For the sixth straight stage, the 2017 Tour de Langkawi welcomed a different winner at the finish line. On a wet and blustery day in Muar, it was Enrico Barbin (Bardiani-CSF) celebrating his first professional victory ahead of Anthony Giacoppo (IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness) and Filippo Pozzato (Wilier Trestina).
Race leader Ryan Gibbons (Dimension Data) rode a defensive finale to finish in 13th place and ensure he starts the penultimate stage of the race with the yellow jersey firmly on his shoulders.
"I was feeling good, not just myself but also my team. We had one rider in the breakaway today. I am not as fast as the fastest sprinters here but at the end of the race I took a good advantage of the circumstances and started my sprint at the right moment," said Barbin who increased his team's all-time stage win count for the race to 35.
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The finale of the stage was made aggressive by both riders and parcours alike, as positioning was crucial for the right hand turn off the bridge two kilometres before the riverside finish line straight. Despite the best efforts the sprint trains, it was Barbin who took advantage of the chaos, taking the win by several lengths.
"Through the radio we had perfect explanations of the last kilometre and also the direction of the wind. We went to the right position on the bridge, and we knew that after the bridge we had to be on the front with 300 metres to go because it would be difficult for anyone to pass us," he added.
For Gibbons, after a day that posed early problems, it was one he was happy to finish without loss of time or skin.
"It was the first time in this tour where I haven't been 100 per cent. I normally excel in the rain but today, I am not sure. My body just wasn't used to it. The third climb, I lost about 10 seconds going over, which I shouldn't have, but I found my legs in the third hour and was feeling much stronger towards the end," he said, before describing the final sprint.
How it unfolded
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