks that would eventually blow the peloton to pieces came thick and fast. The first incident with GC ramifications was a fall for Metkel Eyob (TSG) on approach to the intermediate sprint point where Yevgeniy Gidich took important bonus seconds and moved to within three seconds of the podium.

At the first climb in Mantin, Paolo Simion (Bardiani) and Brendon Davids (Bennelong-SwissWellness) made a move and went clear. They were soon brought back as several groups also went clear before being dragged back into the peloton. After the third KOM 50km into the stage, a front group of 36 riders emerged at the head of the race. Yellow jersey Ovechkin, Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier and Gidich the notable absentees.

The front group contained Johann Van Zyl and Jaco Venter (Dimension Data), Ruslan Tleubayev (Astana), Manuel Belletti and Luca Chirico (Androni), Paolo Simion (Bardiani), Lukasz Owsian (CCC), Arley Parra (Manzana-Postobon), Giuseppe Fonzi, Simone Velasco and Eugert Zhupa (Wilier), Davids and Sam Crome (Bennelong), Thomas Lebas and Salvador Guardiola (Kinan), Muhammad Zawawi, Dylan Page and Victor Niño (Sapura), Eyob, Ariya Phounsavath and Peerapol Chawchiangkwang (Thailand CT).

Having made the break, Lebas became the virtual leader on the road and by the halfway mark of the stage, Ovechkin was 2:15 minutes in arrears to the leading group. The Russian with only the injured Eyob for company with the Erirean dropping back to help out.

“It was probably the hardest stage of the tour those climbs were just one after the other just attack after attack … just always big groups going off the front just full gas all day,” Dyball, who dropped once place to third overall, told Europort of the stage.

From the chase group, Astana was the team taking up the pace to save Gidich’s GC position and had the deficit at 40 seconds with 40km left to race. Sensing a catch, there were attacks from both the lead and chase group that split both. The main peloton though had given up and would roll in almost 15 minutes down on Belletti.

At the head of the race, a ten-rider group of Van Zyl and Venter, Tleubayev, Belletti, Simion, Owsian, Fonzi and Zhupa, Davids and Page had gone clear and had 50 seconds over the chasers with 20km to race. It soon became clear that the breakaway would stay away. The only question being the margin of victory. In the closing kilometres, the attacks continued in the break but it would come back for the spring with Belletti taking the win. The fifth ‘Italian job’ of the race in seven stages.

