Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The PETRONAS Le Tour de Langkawi 2025 (LTdL 2025) concluded in spectacular fashion at the iconic PETRONAS Twin Towers (KLCC) on Sunday, with 25-year-old Frenchman Joris Delbove (TotalEnergies) securing the overall General Classification (GC) title by a razor-thin 3-second margin.
The eight-stage, 1,224.2km UCI ProSeries race was defined by the relentless sprint battles of the first half and a dramatic ‘Queen Stage’ that tore the GC apart, ultimately handing Delbove a career-defining victory.
Final Stage Sees Gate Triumph, Delbove Hold Firm
The final Stage 8, a challenging 180.2km route from Tangkak to Kuala Lumpur, provided one last chance for a shake-up. Ultimately, it was a day for a late attack, as New Zealand veteran Aaron Gate (XDS-Astana), a multiple Commonwealth Games gold medalist, took a surprise stage win.
Gate crossed the line first in 3 hours 50 minutes 05 seconds, benefiting from a tactical misstep and a mechanical issue that sidelined his teammate, Nicolya Vinokourov, who was attempting to secure a time bonus. Gate beat Alvaras Mikutis (Tudor Cycling Team) and Nil Gimero Ferrer (Equipo Kern Pharma) to give XDS-Astana their fourth stage victory of the Tour.
Crucially, GC leader Joris Delbove finished safely in the main peloton just 8 seconds behind, successfully defending the Yellow Jersey against the aggressive pursuit of Anders Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) and Yannis Voisard (Tudor Cycling Team).
“The trophy is beautiful, and it symbolizes how competitive and big this race is… At the start of the race, I didn’t have high ambitions, just aiming for a top-5 finish. But to win the title here is very gratifying,” said a surprised and delighted Delbove at the finish. Delbove, who had worn the PETRONAS Green Jersey since his monumental Stage 5 victory, successfully held off Johannessen and Voisard, who had been his closest GC challengers throughout the final stages.
Stage-by-Stage Highlights: A Tale of Two Races
Part 1: The Sprint Kings’ Battle (Stages 1–4)
The Tour began as a showdown among the world’s fastest sprinters. The opening stage in Langkawi saw Matteo Malucelli (XDS-Astana), the LTdL24 Sprint King, stamp his authority, winning the bunch sprint to claim the first Green and Orange jerseys. Stage 2, from Padang Besar to Kepala Batas, saw Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor Cycling Team), the LTdL23 Sprint King, retaliate by skillfully out-sprinting Malucelli.
However, Malucelli quickly reasserted his dominance. On the challenging Stage 3 from Gerik to Pasir Puteh, which featured the tough Category 1 Puncak Titiwangsa climb, the Italian survived the mountains and out-sprinted the remaining fast men, including Alexander Kristoff, to take his second win. Malucelli then completed a stunning hat-trick on the flat Stage 4 from Kuala Terengganu to Kemaman, extending his GC lead to 22 seconds and building a comfortable gap in the Points Classification.
The early stages also saw Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli (TSG) shine, grabbing valuable time bonuses to start the race second overall and secure the Rakan Muda White Jersey (Best Asian Rider) for the first two days, while Patrick Eddy (Team Picnic PostNL) earned the BubblesO2 Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains) by dominating the crucial Category 1 climb on Stage 3.
Part 2: The Decisive Climb and Drama (Stages 5–8)
The race was permanently transformed by the demanding ascent to Fraser’s Hill on Stage 5, widely regarded as the Queen Stage. Malucelli, the sprinter, was predictably dropped, and the climbers seized control. Joris Delbove (TotalEnergies) proved to be the strongest on the climb from Temerloh, launching a final 3km attack to take the victory and the PETRONAS Green Jersey. Delbove’s win instantly vaulted him to the overall lead, a small 6-second advantage over the chasing trio of Johannessen, Voisard, and Adrien Maire.
Stage 6 saw a major GC curveball: Three-time stage winner Matteo Malucelli crashed early in the rain on the short route to Port Dickson and was forced to abandon the race. This unfortunate incident opened the door for Arvid de Kleijn to claim his second stage victory and allowed Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Mobility), who was consistently placing high, to inherit the Orange Jersey lead.
Stage 7, the Tour’s longest stage at 214.9km, delivered the most significant feel-good story for local fans. Zeb Kyffin (Unibet Tietema Rockets) took the victory, but Johor-born hero Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli (TSG) finished a spectacular second, just 2 seconds behind, after a determined solo breakaway—a historic podium finish for the national champion. This stage was also marred by a second major crash, with Points leader Erlend Blikra involved alongside his team captain, the legendary Alexander Kristoff, who was forced to abandon the race.
The final stage, won by Gate, solidified the overall rankings, concluding a dramatic week of racing.
Final Jersey Winners
The battle for the auxiliary classifications was settled by consistency and early aggression:
Joris Delbove (TotalEnergies) is the overall champion, claiming the PETRONAS Green Jersey.
In the absence of Malucelli, Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Mobility), the 2023 Sprint King, wisely used the opportunity to defend the top position in the points classification, winning the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) Orange Jersey with 63 points.
The BubblesO2 Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains) was claimed by Patrick Eddy (Team Picnic PostNL), whose 15 points—largely secured from the Stage 3 Category 1 climb—proved unbeatable.
Nicolya Vinokourov (XDS-Astana), who finished fourth on the critical Stage 5, successfully retained the Rakan Muda White Jersey as the Best Asian Rider.
Rounding out the team honors, Team Polti VisitMalta was crowned the Overall Team Champion, while the Indonesian Continental team, Nusantara-BYC, won the Best Asian Team category. The 29th edition of LTdL proved once again why it is one of the most competitive and unpredictable races on the UCI Asia Tour calendar.
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