Tour de Langkawi: Pelucchi wins stage 5 in Taiping

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Consigned to sprinting for the minor places behind the breakaway, Matteo Pelucchi turned the tables of fortune to win stage 5 of the Tour de Langkawi. The 30-year-old winning his first race for Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec ahead of 19-year-old Blake Quick (St George) and Travis McCabe (Floyd’s).

Only once the peloton caught the final three riders from the breakaway at three kilometres to race did Pelucchi believe he would be sprinting for the victory.

"I like this type of sprint, which is not very technical. It was a straightforward bunch sprint,” said Pelucchi of the long straight finish line. “It was a big goal for the team to win a stage and they trusted me to do the job. Now we will hunt for another stage win after this."

Having witnessed the solo breakaway win from Marcus Culey on stage 1, the trio of Cristian Raileanu (Sapura), Shotaro Iribe (Japan) and Paolo Simion (Bardiani-CSF) were hoping for similar success in Taiping. The trio though were unable to match the power of the Androni lead peloton. Inside the final three kilometres, with Marco Benfatto as the final leadout man, Androni positioned Pelucchi for the sprint. The 30-year-old finishing the job a bike length ahead of Quick. The former junior madison world champion recording holding off McCabe by half a bike length.

There was no change to the top-ten overall with Ben Dyball (Spaura) continuing to lead Hernan Aguirre (Interpro) by 27 seconds and Keegan Swirbul (Floyd’s) by 50 seconds ahead the 130.8 km stage 6 from Began to Alor Setar.

How it unfolded

Following the queen stage of the race up Genting Highlands, the peloton assembled on the flat terrain of Proton City in Tanjung Malim. The headquarters of the Malaysian car maker hosting the start of the 200.1 km stage 5 to Taiping.

Once the flag was dropped, it was an intense start to racing with a number of unsuccessful attempts to form the break. By the first sprint in Sungkai after 36 km, the peloton was still all together despite the flurry of attacks. With a quarter of the stage raced, the peloton split in three with the yellow jersey of Ben Dyball (Spaura) accounted for in the front. The 17 rider front group quickly out to 25 seconds ahead of the second group, and 40 seconds ahead of the third group. The front group then split before there was a regrouping of the peloton and more attempts to form the break.

A group of eight eventually given clearance to get up the road. The octet slowly building its lead to enjoy a 1:45 minute advantage over the peloton at the halfway mark of the stage. The gap then moving out to three minutes as the stage entered its final quarter and the sprint teams came to the fore.

At the final KOM with 20km to race, the lead had dropped to just one minute, providing impetus for Raileanu to attack from the break and Androni to up the pace in the peloton. The Moldavian, also in the break yesterday, brought Simion and Iribe with his move.

The trio though proved incapable of holding off the sprinters hungry for reward after yesterday’s gruelling climb up Genting Highlands. In the fast sprint to the line, it was Pelucchi raising his arms in the air for the first time with Androni to conclude stage 5. The Italian Pro-Continental team claiming its first Tour de Langkawi stage win since 2014.

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