Results :
1 Manuel Belletti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 5:08:23
2 Eugert Zhupa (Alb) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
3 Ruslan Tleubayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
4 Dylan Page (Swi) Team Sapura Cycling
5 Jaco Venter (RSA) Dimension Data
6 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF
7 Brendon Davids (RSA) Bennelong Swisswellness Cycling Team
8 Johann Van Zyl (RSA) Dimension Data
9 Lukasz Owsian (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice 0:00:02
10 Giuseppe Fonzi (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia 0:00:05
11 Jordan Arley Parra Arias (Col) Manzana Postobon 0:01:28
12 Mattia Frapporti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
13 Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier Werkilul (Eri) Dimension Data
14 Simone Velasco (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
15 Piotr Brozyna (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
16 Yevgeniy Gidich (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
17 Luca Chirico (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
18 Harrison Sweeny (Aus) Mitchelton-BikeExchange
19 Artem Ovechkin (Rus) Terengganu Cycling Team
20 Luca Raggio (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
21 Peerapol Chawchiangkwang (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
22 Thomas Lebas (Fra) Kinan Cycling Team
23 Marcelo Felipe (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines
24 Muhammad Zawawi Azman (Mas) Team Sapura Cycling
25 Nicholas Dlamini (RSA) Dimension Data
26 Alvaro Raul Duarte Sandoval (Col) Forca Amskins Racing
27 Benjamin Dyball (Aus) St George Continental Cycling Team
28 Wilmar Jahir Perez Muñoz (Col) Team Sapura Cycling
29 Daniil Fominykh (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
30 Alessandro Bisolti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
31 Bernardo Albeiro Suaza Arango (Col) Manzana Postobon
32 Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
33 Artyom Zakharov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
34 Sam Crome (Aus) Bennelong Swisswellness Cycling Team
35 Metkel Eyob (Eri) Terengganu Cycling Team
36 Ariya Phounsavath (Lao) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
37 Victor Niño Corredor (Col) Team Sapura Cycling
38 Salvador Guardiola (Spa) Kinan Cycling Team
39 Kevin Rivera Serrano (CRc) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
40 Yecid Arturo Sierra Sanchez (Col) Manzana Postobon
41 Juan Felipe Osorio Arboleda (Col) Manzana Postobon
42 Aiman Cahyadi (Ina) Team Sapura Cycling 0:14:48
43 Muhammad Shaiful Adlan Mohd Shukri (Mas) Malaysia
44 Muhamad Firdaus Awang (Mas) Malaysia
45 Adam De Vos (Can) Rally Cycling
46 Arjay Peralta (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines 0:14:50
47 Thurakit Boonratanathanakorn (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
48 Marko Kump (Slo) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
49 Andrea Guardini (Ita) Bardiani CSF
50 Jacob Hennessy (GBr) Mitchelton-BikeExchange
51 Genki Yamamoto (Jpn) Kinan Cycling Team
52 Michael Bresciani (Ita) Bardiani CSF
53 Nik Mohd Hazwan Zulkiflie (Mas) Forca Amskins Racing
54 Mathew Zenovich (NZl) St George Continental Cycling Team
55 Jianpeng Liu (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
56 Muhamad Nur Aiman Mohd Zariff (Mas) Team Sapura Cycling
57 Mohammad Saufi Mat Senan (Mas) Forca Amskins Racing
58 Rustom Lim (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines
59 Massimo Rosa (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
60 Morgan Smith (NZl) St George Continental Cycling Team
61 Umberto Orsini (Ita) Bardiani CSF
62 Yikui Niu (Chn) Mitchelton-BikeExchange
63 Andris Vosekalns (Lat) Hengxiang Cycling Team
64 Scott Davies (GBr) Dimension Data
65 Amir Mustafa Rusli (Mas) Forca Amskins Racing
66 Dylan Sunderland (Aus) Bennelong Swisswellness Cycling Team
67 Jiankun Liu (Chn) Mitchelton-BikeExchange
68 Anuar Manan (Mas) Forca Amskins Racing
69 Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team
70 Ryan Cavanagh (Aus) St George Continental Cycling Team
71 Szymon Sajnok (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
72 Matteo Malucelli (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
73 Dominic Perez (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines
74 Hang Shi (Chn) Giant Cycling Team
75 Sungbaek Park (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
76 Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana Pro Team
77 Luca Pacioni (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
78 Muhammad Abdurrohman (Ina) KFC Cycling Team
79 Agung Sahbana (Ina) KFC Cycling Team
80 Fernando Orjuela Gutierrez (Col) Manzana Postobon
81 Phuchong Saiudomsin (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
82 Guangtong Ma (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
83 Sarawut Sirironnachai (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
84 Michal Schlegel (Cze) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
85 Muhammad Ameer Ahmad Kamal (Mas) Malaysia
86 Carmelo Franco Martinez (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines
87 Bo Wang (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
88 Mahrus Ali (Ina) KFC Cycling Team
89 Mohd Zamri Saleh (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team
90 Drew Morey (Aus) Terengganu Cycling Team
91 Selamat Juangga (Ina) KFC Cycling Team
92 Abdul Gani (Ina) KFC Cycling Team
93 Azli Najmi Zulkefli (Mas) Malaysia
94 John Ebsen (Den) Forca Amskins Racing
95 Mohd Harrif Saleh (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team
96 Imam Arifin Muh (Ina) KFC Cycling Team
97 Joseph Cooper (NZl) Bennelong Swisswellness Cycling Team
98 Anthony Giacoppo (Aus) Bennelong Swisswellness Cycling Team
99 Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling
100 Kyle Murphy (USA) Rally Cycling
101 Callum Scotson (Aus) Mitchelton-BikeExchange
102 Soonyeong Kwon (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
103 Luca Wackermann (Ita) Bardiani CSF
104 Kenji Nakanishi (Jpn) Kinan Cycling Team 0:20:12
DNF Simone Sterbini (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Alan Banaszek (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
DNF Charles Bradley Huff (USA) Rally Cycling
DNF Eric Young (USA) Rally Cycling
DNF Daniel Ven Cariño (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines
DNF Zheng Zhang (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
DNF Meng Yan (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
DNF Marcos Garcia Fernandez (Spa) Kinan Cycling Team
DNF Seungwoo Choi (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
DNF Sukho Kang (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
DNF Daeyeon Kim (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling
DNF Jay Dutton (Aus) St George Continental Cycling Team
DNF Sea Keong Loh (Mas) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
DNF Muhammad Elmi Jumari (Mas) Malaysia

