BATU PAHAT — Nil Gimeno (Kern Pharma) claimed his first professional victory on stage 7 of Le Tour de Langkawi to Batu Pahat, as a determined four-man breakaway prevailed despite a charged pursuit from the sprinters' teams. The break held firm to the line to deny the peloton and deliver Gimeno his breakthrough win.
Gimeno crossed the line ahead of Mario Aparicio (Burgos Burpellet-BH) in second and Andrei Stepanov (Wheeltop Rotor Chengdu) in third, while Adne van Engelen (Terengganu) settled for fourth. The quartet had gone clear early as part of an initial group of seven, then forged ahead to upset the sprinters' plans in Batu Pahat.
The victory provided redemption for Gimeno, who finished a frustrating fourth on stage 4 in the Cameron Highlands when the break also survived. Determined not to let a second opportunity slip, he converted this time and celebrated across the line rather than commiserating after another near miss.
Overall leader Lennart Jasch (Tudor Pro Cycling) kept his grip on the leader's jersey entering the deciding stage, with his 26-second gap to Alex Balderstone (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) intact. The final day of racing on stage 8 is expected to deliver a sprint showdown, although a Category 3 climb at 50km to go offers a tempting launch point for riders looking for one last roll of the dice at the Malaysian ProTour race.