Artem Ovechkin wins 2018 Tour de Langkawi

Artem Ovechkin has made history for Malaysian cycling with the Russian holding off a plethora of attacks to deliver overall victory for the Terengganu Continental outfit at the Tour de Langkawi. In 23 editions of the race, the win is the first for a Malaysian team.

In the final stage from Rembau to the capital Kuala Lumpur, Andrea Guardini won his second stage of the race and 24th overall. The Bardiani-CSF sprinter getting the better of compatriots Manuel Belletti and Luca Pacioni. Ovechkin safely placed in the bunch in 37th place.

"I thought it was would be easy but it was not easy. It was a very hard day. After two mountains, the breakaway went away with one or two good guys on GC," Ovechkin told Cyclingnews on the finish line. "I am very happy of course. Thank you very much to all my team and staff. I am very happy."

In an aggressive final stage, Arturo Sierra and Amanuel Gebreigzabhier both enjoyed moments as the virtual leader of the race. However, the work of Rally and Bardiani-CSF ensured the sprint final with Guardini keeping intact his winning record in the Kuala Lumpur finale.

"Start the sprint before the others," Guardini said of the secret to his success in the capital. "Some guys start the sprint with 150 metres but I know it will be too late. I was also a bit lucky because the Androni guys leave me space in the left and I say. 'It is unbelievable'. They leave me space and I start and say ok this is my best finish ever."

The win also gave Guardini the points classification ahead of Riccardo Minali after the Astana rider suffered a mechanical in the final 600 meters and could only finish eighth. There was also a change in the mountains classification with Alvaro Raul Duarte of Forca Amskins claiming the red polka dot jersey. Another classification win for a Malaysian team.

Yevgeniy Gidich defended his best Asian rider classification with Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia also holding on for the team classification. There was a reshuffle to the top-ten overall though with Harry Sweeny suffering a double puncture inside the final 6km and dropped from fifth to tenth. Gebreigzabhier the major beneficiary as moved up from sixth into fourth.

How it unfolded

From Rembau, 104 riders lined out for the stage to Kuala Lumpur. The capital hosting its 19th stage finish, a new record for the race, overtaking Genting Highlands as the most popular finish.

Within the first ten kilometres of the 141km stage, the quartet of Scott Davies (Dimension Data), Arturo Sierra (Manzana-Postobon), Simone Velasco (Wilier) and Joe Cooper (Bennelong) kicked off the breakaway. Sierra, starting the day in 15th place 1:31 minutes off yellow, was riding into the virtual race lead as the peloton pulled out a maximum led of 2:50 minutes by the 40km mark.

The reaction from the peloton saw the lead drop to a manageable two minutes. At the 50km mark, Sierra was dropped by the group with Ovechkin resuming his position as race leader. In the peloton, points leader Riccardo Minali broke a saddle and required a bike change while Cooper lost contact with the leaders. Velasco then forged on alone before also being reeled in by a new breakaway on the Hulu Langat climb.

A dangerous group of Nich Dlamini and Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Dimension Data), Alessando Bisolti (Androni), Lukasz Owsian (CCC), Alvaro Duarte (Forca), Harry Sweeny (Mitchelton) and Victor Nino (Sapura) went clear with Velasco. The new leaders held a lead of 50 seconds en route to the six circuits of the capital with Bardiani-CSF and Rally working hard to make the catch and set up the sprint.

On the second circuit, Ghebreigzabhier, Velasco and Dylan Sunderland attacked from the front group. Ghebreigzabhier briefly riding into yellow before he dropped from the lead group and re-joined the peloton.

Inside 10km to race, the catch of Sunderland and Velasco was made and from there, the sprint finish was a foregone conclusion. Guardini enjoying a comfortable winning margin for win number 24 in Malaysia. For the fans in Kula Lumpur though, the result that mattered most was the first win by a Malaysian team on home soil.

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