Tour de Langkawi sprint fest gets underway with win for Astana's Malucelli
The Tour de Langkawi is an autumn stage race that, with its eight stages and seven flat finishes, is a perfect opportunity for sprinters and puncheurs looking for some late-season success – like the pre-retirement Alexander Kristoff who is two wins from the century.
Stage 1 kicked things off on Sunday morning with a short and sharp 96.7-kilometre stage culminating in a bunch sprint. Matteo Malucelli (XDS-Astana) was first across the line for his third win of the season, with Erlend Blikra second – he and fifth-place Kristoff collecting a bagful of UCI points for Uno-X Mobility, a team on the verge of promotion – and Arvid De Kleijn (Tudor) third.
