THOMSON WINS, ERLER LEADS OVERALL AFTER LONGEST STAGE
02/03/2010

CHUKAI - Proving too strong for his two breakaway companions, South Africa’s Jay Thomson sped to victory at the end of the longest stage of the Tour de Langkawi today, a 182.3 kilometre leg to Chukai.

The 23 year old outsprinted Tobias Erler (Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team) and David Pell (Drapac Porsche Cycling) to the line, over 120 kilometres after the three of them had clipped away from the main bunch. They rode both strongly and intelligently, deliberately holding back so that they could accelerate when the peloton inevitably ramped up its chase.

The pursuit was driven by the ISD-Neri and Team Jayco Skins teams, the latter seeking to protect the overnight lead of stage one victor Michael Matthews. He led the main bunch home but, with three minutes and three seconds having elapsed by the time he passed the line, he lost the yellow jersey to Erler.

The German ensured that he would take over at the top by winning two of the day’s three intermediate sprints. The time bonuses saw him move five seconds clear of Pell and seven ahead of Thomson in the overall classification.

Thomson said after the stage that he had taken confidence from his recent win on a stage of the Tour of Wellington. “I came to the Tour de Langkawi with winning a stage in mind. I am coming off good form from the Tour of Wellington; that was good preparation in New Zealand, with the heat and humidity there.

“Today before the stage we discussed that we would try to get somebody in the break. We thought that maybe it would run because of the distance of the stage and having ISD riding on the front all day yesterday. We had a feeling that maybe something would stick. Thanks to my team-mates, they set it up perfectly for me to get into the break today. Obviously winning and getting a bit of a time buffer before Saturday’s climb is always a bonus.”

He, Erler and Pell attacked 59 kilometres after the stage start in Kuala Terengganu, taking advantage of a lull in speed after a number of earlier moves were all thwarted. They quickly gained time, fending off a chase behind by Wang Meiyin (Marco Polo Cycling Team) and Ming Xing Xue (Champion System-Max), and pulling well clear of the bunch.

Erler picked up what would prove to be important bonus seconds when he won the day’s second intermediate sprint in Dendang (km 69.7). Overnight leader Matthews had taken the first in Kg Pela, 26.5 kilometres earlier, but the handful of seconds gained there became irrelevant as the break continued to pull clear.

Erler then picked up a little more time when he won the sprint in Dungun (km 104.5). The gap had already crested more than eight minutes, and it was obvious by then that the bunch was struggling. ISD-Neri and Matthew’s Team Jayco-Skins were simply unable to reel them in, due in part to some clever tactics by the riders up front.

“Today you had to be in the breakaway,” Erler said afterwards. “Then when I was in the move we did the perfect job. What we did is that we held back, gaining time gradually and keeping something in reserve. Then later on when the bunch sped up, we were also able to dig in and to increase our own speed.

“I wanted to win the stage but I think that everybody [in the break] deserved to win it. I am in yellow so I can’t complain.”

Erler previously raced with the Giant Asia and 3C – Gruppe teams and took a break from international racing last year as he was studying in university. He will begin working as a teacher in September, and in the meantime will compete with the Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling squad.

He won four stages plus the overall victory in the 2005 Tour of Taiwan and is delighted to be back in yellow, particularly in a race as prestigious as the Tour de Langkawi.

“It is great to be in the yellow jersey in a .HC race,” he enthused. “But in a race like this, the Tour de Langkawi, the whole cycling world is watching. To wear yellow now is really, really nice.”

Immediately after the finish he said that his team was unlikely to try to defend the race lead, but felt differently about it once he had the golden tunic on his shoulders.

“I think I can stay in yellow until Genting [Highland], but I will probably not be in yellow after that. I know that there are climbers like Rujano in the race, and my team also has strong riders [for the general classification]. Three minutes is nothing, so if they start to ride hard on a 20 percent climb, I could lose a lot.”

One of those who will aim to ride well there is the current King of the Mountains leader Peter McDonald. He won the first mountain prime at Landas today and finished up four points ahead of the next rider.

Anuar Manan (Geumsan Ginseng Asia) also ended up on the stage end podium after a strong performance. Yesterday he received the blue jersey as best Asian rider in the race and the green jersey as points leader to that. Today he took fourth place in the final two bonus sprints plus fifth on today’s stage and this was enough to ensure that he stay in the lead.

“I was very unfortunate to have a puncture just a few kilometres before the first sprint [thus missing out on points],” he said. “With the help of my team-mate, we had to work very hard to chase the peloton today.

“After that, my focus was to be in the best position at the last sprint to make sure that I could get extra points. My new focus is for the green jersey rather than the blue one.”

Manan’s performance was just one example of the determined riding of the Malaysian competitors. Today’s stage saw countless attacks by them, but nothing stuck. They are likely to try again on tomorrow’s 145.6 kilometre stage from Pekan to Mersing.

- End