General Classification after Stage 7 :
1 Artem Ovechkin (Rus) Terengganu Cycling Team 28:56:20
2 Lukasz Owsian (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice 0:00:28
3 Benjamin Dyball (Aus) St George Continental Cycling Team 0:00:32
4 Giuseppe Fonzi (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia 0:00:57
5 Harrison Sweeny (Aus) Mitchelton-BikeExchange 0:00:59
6 Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier Werkilul (Eri) Dimension Data 0:01:00
7 Yevgeniy Gidich (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:01:02
8 Brendon Davids (RSA) Bennelong Swisswellness Cycling Team
9 Thomas Lebas (Fra) Kinan Cycling Team 0:01:08
10 Alvaro Raul Duarte Sandoval (Col) Forca Amskins Racing 0:01:10
11 Metkel Eyob (Eri) Terengganu Cycling Team 0:01:20
12 Piotr Brozyna (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
13 Luca Raggio (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
14 Sam Crome (Aus) Bennelong Swisswellness Cycling Team 0:01:29
15 Yecid Arturo Sierra Sanchez (Col) Manzana Postobon 0:01:31
16 Alessandro Bisolti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:01:33
17 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:01:42
18 Jaco Venter (RSA) Dimension Data 0:01:49
19 Johann Van Zyl (RSA) Dimension Data
20 Luca Chirico (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:01:56
21 Bernardo Albeiro Suaza Arango (Col) Manzana Postobon
22 Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:01:57
23 Wilmar Jahir Perez Muñoz (Col) Team Sapura Cycling
24 Daniil Fominykh (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
25 Marcelo Felipe (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines 0:02:27
26 Salvador Guardiola (Spa) Kinan Cycling Team 0:02:30
27 Simone Velasco (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
28 Ariya Phounsavath (Lao) Thailand Continental Cycling Team
29 Kevin Rivera Serrano (CRc) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:02:42
30 Mattia Frapporti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:03:07
31 Nicholas Dlamini (RSA) Dimension Data 0:03:17
32 Peerapol Chawchiangkwang (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team 0:03:55
33 Muhammad Zawawi Azman (Mas) Team Sapura Cycling 0:04:05
34 Victor Niño Corredor (Col) Team Sapura Cycling 0:04:27
35 Artyom Zakharov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:04:28
36 Dylan Page (Swi) Team Sapura Cycling 0:05:13
37 Juan Felipe Osorio Arboleda (Col) Manzana Postobon 0:06:22
38 Manuel Belletti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:07:48
39 Jordan Arley Parra Arias (Col) Manzana Postobon 0:08:28
40 Drew Morey (Aus) Terengganu Cycling Team 0:15:01
41 Adam De Vos (Can) Rally Cycling 0:15:34
42 Callum Scotson (Aus) Mitchelton-BikeExchange 0:15:49
43 Scott Davies (GBr) Dimension Data 0:15:52
44 Dylan Sunderland (Aus) Bennelong Swisswellness Cycling Team 0:16:02
45 Muhammad Abdurrohman (Ina) KFC Cycling Team 0:16:17
46 Aiman Cahyadi (Ina) Team Sapura Cycling 0:16:27
47 Jianpeng Liu (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team
48 Muhamad Nur Aiman Mohd Zariff (Mas) Team Sapura Cycling 0:16:38
49 Jiankun Liu (Chn) Mitchelton-BikeExchange 0:16:42
50 Nik Mohd Hazwan Zulkiflie (Mas) Forca Amskins Racing 0:16:49
51 Rustom Lim (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines 0:17:05
52 Kyle Murphy (USA) Rally Cycling 0:17:16
