Rikunov Takes Breakaway Victory at Cameron Highlands as Jasch Retains Orange Jersey
(Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, September 30)
The 2026 Le Tour de Langkawi continued with Stage 4 on Wednesday, as Petr Rikunov of Wheeltop ROTOR Chengdu Continental Team produced a surprise victory at the summit finish in Cameron Highlands after a successful long-range breakaway.
The 143km stage from Meru Raya to Cameron Highlands featured the first Hors Category summit finish of this year's race and was expected to play an important role in the battle for the general classification.
Rikunov joined an early six-rider breakaway and remained at the front as the group gradually thinned on the long final climb.
The 29-year-old Russian eventually dropped his closest rivals, Javier Ibanez Salazar of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA and Alan Jousseaume of TotalEnergies, to take the victory in 3 hours, 29 minutes and 12 seconds, at an average speed of 40.81 km/h.
The result added another significant victory to Rikunov's record following his successes at the Tour of Poyang Lake and Tour of Qinghai Lake in 2025, as well as his third-place overall finish at the 2026 Trans-Himalaya Cycling Race in Tibet.
Rikunov also collected 25 points in the mountains classification, allowing him to take the polka-dot jersey from Tudor Pro Cycling Team's Lennart Jasch. He now leads the classification with 29 points, nine ahead of Ibanez Salazar, while moving up to 18th overall.
Speaking after the finish, Rikunov admitted that a stage victory had not been something he expected before arriving in Malaysia.
"Before coming to Malaysia, I never thought I would win a stage here. While we were in the breakaway, we tried to stay as far ahead as possible, but once the climb started the group became smaller and smaller."
The breakaway entered the decisive part of the race with an advantage of almost four minutes, giving the remaining riders enough room to continue pushing despite the chase from behind.
"With one kilometer to go, I felt very confident and decided to attack. That move ultimately secured the victory," Rikunov said.
Rikunov also believed competing for a Continental team gave him a slight tactical advantage, with much of the attention focused on riders from WorldTeams and ProTeams.
Despite losing the polka-dot jersey, German rider Lennart Jasch remained firmly in control of the general classification.
The Tudor Pro Cycling Team rider finished ninth, 1 minute and 35 seconds behind Rikunov, and successfully retained the overall leader's orange jersey. Jasch continues to hold a 20-second advantage over Abel Balderstone of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA.
Jasch said Tudor's priority throughout the day had been to control the race rather than chase the breakaway at all costs.
"There was no pressure even with a group of riders ahead. My teammates provided great support and fortunately the weather wasn't too hot."
With another major mountain stage awaiting the peloton, Jasch stressed the importance of conserving energy.
"What's important now is to prepare for tomorrow's stage and manage our energy well."
Elsewhere, Yuhi Todome of Aisan Racing Team retained the white jersey as Best Asian Rider, while XDS Astana Team sprinter Matteo Malucelli continued to hold the blue sprint classification jersey.
Among the Malaysian riders, Tsen Ren Bao of St George Continental Team was the highest finisher on the stage in 39th place, while Kee Zhe Yie of Terengganu Cycling Team sat 27th overall after Stage 4.
Two riders failed to finish the stage, leaving 112 riders to start Stage 5.
The fifth stage will cover 125.7km from Tapah to Genting Highlands, finishing at an altitude of 1,629 meters. After three intermediate sprint zones, the riders will face another major summit finish at Genting Highlands.
With Cameron Highlands completed and Genting Highlands coming next, the 2026 Le Tour de Langkawi has entered its decisive phase. Rikunov's successful breakaway delivered a memorable victory for Wheeltop ROTOR Chengdu Continental Team, while Jasch remains in orange ahead of another crucial battle in the mountains.
Comments