BINTULU: Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL rider Max Poole has clinched the title of overall champion (Green Jersey) in the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2024, Asia’s prestigious cycling race.
The 21-year-old Briton, who has kept a firm grip on the Green Jersey since clinching it in Stage Three, had a total time of 26 hours, 27 minutes and 44 seconds (s) for the eight-stage LTdL, despite only finishing in 35th position in today’s final stage.
JCL Team UKYO’s Thomas Pesenti finished second 0.13s behind, while Equipo Kern Pharma’s Unai Iribar Jaurgei was third (0.20s behind).
“I’m just a little disappointed that my performance went downhill when we lost a rider (Johan Dorussen). So, it was a little difficult for us to plan (our tactics). Anyway, everyone did his job well,” Poole said.
Earlier, Italian Matteo Malucelli of JCL Team UKYO scored a hat-trick of stage wins when he crossed the finish line in 3:07.38s, with Tudor Pro Cycling Team’s Arvid De Kleijn and Astana Qazaqstan Team’s Gleb Syritsa coming in second and third respectively.
That saw Malucelli snatching the Orange Jersey (Best Sprinter) with 80 points, just two ahead of De Kleijn while Syritsa finished third with 57 points.
BH-Burgos rider Mario Aparicio Munoz took home the Polka Dot Jersey (King of Mountain) after accumulating 27 points, followed by Poole (22 points) and Astana Qazaqstan Team’s Anthon Charmig (12 points).
The White Jersey (Best Asian Rider) belonged to JCL Team UKYO’s Manabu Ishibashi (26:30:02s), followed by his teammate Yuma Koishi (2.41s behind) and Aisan Racing Team’s Keigo Kusaba (2.45s behind).
Meanwhile, Equipo Kern Pharma came out tops in the team general classification with a total time of 79:24:12s, followed by Astana Qazaqstan Team (1.31s behind) and Polti Kometa (1.40s behind).
The country’s representative, Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) finished as the third-best Asian team with a total time of 79:58.46s, behind JCL Team UKYO (79:35.36s) and the Thailand national team (79:58.24s).
