Langkawi: Lopez powers to stage 4 win, now leads GC

Race favorite Miguel Ángel López (Astana) delivered in a major way Saturday in Malaysia’s Tour de Langkawi. The 22-year-old Colombian left his rivals behind on the Tanah Rata finishing climb to take stage 4, riding into the overall leader’s yellow jersey in the process.

UnitedHealthcare’s Daniel Jaramillo claimed runner-up honors in the 129.4km queen stage, while Dimension Data’s Reinardt Janse van Rensburg crossed the line in third.

Top 10, stage 4

• 1. Miguel Angel LOPEZ MORENO, ASTANA PRO TEAM, in 3:25:37
• 2. Daniel Alexander JARAMILLO DIEZ, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :30
• 3. Reinardt JANSE VAN RENSBURG, DIMENSION DATA, at :35
• 4. Francisco MANCEBO PEREZ, SKD, at :35
• 5. Jonathan CLARKE, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :35
• 6. Giulio CICCONE, BARDIANI CSF, at :35
• 7. George HARPER, ONE PRO CYCLING, at :35
• 8. Jesper HANSEN, TINKOFF, at :35
• 9. Luca CHIRICO, BARDIANI CSF, at :35
• 10. Janez BRAJKOVIC, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :35

Top 10 overall

• 1. Miguel Angel LOPEZ MORENO, ASTANA PRO TEAM, in 14:08:03
• 2. Reinardt JANSE VAN RENSBURG, DIMENSION DATA, at :29
• 3. Daniel Alexander JARAMILLO DIEZ, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :34
• 4. George HARPER, ONE PRO CYCLING, at :39
• 5. Jesper HANSEN, TINKOFF, at :45
• 6. Janez BRAJKOVIC, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :45
• 7. Lachlan NORRIS, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at :45
• 8. Francisco MANCEBO PEREZ, SKD, at :45
• 9. Antonio PIEDRA PEREZ, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at :45
• 10. Ivan SANTAROMITA, SKD, at :45

 
Multiple breakaway groups formed early on in the day, but the peloton swept up the escapees on the final ascent, setting the stage for a showdown among the GC hopefuls. López attacked 5km from the finish line on the steepest part of the climb, getting some separation from the pack, at least temporarily.

When Johnny Clarke of UnitedHealthcare bridged the gap, López launched himself again with 3km to go. This time, despite the best efforts of fellow Colombian Jaramillo, López was able to stay clear. He finished 30 seconds ahead of Jaramillo, with Janse van Rensburg leading a sizable group across the line five seconds later.

With his performance, López claimed the race lead from his Astana teammate Andrea Guardini. Janse van Rensburg sits second overall, 29 seconds behind López, while Jaramillo is now third on GC, 34 seconds back.

“It was a very fast stage,” Lopez said. “I had to justify my team-mates’ dedication. With one rider less, it wasn’t easy to do so much work to make me win up here, but I attacked where I was told to do so.

“This is a very important victory for me. To start the season well will give me a lot of confidence and serenity for my further goals, the main one being the Vuelta a España.”

López has indeed started the season well; in January, he climbed to victory in the sixth stage of the Tour de San Luis, finishing just ahead of countryman Nairo Quintana (Movistar).

He will look to defend his Langkawi race lead in Sunday’s 148.8km stage 5, from Tapah to Kuala Lumpur.

