Gleb Syritsa (Astana Qazagstan) won the opening stage of the Tour de Langkawi, taking victory in the rain in front of the iconic Kuala Lumpur Petronas Towers.
Erlend Blikra (Uno-X) came second while it was a third place for Max Kanter (Movistar) on the puddle-filled finishing straight which not long before they came through had deluge that sent crowds scurrying for cover and it again returned in time for a sodden podium presentation as the rain turned the puddles into pools.
It was a first professional victory for 22-year-old Syritsa, who repaid the work his team had put in to pull the initial break of 9 back during the stage.
“I am very happy. I can not believe it,” Syritsa told reporters after the stage.
The 157.3km opening stage of the race, which is part of cluster of international races in the region that are heralding a restart after two years of COVID-19 curtailments, started out in Kuala Pilah and worked its way north toward Kuala Lumpur via five categorised climbs before a flat finish.
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