Joris Delbove has won the 29th edition of the Tour de Langkawi. The Frenchman had to give it his all in the final stage to keep his rivals in check, but he held on. The victory in Kuala Lumpur went to New Zealander Aaron Gate after a thrilling finale.
Could there still be a final twist in the 29th Tour de Langkawi? The gaps in the general classification remained very small after more than a week, and the last stage was more than treacherous. On the way to the capital Kuala Lumpur, the riders faced some climbs—right in the finale—with the Bukit Hantu (2.4 km at 7.3%) and the climb to the Ampang viewpoint (4.2 km at 4.2%).
After this last climb, there were still about fifteen kilometers to the finish, so Joris Delbove was on alert. The Frenchman from TotalEnergies led the general classification but his lead over closest contenders Yannis Voisard, Anders Halland Johannessen, and Adrien Maire was barely six seconds. More strikingly, the first fourteen riders were still within fifteen seconds of one another.
Tangkak) Kuala Lumpur)Before the start, there was a very special moment: due to a crash and withdrawal, Alexander Kristoff didn’t get the farewell he deserved in his final race, but the Norwegian still decided to make an appearance at the start. The 38-year-old Uno-X Mobility rider—who will retire with no fewer than 98 professional wins—was then warmly honored by his former colleagues and the organizers.
Early break of four
Kristoff’s farewell apparently served as great inspiration for his teammates at Uno-X Mobility, especially Johannessen, who took full advantage of the bonus seconds in the first intermediate sprint. Johannessen closed in on Delbove to just three seconds in the GC. However, four riders didn’t concern themselves with this battle and soon after went clear.
Oliver Peace (Picnic PostNL), Marc Brustenga, Nil Gimeno (both Equipo Kern Pharma), and Roberto Carlos Gonzáez (Team Solution Tech-Vini Fantini) joined forces and were given the go-ahead by the peloton. Their lead grew to around four minutes. Adrien Maire was nowhere to be seen in the peloton. The Frenchman, fourth in the GC, was forced to abandon due to illness—a big blow to his Unibet Tietema Rockets team.
Notable incident with Eddy, Johannessen presses on
By now, the three leaders were on the slopes of the first decisive climb in the finale, the Bukit Hantu (2.4 km at 7.3%). On this climb, Peace decided to wait for his teammate Patrick Eddy, who had left the peloton. The Australian wasn’t the only rider trying to bridge across. In the background, we also saw an acceleration from none other than Johannessen, but the Norwegian was quickly reeled back in.
Eddy had meanwhile started chasing the two remaining early break riders but suffered a bizarre setback when a spectator’s flag got caught in his wheel. This happened on the slopes of the last climb (4.2 km at 4.2%), where Johannessen launched another fierce attack. This time, leader Delbove and Yannis Voisard were immediately alert.
Thrilling finale
Thanks to the Norwegian’s acceleration, solo breakaway rider Gimeno seemed destined to be caught. A regrouping looked imminent, but the brave Spaniard refused to give up and took advantage of a lull in the wind in the favorites’ group over the following flatter kilometers. This allowed the Equipo Kern Pharma rider to slightly increase his lead again.
Was an upset on the cards after all? Entering the last five kilometers, Gimeno still held a decent advantage but was joined two kilometers from the finish by two counter-attacking riders: Aaron Gate and Aivaras Mikutis. These riders were no longer in contention for the overall win and were left to contest the stage victory.
Mikutis attempted to surprise the faster Gate with a late move, but the New Zealander—also known as a world-class track specialist—didn’t let himself be fooled, returned to the Lithuanian’s wheel, and eventually won fairly comfortably in Kuala Lumpur ahead of Mikutis and Gimeno. Delbove finished close to his rivals and secured the overall victory.
Aaron Gate wins the final stage of Tour de Langkawi! Final GC goes to Joris Delbove, who wins his first pro level stage race #PETRONASLTdL2025https://t.co/MI5qdPtgx7 pic.twitter.com/c27o2be4A7
— Eemeli (@LosBrolin) October 5, 2025
Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 03:50:05 | |
| 2 | " | |
| 3 | + 07 | |
| 4 | + 15 | |
| 5 | " | |
| 6 | " | |
| 7 | " | |
| 8 | " | |
| 9 | " | |
| 10 | " |
Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi| Rank | Rider | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 27:17:38 | |
| 2 | - | + 03 | |
| 3 | - | + 06 | |
| 4 | - | + 11 | |
| 5 | - | " | |
| 6 | - | + 14 | |
| 7 | - | " | |
| 8 | - | " | |
| 9 | - | " | |
| 10 | - | " |
