Hours after being declared the winner of stage 2 of the Petronas Tour de Langkawi, sprinter Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates) has been relegated, making Australia’s Craig Wiggins (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) the Raub stage winner.
The 178.9km stage, the longest of the race, came down to a tight sprint battle with riders fighting for wheels, and particularly that of Alpecin-Deceuninck rider Jakub Mareczko as the wide road funelled them toward the Raub finish line.
Molano will remain in the race but was given the result of 109th place on the stage after being relegated to the back of the peloton.
While organisers did not specify the reason beyond saying it was an "irregular sprint", in footage of the race, Molano and Raymond Kreder (Team Ukyo) can be seen making contact in the lead-up to the finish. Molano took his hand off the bars and appeared to push through against Kreder.
Molano was relegated in a similar incident earlier this year and expelled from the Critérium du Dauphiné after being caught on camera hitting a fellow rider, Frenchman Hugo Page.
The decision to relegate the winner of the final stage of the Vuelta a España has made it a difficult two stages for UAE Team Emirates. One of its two GC hopefuls, Rui Costa, was unable to finish stage 1 as he was unwell. Now, on stage 2, what they thought was a victory has disappeared. They will be hoping the race turns around on the pivotal stage 3, where the team will be backing George Bennett as the race climbs up to the Genting Highlands.
The declassification of Molano, which made Wiggins the victor, gave the 23-year-old his first victory at an international race and helped Australia retain its perfect record in Raub.
The Tour de Langkawi has had three stage finishes in the town, with Brett Lancaster winning there in 2004, Graeme Brown in 2005 and now Wiggins in 2022.