53 Phuchong Saiudomsin (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team 0:17:23
54 Morgan Smith (NZl) St George Continental Cycling Team 0:17:27
55 Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team 0:17:31
56 Mathew Zenovich (NZl) St George Continental Cycling Team 0:19:26
57 Azli Najmi Zulkefli (Mas) Malaysia 0:19:38
58 Anthony Giacoppo (Aus) Bennelong Swisswellness Cycling Team 0:20:22
59 John Ebsen (Den) Forca Amskins Racing 0:20:34
60 Michal Schlegel (Cze) CCC Sprandi Polkowice 0:21:17
61 Agung Sahbana (Ina) KFC Cycling Team 0:21:21
62 Sarawut Sirironnachai (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team 0:21:56
63 Carmelo Franco Martinez (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines 0:21:57
64 Eugert Zhupa (Alb) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia 0:23:14
65 Marko Kump (Slo) CCC Sprandi Polkowice 0:24:13
66 Hang Shi (Chn) Giant Cycling Team 0:24:23
67 Ryan Cavanagh (Aus) St George Continental Cycling Team 0:25:33
68 Muhammad Shaiful Adlan Mohd Shukri (Mas) Malaysia 0:26:33
69 Selamat Juangga (Ina) KFC Cycling Team 0:26:35
70 Yikui Niu (Chn) Mitchelton-BikeExchange 0:27:13
71 Ruslan Tleubayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team 0:27:27
72 Fernando Orjuela Gutierrez (Col) Manzana Postobon 0:28:29
73 Danny Pate (USA) Rally Cycling 0:30:57
74 Joseph Cooper (NZl) Bennelong Swisswellness Cycling Team 0:34:41
75 Mohammad Saufi Mat Senan (Mas) Forca Amskins Racing 0:35:08
76 Massimo Rosa (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia 0:35:09
77 Luca Pacioni (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia 0:35:51
78 Thurakit Boonratanathanakorn (Tha) Thailand Continental Cycling Team 0:36:53
79 Amir Mustafa Rusli (Mas) Forca Amskins Racing 0:37:02
80 Sungbaek Park (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling 0:37:06
81 Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:37:20
82 Matteo Malucelli (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:38:26
83 Arjay Peralta (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines 0:41:51
84 Soonyeong Kwon (Kor) KSPO Bianchi Asia Procycling 0:41:57
85 Abdul Gani (Ina) KFC Cycling Team 0:46:26
86 Muhamad Firdaus Awang (Mas) Malaysia 0:48:28
87 Dominic Perez (Phi) 7 Eleven – Cliqq Roadbike Philippines 0:49:07
88 Andrea Guardini (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:50:42
89 Mohd Harrif Saleh (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team 0:50:57
90 Jacob Hennessy (GBr) Mitchelton-BikeExchange 0:51:00
91 Anuar Manan (Mas) Forca Amskins Racing 0:51:05
92 Szymon Sajnok (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice 0:51:25
93 Mohd Zamri Saleh (Mas) Terengganu Cycling Team 0:51:46
94 Muhammad Ameer Ahmad Kamal (Mas) Malaysia 0:52:13
95 Luca Wackermann (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:52:42
96 Michael Bresciani (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:53:16
97 Andris Vosekalns (Lat) Hengxiang Cycling Team 0:54:51
98 Bo Wang (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team 0:55:16
99 Umberto Orsini (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:55:17
100 Imam Arifin Muh (Ina) KFC Cycling Team 0:55:47
101 Guangtong Ma (Chn) Hengxiang Cycling Team 0:55:53
102 Mahrus Ali (Ina) KFC Cycling Team 0:56:49
103 Genki Yamamoto (Jpn) Kinan Cycling Team 0:58:07
104 Kenji Nakanishi (Jpn) Kinan Cycling Team 1:04:34