Almost eight months after his last success achieved on the roads of the AlUla Tour at the end of January, Matteo Malucelli picks up the thread of victory by winning at the sprint the second stage of the Tour of Taihu Lake 2026. The Italian sprinter from XDS Astana, who finished second twenty-four hours ago in Tangshan, overwhelmed the competition at the finish line of the Changxing-Changxing stage of 153.2 kilometers, displaying a sprint of considerable power that allowed him to beat Alexander Salby (Li Ning Star) and his teammate Gleb Syritsa, and in this way, bring to 39 the number of triumphs achieved in his career, also considering races in the .2 category.

This figure could change again as early as tomorrow in the Suzhou-Wujiang stage of 122 kilometers, another fraction that, with its completely flat profile, favors riders with the characteristics of the Forlì-based sprinter, ready to strike again (it would be the fourth overall in the event between this year's edition and last year's) in a country, China, that has given and continues to give him considerable satisfaction.

FINISHING ORDER

1. Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana Team)

2. Alexander Salby (Li Ning Star) s.t.

3. Gleb Syritsa (XDS Astana Team) s.t.

4. Dušan Rajović (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali) s.t.

5. Joshua Giddings (Lotto Intermarché) s.t.

6. Joes Oosterlinck (Van Rysel Roubaix) s.t.

7. Paul Hennequin (Euskaltel - Euskadi) s.t.

8. Jesper Rasch (China Anta - Mentech Cycling Team) s.t.

9. Pierre Barbier (Terengganu Cycling Team) s.t.

10. Adam Bradáč (Factor Racing) s.t.

Updates to follow.