Stage 4 results

• 1. Miguel Angel LOPEZ MORENO, ASTANA PRO TEAM, in 3:25:37
• 2. Daniel Alexander JARAMILLO DIEZ, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :30
• 3. Reinardt JANSE VAN RENSBURG, DIMENSION DATA, at :35
• 4. Francisco MANCEBO PEREZ, SKD, at :35
• 5. Jonathan CLARKE, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :35
• 6. Giulio CICCONE, BARDIANI CSF, at :35
• 7. George HARPER, ONE PRO CYCLING, at :35
• 8. Jesper HANSEN, TINKOFF, at :35
• 9. Luca CHIRICO, BARDIANI CSF, at :35
• 10. Janez BRAJKOVIC, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :35
• 11. Lachlan NORRIS, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at :35
• 12. Antonio PIEDRA PEREZ, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at :35
• 13. John Bohn EBSEN, ONE PRO CYCLING, at :35
• 14. Julen AMEZQUETA, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at :35
• 15. Hyo Suk GONG, KSPO, at :35
• 16. Ivan SANTAROMITA, SKD, at :35
• 17. Simone STERBINI, BARDIANI CSF, at :35
• 18. Jaco VENTER, DIMENSION DATA, at :50
• 19. Tomas Aurelio GIL MARTINEZ, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at 1:00
• 20. Valentin BAILLIFARD, TEAM ROTH, at 1:04
• 21. James ORAM, ONE PRO CYCLING, at 1:04
• 22. Colin STÜSSI, TEAM ROTH, at 1:09
• 23. Karol DOMAGALSKI, ONE PRO CYCLING, at 1:14
• 24. Muhamad Adiq Husainie OTHMAN, TSG, at 1:14
• 25. Kangeun JOO, KSPO, at 1:14
• 26. Richard HANDLEY, ONE PRO CYCLING, at 1:14
• 27. Zhao JINGBIAO, HEN, at 1:14
• 28. Johann VAN ZYL, DIMENSION DATA, at 1:14
• 29. Masakazu ITO, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 1:18
• 30. Alberto NARDIN, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC, at 1:18
• 31. Jianpeng LIU, HEN, at 1:18
• 32. Roland THALMANN, TEAM ROTH, at 1:18
• 33. Tomohiro HAYAKAWA, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 1:35
• 34. Laurens DE VREESE, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:35
• 35. Samuele CONTI, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at 1:35
• 36. Marcelo FELIPE, 7ES, at 1:44
• 37. Adrien NIYONSHUTI, DIMENSION DATA, at 1:44
• 38. Agung SAHBANA, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 1:44
• 39. Ka Hoo Fung, HKS, at 2:03
• 40. Baler RAVINA, 7ES, at 3:30
• 41. Meiyin WANG, HEN, at 3:30
• 42. Yoshimitsu HIRATSUKA, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 3:33
• 43. Nick DOUGALL, DIMENSION DATA, at 3:37
• 44. Songezo JIM, DIMENSION DATA, at 3:37
• 45. Mark John Lexer GALEDO, 7ES, at 3:37
• 46. Evgeny PETROV, TINKOFF, at 3:37
• 47. Michael GOGL, TINKOFF, at 3:37
• 48. Choon Huat GOH, TSG, at 3:37
• 49. Ho San CHIU, HKS, at 3:50
• 50. Sofian Nabil MOHD BAKRI, NSC, at 3:55
• 51. Nur Amirul Fakhruddin MARZUKI, TSG, at 3:55
• 52. Novardianto JAMALIDIN, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 3:57
• 53. Mohd Fauzan AHMAD LUTFI, MAS, at 5:40
• 54. Giuseppe FONZI, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at 6:19
• 55. Thomas SCULLY, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at 6:19
• 56. Gavin MANNION, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at 6:19
• 57. Edgar NOHALES NIETO, 7ES, at 6:34
• 58. Joon Yong SEO, KSPO, at 6:45
• 59. Carlos Alexandre MANARELLI, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at 6:47
• 60. Nur Aiman ZARIFF, MAS, at 6:47
• 61. Amir RUSLI, MAS, at 6:47
• 62. Mohd Nazri MUHAMAD, NSC, at 6:47
• 63. Mirco MAESTRI, BARDIANI CSF, at 7:10
• 64. Paolo SIMION, BARDIANI CSF, at 7:10
• 65. Burr HO, HKS, at 7:10
