Yesterday, Matteo Malucelli literally left us breathless, thinking of the worst possible consequences. During the race, we had little information, and the few images we received showed him on the ground in pain. The Astana XDS Team athlete had fallen heavily around the twentieth kilometer of the sixth stage of the Tour de Langkawi and was then forced to withdraw. This morning, we found him smiling at the start in Malacca, certainly a bit disappointed, but with a huge smile that immediately reassured us.

"Yesterday, after about 20 km, I fell. It was a very stupid crash, it was raining a lot, and these things can happen," Matteo tells Tuttobici with a smile, "just a lot of fear that fortunately has already gone away. I admit I was scared, I was really frightened, I took a hit to the leg and had the feeling it was broken. The doctors on site did not reassure me at all, and due to the panic and fear, I decided to abandon the race. At the hospital, they did all the necessary tests, and nothing is broken, I just have a bit of pain but I'm fine. I'm really sorry I couldn't start this race; I believe there would have been other opportunities for me."

After the crash, Matteo somehow continued to ride his stage, experienced from an unprecedented perspective and one that will be hard to forget. "After the crash, I did the entire stage in the ambulance behind the race. I listened to what was happening through the radio, heard how my teammates were behaving and what the movements in the group were. Let's say it was a somewhat particular way of following the race, and I admit it was also the hardest because in those moments you feel fragile, you're in the ambulance and can do nothing, I kept thinking about what had happened and if things could have gone differently. It was three very long hours, but everything went well. I was constantly in contact with my teammates who did the intermediate sprints as we had planned. Only the final part where I was supposed to sprint was missing."

But that's not all. Once at the hospital and after completing the tests, he was literally mobbed by fans, doctors, and nurses eager to take a photo with him, with their Italian superstar.

Fans were also not lacking in Malacca, where everything was ready for the seventh stage. Unfortunately, Matteo will not be at the start, but he still wanted to be there out of respect for the organization and to make those fans happy who were expecting to see him fight in the sprint. There is a continuous coming and going of people looking for photographs - ordinary people, staff, photographers, and journalists, all wanting a memento of the Italian sprinter, almost forgetting that the race is about to start. "I think today's stage is very suitable for Alexander Kristoff. It's almost 220 kilometers long, and many riders might suffer from the length, and the finish is also slightly uphill. Honestly, I wish him well, especially after the victory I took away from him."