Lennart Jasch was the most anticipated rider and he did not disappoint expectations. As soon as the road started climbing at the Tour de Langkawi, the German from Team Tudor made his mark. In the second stage finishing at Gurung Jerai, he managed himself perfectly and caught up with Spaniard Abel Balderstone (Caja Rural) in the final 600 meters. This is Jasch's third professional victory, his first outside of Italy.

Among Italian athletes, a solid performance from Mattia Gaffuri (PicNic PostNL) who, despite some stomach issues from the previous night and his first real experience with Malaysian heat, managed himself well on the climb and finished in seventh position.

THE RACE. An unprecedented stage at the Tour de Langkawi where for the first time in the history of the Malaysian race, the Gurung Jerai climb was tackled. 145.6 kilometers were scheduled for the second day of racing, which started from Taiping, the northernmost point touched in this edition, before heading south. The first 135 kilometers were almost completely flat and brought the peloton to face the terrible final ascent of 10 km with gradients reaching 15%.

The race became lively from the very beginning and saw the XDS Astana team and Team Tudor controlling the peloton. After repeated attacks, the breakaway formed at the tenth kilometer and featured 7 athletes who managed to gain up to 3 minutes of advantage: Javier Ibanez (Caja Rural Seguros RGA), Muhammad Nur Aiman Mohd Zariff and Muhammad Nur Aiman Bin Rosli (Terengganu Cycling Team), Ade Meisa (Nusantara Cycling Team), Muhamad Iqbal Daniel Mohd Nawawi (Malaysia Pro Cycling), Jihwan Park (KSPO) and Muhammad Adam Hakimi Nazuan (Malaysia). At 82 km from the finish, Meisa and Mohd Nawawi tried to gain an advantage over their breakaway companions, who shortly after regrouped. The peloton came back together 20 km from the finish.

The climb immediately caused selection, but the first key moment of the stage came 4.6 km from the finish when Spaniard Abel Balderstone forced the pace in the leading group, attempting a solo attack. The Caja Rural Seguros rider managed to build a 25-second advantage over his rivals, while Lennart Jasch decided to climb at his own pace. The German rider caught up with the race leader when 700 meters remained and immediately launched his attack, managing to cross the finish line solo.

A victory of strength and heart for the Team Tudor rider, who jumped to the top of the general classification with a 20-second advantage over Balderstone. Tomorrow he will face the third stage of the Tour de Langkawi wearing the leader's jersey. The 189 km from Sungai Petani to Kuala Kangstar feature a single climb in the early part of the race and should be another perfect day for the sprinters.

to be updated

STAGE RESULTS

1  Jasch Lennart Tudor Pro Cycling Team 3:37:21

2  Balderstone Abel Caja Rural - Seguros RGA 0:16

3  Castellon Jan Caja Rural - Seguros RGA 0:32

4  Díaz José Manuel Burgos Burpellet BH         1:04

5  Christophersen Cedrik Bakke Unibet Rose Rockets 1:05

6  Fougner Eivind Broholt Unibet Rose Rockets 1:06

7  Gaffuri Mattia Team Picnic PostNL         1:13

8  Le Berre Mathis TotalEnergies 1:26

9  Gutiérrez Jorge Equipo Kern Pharma 1:31

10 Bregnhøj Mathias Terengganu Cycling Team 1:36

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1  Jasch Lennart Tudor Pro Cycling Team 7:44:04

2  Balderstone Abel Caja Rural - Seguros RGA 0:20

3  Castellon Jan Caja Rural - Seguros RGA 0:38

4  Díaz José Manuel Burgos Burpellet BH 1:14

5  Christophersen Cedrik Bakke Unibet Rose Rockets 1:15

6  Gaffuri Mattia Unibet Rose Rockets 1:16

7  Fougner Eivind Broholt Team Picnic PostNL 1:23

8  Le Berre Mathis TotalEnergies 1:36

9  Gutiérrez Jorge Equipo Kern Pharma 1:41

10 Bregnhøj Mathias Terengganu Cycling Team 1:46