• 66. Muhamad Zawawi AZMAN, NSC, at 7:35
• 67. Meng YAN, HEN, at 7:52
• 68. Wenhui BI, MSS, at 9:01
• 69. Jesse James EWART, 7ES, at 9:14
• 70. Sea Keong LOH, MAS, at 9:37
• 71. Kun-Soo KIM, KSPO, at 9:43
• 72. Patria RASTRA, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 10:31
• 73. Mohd Shahrul MAT AMIN, TSG, at 10:31
• 74. Wenlong ZHANG, MSS, at 10:31
• 75. Marco BANDIERA, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC, at 10:33
• 76. Erik BASKA, TINKOFF, at 10:33
• 77. Teten ROHENDI, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 11:06
• 78. Juraj SAGAN, TINKOFF, at 11:37
• 79. Afiq Huznie OTHMAN, NSC, at 11:51
• 80. Ma GUANGTONG, HEN, at 11:51
• 81. Sung Baek PARK, KSPO, at 11:51
• 82. Brenton JONES, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at 14:24
• 83. Michal KOLÁR, TINKOFF, at 14:24
• 84. Siu Wai KO, HKS, at 14:24
• 85. Luca PACIONI, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC, at 14:50
• 86. Francesco CHICCHI, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC, at 14:50
• 87. Ahmad Muazzam Iman MUSTAFA KAMAL, NSC, at 14:50
• 88. Hyeonseok KIM, KSPO, at 14:50
• 89. Arman KAMYSHEV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 14:50
• 90. Wan Yau LAU, HKS, at 14:58
• 91. Meher HASNAOUI, SKD, at 14:58
• 92. Xiaolong SUN, MSS, at 15:02
• 93. Zhang ZHENG, HEN, at 15:02
• 94. Irwandie LAKASEK, NSC, at 19:55
• 95. Takeaki AYABE, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 20:33
• 96. Graeme BROWN, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at 21:37
• 97. Andrea GUARDINI, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 21:37
• 98. Mohd Harrif SALEH, TSG, at 21:37
• 99. Dias OMIRZAKOV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 21:37
• 100. Andrea PALINI, SKD, at 21:37
• 101. Jakub MARECZKO, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at 21:37
• 102. Marco BENFATTO, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC, at 21:37
• 103. Matthew Harley GOSS, ONE PRO CYCLING, at 21:37
• 104. Hiu Fung CHOY, HKS, at 21:37
• 105. Mohd Azri AHMAD, MAS, at 21:37
• 106. Tristan MARGUET, TEAM ROTH, at 21:37
• 107. Lukas JAUN, TEAM ROTH, at 21:37
• 108. Dylan PAGE, TEAM ROTH, at 21:37
• 109. Otavio DIDIER BULGARELLI, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at 21:37
• 110. Ryan MACANALLY, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 21:37
• 111. Tyler MAGNER, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at 21:37
• 112. Arin ISWANA, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 21:37
• 113. Shimpei FUKUDA, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 21:37
• 114. Francisco CHAMORRO, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at 21:37
• 115. John MURPHY, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at 21:37
• 116. Tanner PUTT, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at 21:37
• 117. Li Jun BAI, MSS, at 21:37
• 118. Fuwen XUE, MSS, at 21:37
• 119. Jens MOURIS, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at 21:37
• 120. Andrea DAL COL, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at 22:34
• 121. Anuar MANAN, TSG, at 23:14
• 122. Shiki KUROEDA, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 23:14
• 123. João GASPAR, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at 27:43
• 124. Pablo URTASUN PEREZ, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at 27:43
• 125. Azman ZULKIFLI MOHD, MAS, at 29:45
• . Murad TAREK OBAID, SKD, at 58:22
• DNF Nicola RUFFONI, BARDIANI CSF

