BATU PAHAT, Oct 3 — Spanish rider Nil Gimeno Ferrer of Equipo Kern Pharma produced a tactical masterclass to claim his maiden professional career victory on Stage Seven of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2026 from Melaka to Batu Pahat, today.
The 22-year-old crossed the finish line in three hours, 12 minutes and 33 seconds over the 158.9-kilometre (km) route, edging Mario Aparicio Muñoz (Burgos-Burpellet-BH) into second place and Andrei Stepanov (Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu Team) in third, while Adne Van Engelen (Terengganu Cycling Team) finished fourth.
“Well, we came here for one stage. We believed it was the stage four, but didn’t happen and I was not expecting today. All the breakaway riders, eh pull full gas all the day, really honest everybody, and we did it. We did it,” Gimeno Ferrer told reporters after the race.
The Spanish rider explained that despite peloton expectations of a bunch sprint on the flat coastal terrain, the four-man escape group worked tirelessly to stay clear of the chasing pack.
Nil Gimeno Ferrer revealed that the realization of a potential stage victory only truly sank in as the breakaway group entered the final kilometre with the mindset that “I need to win today”.
An emotional Gimeno Ferrer dedicated the memorable triumph to his team management and staff who have continued to show faith in him amidst off-season sponsorship uncertainties.
He also dedicated the victory to a close personal member facing difficult times reflecting on the personal hurdles he has navigated this season.
“To be honest, it’s been a, let’s say a hard year with some small setbacks and this is amazing. Also, I have one member that I love too much that is not having the best time, so we fight for that. I suffer that and this is for him,” he said.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Lennart Jasch (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) safely preserved the overall leader’s Orange Jersey with a cumulative time of 24 hours, 51 minutes and 45 seconds, holding a 26-second lead over Abel Balderstone Roumens (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and 42 seconds over Jan Castellon Ribalt (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA).
Italian sprinter Matteo Malucelli of XDS Astana Team maintained his stronghold on the Blue Jersey (Points Classification) with 50 points, while Lennart also retained the King of the Mountains (KOM) Polka Dot Jersey with 45 points, four points ahead of Petr Rikunov (Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu Team).
In the Best Asian Rider category, Japan’s Yuhi Todome (Aisan Racing Team) kept the White Jersey in 24:59:06s, with Malaysian rider Tsen Ren Han (Malaysia National Team) and his brother Tsen Ren Bao (St George Continental Cycling Team) trailing in second and third respectively, five minutes and 25 seconds adrift.
The 30th edition of the LTdL concludes tomorrow with Stage Eight from Muar to Putrajaya (188.3 km), featuring three sprints in Simpang Ampat, Seremban and Nilai. — Bernama
