Stage 1 – Shah Alam to Kampar (193 km)
Stage 1 of the 2026 Tour de Langkawi was a long, mostly flat stage from Shah Alam to Kampar. 193 kilometres on wide Malaysian roads, obviously a sprint day. Very straightforward apart from the jetlag!
Roads here quite special because they’re so big which just makes things pretty relaxed. It’s not your typical ‘fastman’ elbows race that you’d get in Belgium. A lot more room. Big change in scenery too!
So yeah, very straightforward. Big roads. The initially I was leading out Roy (Hoogendoorn). We should have been in a better position I think going into the final corner. To be honest, I just don’t think we had the power. We’re obviously here with a some smaller guys with the climbers and stuff as well in the train.
So yeah, I think there’ll be a few more stages to try to have a better day for us in terms of sprinting.
Stage 2 – Taiping to Gunung Jerai (145.6 km)
So Monday’s stage from Taiping to the summit of Gunung Jerai was the first major mountain test of the race. The 145.6 km route finished with a tough Category 1 climb of approximately 10.7 km at over 9% average gradient, offering the first real chance for general classification contenders to make a mark really.
Pretty straightforward again though and pretty flat too but with a sting in the tail. Just the ten kms at ten percent up the final climb. So it was up to the legs to do the talking there for the climbers.
I think overall it’s been a successful enough two days so far. Staying healthy in the heat a big part of racing here after travelling from Europe. The race itself is quite cool and laid back, and very well-organized as well.
It’s just super, super hot though! Lots of guys have been sick already with the stomach. The team doctors and race doctors are saying that it’s actually travel sickness.
So yeah, we just need to keep the head down, stay healthy and focus on getting ready for any opportunities that pop up.