General classification

• 1. Miguel Angel LOPEZ MORENO, ASTANA PRO TEAM, in 14:08:03
• 2. Reinardt JANSE VAN RENSBURG, DIMENSION DATA, at :29
• 3. Daniel Alexander JARAMILLO DIEZ, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :34
• 4. George HARPER, ONE PRO CYCLING, at :39
• 5. Jesper HANSEN, TINKOFF, at :45
• 6. Janez BRAJKOVIC, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :45
• 7. Lachlan NORRIS, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at :45
• 8. Francisco MANCEBO PEREZ, SKD, at :45
• 9. Antonio PIEDRA PEREZ, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at :45
• 10. Ivan SANTAROMITA, SKD, at :45
• 11. Jonathan CLARKE, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at :45
• 12. Luca CHIRICO, BARDIANI CSF, at :49
• 13. Julen AMEZQUETA, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at :50
• 14. John Bohn EBSEN, ONE PRO CYCLING, at :50
• 15. Simone STERBINI, BARDIANI CSF, at :50
• 16. Jaco VENTER, DIMENSION DATA, at 1:00
• 17. James ORAM, ONE PRO CYCLING, at 1:02
• 18. Tomas Aurelio GIL MARTINEZ, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at 1:15
• 19. Karol DOMAGALSKI, ONE PRO CYCLING, at 1:18
• 20. Valentin BAILLIFARD, TEAM ROTH, at 1:19
• 21. Muhamad Adiq Husainie OTHMAN, TSG, at 1:22
• 22. Richard HANDLEY, ONE PRO CYCLING, at 1:24
• 23. Johann VAN ZYL, DIMENSION DATA, at 1:24
• 24. Masakazu ITO, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 1:28
• 25. Zhao JINGBIAO, HEN, at 1:29
• 26. Roland THALMANN, TEAM ROTH, at 1:33
• 27. Alberto NARDIN, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC, at 1:33
• 28. Marcelo FELIPE, 7ES, at 1:48
• 29. Laurens DE VREESE, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:50
• 30. Samuele CONTI, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at 1:50
• 31. Adrien NIYONSHUTI, DIMENSION DATA, at 1:59
• 32. Colin STÜSSI, TEAM ROTH, at 2:52
• 33. Meiyin WANG, HEN, at 3:28
• 34. Yoshimitsu HIRATSUKA, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 3:48
• 35. Choon Huat GOH, TSG, at 3:48
• 36. Songezo JIM, DIMENSION DATA, at 3:52
• 37. Evgeny PETROV, TINKOFF, at 3:52
• 38. Ho San CHIU, HKS, at 4:05
• 39. Nur Amirul Fakhruddin MARZUKI, TSG, at 4:10
• 40. Mark John Lexer GALEDO, 7ES, at 4:10
• 41. Sofian Nabil MOHD BAKRI, NSC, at 4:15
• 42. Tomohiro HAYAKAWA, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 5:08
• 43. Nick DOUGALL, DIMENSION DATA, at 5:14
• 44. Kangeun JOO, KSPO, at 5:33
• 45. Giulio CICCONE, BARDIANI CSF, at 5:42
• 46. Mohd Fauzan AHMAD LUTFI, MAS, at 5:50
• 47. Michael GOGL, TINKOFF, at 6:07
• 48. Jianpeng LIU, HEN, at 6:25
• 49. Gavin MANNION, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at 6:34
• 50. Thomas SCULLY, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at 6:34
• 51. Joon Yong SEO, KSPO, at 6:49
• 52. Edgar NOHALES NIETO, 7ES, at 6:49
• 53. Carlos Alexandre MANARELLI, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at 7:02
• 54. Nur Aiman ZARIFF, MAS, at 7:02
• 55. Paolo SIMION, BARDIANI CSF, at 7:14
• 56. Burr HO, HKS, at 7:22
• 57. Mirco MAESTRI, BARDIANI CSF, at 7:25
• 58. Ka Hoo Fung, HKS, at 7:28
• 59. Muhamad Zawawi AZMAN, NSC, at 7:50
• 60. Giuseppe FONZI, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at 9:04
• 61. Agung SAHBANA, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 10:03
• 62. Wenlong ZHANG, MSS, at 10:46
• 63. Erik BASKA, TINKOFF, at 10:48
• 64. Amir RUSLI, MAS, at 11:54
