Big Bos Makes It A Hattrick

MARANG, Thursday - Theo Bos made it three victories for himself in the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2014 after winning another bunch sprint to take Stage 8 from Kuantan to Marang, covering 202.2km under immense tropical heat today.

Bos, 31, of the Belkin Pro Cycling Team beat Astana Pro Team's Andrea Guardini to the finish line with Androni-Venezuela's Kenny van Hummel taking third place after the main sprinters managed to avoid a big crash involving numerous riders 1.5km from the finish line.

"It's a good feeling to have won my third stage this year to equal our record of three wins last year. That was our target," said Bos, who also won Stage 2 and Stage 7 to bring his personal tally of LTdL stage wins to five.

Yesterday's win was also Belkin Pro Cycling's sixth ever in LTdL, only one of them delivered by a rider other than Bos, as Tom Leezer won Stage 6 of the 2013 edition, which ironically ended in Kuantan, where the start of today's stage was held.

"I was lucky I was able to stay on my bike although I was touched by some riders when the crash happened, but I was able to stay on my bike. I had a good lead-out from Greame Brown and again was in a good position to sprint for the win.

"We have two more stages which are flat and we have the opportunity to look for more wins, so we will see how it goes."

The big crash also involved yellow jersey holder Mirsamad Pourseyedigolakhour of Tabriz Petrochemical, but the Iranian's overall lead remained unaffected as the crash happened inside the final 3km and thus those involved were accorded the same time as the peloton. Pourseyedigolakhour has two more days to go to emerge the first ever Asian winner of the LTdL overall title.

One jersey winner could be confirmed in tomorrow's 111.1km Stage 9 from Bandar Permaisuri to Kuala Terengganu which offers the final two categorised climbs of this year's race.

Synergy-Baku's Irish champion Matt Brammeier is the only jersey holder that remains from Stage 1 and will seal the victory in the mountains classification should he remain in the lead after tomorrow's stage.

Brammeier has 34 points, leading United Healthcare's ISaac Bolivar by just three points and Pourseyedigolakhour is nine points adrift as the mountains classification battle closes tomorrow.

Lithuania's Aidis Kroupis of the Orica-GreenEDGE team remained in the points classification lead, just two points ahead of Michael Kolar of Tinkoff-Saxo and nine ahead of Bos.
-www.ltdl.com.my