Tour de Langkawi: Celano secures overall victory

Image 1 of 3

Italy’s Danilo Celano (Team Sapura) won the 25th edition of the Le Tour de Langkawi, with Max Walscheid (NTT Pro Cycling) doubling up on the island of Langkawi on the final stage after his first stage win in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

The bunch split in two parts on several occasions during the 108km stage and Celano was seen at the back before the race came back together, helping the Italian secure overall victory.

"I woke up with fever this morning and I didn’t think I’d be able to finish the first lap of the circuit," Celano revealed. "But my team believed in me more than I did myself and I eventually managed to get through it."

Walscheid and NTT Pro Cycling were more in control despite the climb on the final circuit.

"It feels amazing to win today because it was a hard stage in hot conditions on a difficult finishing circuit," Walscheid explained.

"I’m a pure sprinter but the team believed in my capabilities to overcome the climb. We played it very well with [Samuele] Battistella at the front until a few metres before the line and Michael Carbel led me out very well. Since it’s Valentine’s Day today, this victory is also for my girlfriend."

Battistella, along with Serbian national champion Dusan Rajovic (Nippo-Delko One Provence), bridged the gap to Cyril Gautier (B&B Hotels-Vital Concept) and Aiman Cahyadi (PGN), the leftovers of the breakaway of the stage to shake-up the finale. The last two attackers were reeled in by the reduced peloton in the last kilometre of racing.

Luca Pacioni (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec) took second place behind Walscheid, with 19-year-old Australian Taj Jones (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) third.

Celano became the first Italian overall winner of Le Tour de Langkawi since Paolo Lanfranchi in 2001, joining compatriots Luca Scinto (1997) and Gabriele Missaglia (1998), who also claimed the yellow jersey that goes with the winner's Eagle trophy (Lang, from Langkawi, means Eagle).

Compared to 88 stage wins by Italian riders in 240 stages contested in Le Tour de Langkawi, Germany had not shined much under the scorching Malaysian sun, with only four stage victories through Jan Bratkowski (2001), Danilo Hondo (2008), Marcel Kittel and Robert Förster (2011). Walscheid took two in this year's race.

“It’s been a great trip to Malaysia," Walscheid said, also winning the points classification like his compatriot Steffen Radochla in 2006.

"We still have one race to come [the 1.1 Malaysian International Classic on February 15] but beyond the results, we’ve raced very well together as a group during this whole week."

The 25th Tour de Langkawi revealed the talent of several young riders. 19-year-old Yevgeniy Fedorov from Vino Astana Motors and Taj Jones won stages 1 and 2 and were still in the mix on the last day, with the Kazakhstani attacking in the last climb before securing his second place overall and best Asian. Jones ended the race with two third places, his stage 2 victory and a show of huge potential for the future.