• 65. Baler RAVINA, 7ES, at 12:01
• 66. Ma GUANGTONG, HEN, at 12:06
• 67. Mohd Nazri MUHAMAD, NSC, at 12:29
• 68. Meng YAN, HEN, at 12:59
• 69. Sea Keong LOH, MAS, at 13:37
• 70. Juraj SAGAN, TINKOFF, at 14:24
• 71. Michal KOLÁR, TINKOFF, at 14:28
• 72. Jesse James EWART, 7ES, at 14:39
• 73. Luca PACIONI, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC, at 14:54
• 74. Hyo Suk GONG, KSPO, at 15:34
• 75. Patria RASTRA, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 15:38
• 76. Mohd Shahrul MAT AMIN, TSG, at 15:38
• 77. Teten ROHENDI, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 16:13
• 78. Brenton JONES, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at 16:45
• 79. Sung Baek PARK, KSPO, at 16:58
• 80. Kun-Soo KIM, KSPO, at 18:25
• 81. Novardianto JAMALIDIN, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 18:43
• 82. Hyeonseok KIM, KSPO, at 18:47
• 83. Siu Wai KO, HKS, at 19:31
• 84. Francesco CHICCHI, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC, at 19:51
• 85. Xiaolong SUN, MSS, at 20:27
• 86. Wan Yau LAU, HKS, at 20:31
• 87. Andrea GUARDINI, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 21:22
• 88. Andrea PALINI, SKD, at 21:27
• 89. John MURPHY, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at 21:31
• 90. Jakub MARECZKO, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at 21:37
• 91. Graeme BROWN, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at 21:41
• 92. Dylan PAGE, TEAM ROTH, at 21:57
• 93. Marco BANDIERA, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC, at 21:58
• 94. Li Jun BAI, MSS, at 22:10
• 95. Tanner PUTT, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at 23:00
• 96. Afiq Huznie OTHMAN, NSC, at 23:03
• 97. Ahmad Muazzam Iman MUSTAFA KAMAL, NSC, at 23:09
• 98. Zhang ZHENG, HEN, at 23:21
• 99. Tyler MAGNER, UNITEDHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM, at 23:48
• 100. Wenhui BI, MSS, at 23:58
• 101. Arman KAMYSHEV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 24:00
• 102. Irwandie LAKASEK, NSC, at 25:02
• 103. Mohd Azri AHMAD, MAS, at 25:34
• 104. Mohd Harrif SALEH, TSG, at 26:44
• 105. Shimpei FUKUDA, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 26:44
• 106. Ryan MACANALLY, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 26:54
• 107. Marco BENFATTO, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC, at 27:07
• 108. Matthew Harley GOSS, ONE PRO CYCLING, at 27:10
• 109. Meher HASNAOUI, SKD, at 27:51
• 110. Anuar MANAN, TSG, at 28:21
• 111. Otavio DIDIER BULGARELLI, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at 30:18
• 112. Takeaki AYABE, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 30:22
• 113. João GASPAR, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at 30:28
• 114. Andrea DAL COL, SOUTHEAST – VENEZUELA, at 30:53
• 115. Jens MOURIS, DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING, at 32:35
• 116. Shiki KUROEDA, AISAN RACING TEAM, at 33:08
• 117. Lukas JAUN, TEAM ROTH, at 33:23
• 118. Azman ZULKIFLI MOHD, MAS, at 34:00
• 119. Francisco CHAMORRO, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at 34:32
• 120. Arin ISWANA, PEGASUS CONTINENTAL CYCLING TEAM, at 34:32
• 121. Fuwen XUE, MSS, at 34:59
• 122. Tristan MARGUET, TEAM ROTH, at 36:28
• 123. Dias OMIRZAKOV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 39:18
• 124. Hiu Fung CHOY, HKS, at 51:06
• 125. Pablo URTASUN PEREZ, FUNVIC SOUL CYCLES – CARREFOUR, at 52:27