Leaning against the Ceremiche-Panaria team van 20 minutes before the start of stage 5, Graeme Brown was very matter of fact about the first four days of 2003 Tour de Langkawi. Sure the Aussie, who went neck and neck with Mario Cipollini at last year’s Giro, had been beaten in three straight sprints by a younger, brasher foe. But Brown wasn’t ready to concede anything to Mendonca Pagliarini, the 24-year-old Brazilian Lampre rider who’d won three straight sprint finishes here in Malaysia.

“I know you’ve got to make your own luck, but I’ve definitely been a bit unlucky so far,” said Brown, who at the time had finished second twice and third once at this year’s TDL. “I definitely think I’m faster than him. I’ve just got to get myself in the right place.”

Four and a half hours later Brown found that right place and made good on his declaration of speed, easily winning the 179.1km run from Kata Bharu to Kuala Terengganu. The win, combined with Pagliarini’s 31st-place finish, was more than enough to hand the green points jersey over to Brown.

“The plan today was no holds barred and just go for the win,” explained Brown, who unlike the day before didn’t miss the tail of his team’s leadout. “[Sergey] Matveyev [Brett] Lancaster did a perfect job and no one could really come past us because the train was so strong.”

The win ended what had been a frustrating and sometimes controversial opening half of the race for the Australian rider. Following the second stage, Brown filed a protest that Pagliarini had blocked his run to the line, but race officials saw it the other way and denied it. Then following Monday’s stage Brown and Pagliarini nearly came to blows after Pagliarini accused Brown of swinging in front of him after the pair crossed the finish. Brown countered that he was simply avoiding the photographers massed on the road to shoot the stage’s conclusion, but it was a testy few minutes nonetheless.

On this day, though, there was no controversy, just an extremely convincing win. In fact Panaria was so strong at the end that teammate Ruben Bongiorno grabbed second place, while Lancaster came across sixth.

“There’s no doubt we were the strongest team out there today,” said Brown, who now owns three Langkawi stage wins in his career. “There was no way anyone was coming past us.”

Meanwhile, There was no change in the chase for the overall lead, as Saturn’s Nathan O’Neill maintained his 20-second advantage over Canadian national team rider Roland Green.

“We had to bring a few more guys up to the front because the gaps weren’t coming down as fast as the other days,” explained O’Neill about the chase of the day’s most significant breakaway, a 3-rider move that’s advantage crested at 5:25, before they were finally caught with 8km to go. “As far as we’re concerned we’d like the race to finish with sprints the rest of the way till Genting. We’re happy to control the race the same way it’s been going and Panaria has proved today they have some form, so hopefully there will be some helping hands tomorrow for the finish.”

The 10-day, 1343.5 km race continues Wednesday with another flat stage, this time a 136.3km trip from Marang to Cukai.

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NORTH AMERICAN RECAP
Gord Fraser was again the top placed rider, finishing 16th. Fraser also won the first intermediate sprint of the day, earning 5 points and a 3-second time bonus.

Seven North Americans remain in the top 15 overall: Roland Green (Can), 2nd at 0:20; Tom Danielson (USA), 3rd at 0:24, Eric Wohlberg (Can), 4th at 0:27; Gord Fraser (Can), 8th at 0:41; Seamus McGrath (Can), 9th at 0:45; Peter Wedge (Can), 12th at 0:50; and Tim Johnson (USA), 14th at 0:51.

TIPSHEET
Look for Tom Danielson to be Saturn’s No. 1 guy come the hors categorie stage 9 climb up into the Genting Highlands, which will likely decide the race’s overall outcome.

“We’ve talked about it and I’m going to be the one,” Danielson said before Tuesday’s stage start. “I’ve got the rhythm on the climbs right now, so I just need to ride that rhythm. It’s definitely some pressure, but I just have to have fun and enjoy myself. The guys are really supportive of me.”

JERSEY UPDATE
Yellow (Overall leader): Nathan O’Neill — The Saturn rider maintained his 20-second advantage over Canadian Roland Green after both riders finished safely in the bunch.
Green (Points): Graeme Brown — The Aussie speedster snatched the points lead away from Mendonca Pagliarini after winning stage 5. Pagliarini fell to fourth behind Stuart O’Grady and Aundrus Aug (De Nardi-Colpack) after finishing 31st
Polka Dot (KoM): Roland Green — The Canadian held the jersey, though he did concede four points to Fortunato Baliani, who took the days lone KoM, a category 4 climb.
Blue (Top Asian rider): Iran’s Hossain Askari held the lead he first took in the stage 1 time trial.

Stage 6 route

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Saturn
2. Canada, at 1:00
3. Colombia-Selle Italia, at 1:17
4. Panaria, at 1:22
5. Relax-Fuenlabrada, at 2:06

WHAT’S NEXT
Stage 6
Marang to Cukai: 136.3 km Having overnighted in the coastal town of Kuala Terengganu, the riders won't have much time to recover from the speed of Tuesday, as stage 6 will be another burner. The trip starts in the small fishing village of Marang, then traces Malaysia’s eastern coast, south to Cukai. The saving grace from the heat will be the wind blowing in from the nearby South China Sea.