DANILO Celano bagged the biggest victory of his career as Team Sapura Cycling took its second straight overall individual and team classification win, with a bonus mountains classification prize for young Nur Aiman Zariff, as the Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2020 drew to a close with a bunch sprint in its birthplace of Langkawi today.
The 25th edition of the LTdL ended with several history-making notes, in particular for Malaysian cycling, with Terengganu Inc-TSG’s Harrif Saleh registering two stage wins and finishing third in the points classification. He is the only Asian to have three LTdL stage wins on his palmares.
Celano’s overall victory, apart from achieving a personal milestone for himself, also meant Team Sapura Cycling became the first Malaysian team to have registered two GC and team classification wins.
“It was hard to climb for the victory. But I thank the tour for this. It is a very important race for my team, so we prepared very hard for this and the plan went well. I was a bit sick this morning. I thought I would not be able to finish at the start, but I thank the whole team for pushing me, including the staff. They believed more in my overall victory than me myself,” said Celano.
The end of LTdL 2020 doesn’t mean the end of the racing on the island this season, with a post-race event – the Langkawi Classic Race of Champions – set to bring the curtains fully down tomorrow. – February 14, 2020.
Riders near Eagle Square during Stage 8 of Le Tour de Langkawi 2020 in Langkawi, Kedah. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, February 14, 2020.Riders making their way up past Telaga Harbour Marina. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, February 14, 2020.Trees providing riders some shade during Stage 8. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, February 14, 2020.Yellow jersey rider Danilo Celano of Team Sapura Cycling signing on before Stage 8 of Le Tour de Langkawi 2020. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, February 14, 2020.Riders pushing their way up a hill in Langkawi, Kedah. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, February 14, 2020.Maximilian Richard Walscheid of NTT Pro Cycling Team celebrating after winning Stage 8 of the tour today. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, February 14, 2020.Johan Le Bon of B&B Hotels-Vital Concept cooling down after the tough final stage. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, February 14, 2020.Muhammad Nur Aiman Mohd Zariff of Team Sapura Cycling (red mountain jersey) with Danilo Celano of Team Sapura Cycling (yellow leader jersey), Max Walscheid of Team NTT Pro Cycling (green sprint jersey) and Yevgeniy Fedorov of Team Vino-Astana Motors White (best Asian rider jersey) celebrating after finishing the final stage of Le Tour de Langkawi 2020 in Langkawi, Kedah, today. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, February 14, 2020.
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