Galvanised Gavazzi gets the yellow jersey
10/02/2009, Malay Mail

MATTIA GAVAZZI of the ever outstanding Diquigiovanni-Androni team came out tops after the first hurdle of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) yesterday.

The tactics of the Venezualean team, which had won them the team title in the previous edition of LTdL, paid dividends as Gavazzi led the charts against the other 119 riders after completing Stage 1 of 133.8km.

"Everything went well for my team today as we managed to lead the bunch as planned."

"My team worked very hard and I only finish the race today," said the rider who had just won the first stage of Tour de San Luis in Argentina last month.

The rider from Italy finished the race in a big group in 3:6.42 hours and managed to win the yellow jersey jointly sponsored by Proton and TM. He also won the green jersey sponsored by MILO after he managed to accumulate 15 points in the sprint zone.

He said that winning both (Tour de San Luis and LTdL 2009) in quite a short time was totally unexpected and unique.

The talent of the 25-year-old rider must have been in the bloodline as his father, Pierino Gavazzi was three-time winner of the Italian National Road Race Championship.

The polka dot jersey, sponsored by Resorts World Berhad went to Jaco Venter from the National Team of South Africa with 4 points at the climb zone in Bukit Puyoh.

"I’m ecstatic to win the polka dot jersey today as the climb is suitable for me compared to the climb stage in Genting which is for sure more of a feat compared to this."

"From the early kilometre, I have been striving to break away from the bunch and I hope I get to do that in the next stage also," said Venter.

A rider from MNCF Cycling Team, Mohd Akmal Amrun, managed to get fifth place overall after he excelled in the sprint zone in Kajang, Semenyih and Nilai.

The 22-year-old rider managed to accumulate two points each in the sprint zone in Kajang and Semenyih and another five points in Nilai, which is at kilometre 93.8 of yesterday’s race.

Not only that, he also managed to be second during the climb in Bukit Puyoh and this secured the spot as the second best rider in Asia.

National Team Malaysia's Ahmad Haidar Anuawar (above) finished in seventh place while his teammate Anuar Manan was tenth.

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