Matteo Malucelli came to the Tour de Langkawi to win, and at the first available opportunity, he scored a winning blow. In Malaysia, he's almost a superstar; last year, the public and organizers literally fell in love with his racing style, and since then, local media have been talking about him and his future plans. In the previous edition, he finished the race with a victory in Bintulu, and now he's started by raising his arms to the sky, like a cycle that continues on and on.

"Today's stage was identical to last year's, but in the end, it's always the riders who make the race. For example, last time we sprinted on the right, today on the left, even though the finish was the same. I started on the right foot and I'm truly satisfied. My teammates know I'm used to moving alone, having them nearby is enough for me - it's a situation I mentally prefer. I immediately chose to follow the Uno X train and draft behind Kristoff, just to be sure to start a second before and not after him. Finishes like these are very fast, and you need to be ready." Malucelli explained to tuttobiciweb, dedicating the victory to Domenico Gardelli, his former sports director at Team Idea, one of the first to believe in his potential and push him to become the rider he is today.

Asia has now found its place in the cycling world with races gaining more and more popularity, but for a European, flying to the other side of the world and being in top form is never easy. The stress of long travel, transfer hours, and different climate are factors that cannot be underestimated and are often decisive for the success of the trip. Malucelli seems to be one of the riders who best adapts to this type of competition, but to succeed, there's a real preparation behind it. "Now I've found my routine, I start preparing a few days before long trips to avoid jet lag. Depending on how my days are organized, I wake up even at 3 in the morning, turn on the light, and start adapting as if it were day, immediately doing rollers. Another determining factor is the travel; for this Malaysian trip, I left Wednesday evening and arrived Thursday. Maybe it's more expensive, but you arrive earlier and have more time to rest. This year I managed to win the first stage of the Tour of Hainan and now Langkawi, and I'd say this routine is having an effect." Matteo explains, emphasizing how he has built his "Asian routine" piece by piece over the years. It all started in 2018 when he was still racing for Androni Giocattoli, and season after season, he tried to perfect his adaptation. While once the priority was to train immediately after landing, now the priority is to rest to be ready from the first day of racing.

Last night's news was the absence of Israel Premier Tech from the Giro dell'Emilia to avoid disturbances with pro-Palestinian protesters, a choice that brings to mind what happened years ago with the Russian Gazprom. A complicated situation that Matteo himself had suffered the worst consequences of, finding himself without a contract, without certainties. "I'm really sorry about what's happening - he told us, it's practically the same situation I experienced a few years ago when I was racing in Gazprom, from one day to the next we found ourselves excluded from every race, and it was terrible. It's not right for me to take a position on this, but I believe it's not fair that the riders pay for everything that's happening, they have nothing to do with war and politics."

Tomorrow, the Langkawi Tour will arrive on the main island, and in Kapala Batas, another sprint is expected. Needless to say, Malucelli will be the athlete everyone will try to keep an eye on.