TERENGGANU, Malaysia—The All-Filipino riders from 7-Eleven-Cliqq-Air21-Roadbike Philippines stuck with the whole bunch from the get-go all the way to the finish on the first day of the PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi 2023 on Saturday.
Stage 1, which covered a 187.4-kilometer ride from Kerteh to Kuala Terengganu, was the longest of the nine stages of this tour that has become a yearly pilgrimage to some of the world’s best professional and continental teams.
All the 132 starters from 22 teams, including 12 Asian squads, finished with a similar clocking of 4:25.48.
“I just told our boys to go with our plan which is to stick with the leaders. I’m glad na kundisyon sila lahat at sumabay talaga,” said Ric Rodriguez, Team Director of the 7-Eleven-Cliqq-Air21-Roadbike Philippines.
Team captain Ryan Tugawin and veteran campaigner Nichol Pareja towed the rest of the Filipino riders, including Ismael Gorospe, Junreck Carcueva, Rench Michael Bondoc, and Joshua Pascual.
The final 200 meters turned into a mad scramble to the finish with Arvid De Kleijn of Tudor Pro Cycling from Switzerland emerging as the Stage 1 winner and he will now hold the leadership yellow jersey.
The best Asian rider Taghsbayar Batsaikhan of Roojai Online Insurance from Thailand.
Stage 1 was just the beginning of the 1,278.1km tour that will pass through 11 states in the Peninsula and ends in front of the PETRONAS Twin Tower on Sept 30.
Another relatively flat and a pair of hill climbs in Setiu and Petong will greet all the riders that remained complete and healthy for the 186.2km route from Kuala Terengganu to Kota Bahru.
Expect another bunched ending with three sprint races at Bukit Nenas at 34th kilometer and at Bandar Permausuri (KM 87.4) and Peringat (KM 173.2) near the finish.
Klejn of Tudor also came out as the best sprinter in Stage 1 to wear the KBS Orange jersey. The Best Climber jersey went to Mohd Zariff of Terengganu of Terengganu Polygon from Malaysia for the Tourism Malaysia Polka Dot jersey.
The best climbers and sprinters awards can be won by garnering corresponding points at every stage. The rider with the most points will become the Best Sprinter and the King of the Mountain awardees.