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Serpa takes over at Langkawi

by VeloNews.com

• February 13, 2009
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By Agence France Presse

Colombian climber Jose Serpa (Diquigiovanni-Androni) won the fifth stage of the Tour de Langkawi and moved into the overall lead after a tough ride that ended in Malaysia’s hillside gambling resort of Genting Highlands on Friday.

The 29-year-old Serpa, second overall in the 2007 Tour de Langkawi, won Friday by launching a blistering attack on the final climb to Genting.

“This year I am in good condition, so I have no problem with breakaway and very happy with the win today,” said Serpa.

He won the 102-kilometer (63.38-mile) stage in two hours 58 minutes and 56 seconds. Australian Jai Crawford, who represents his national team, took second place.

“For me, Jose Serpa is the lion of Bucaramanga town in Colombia,” said team manager Gianni Savio. “Last year the lion was sleeping during the race, so he was not in the breakaway. This year, the lion woke up.”

Serpa’s teammate, sprinter Mattia Gavazzi had blitzed the first three stages of the seven-day tour but ran into trouble on the long climb to Genting and fell out of the lead all the way down to 78th place. The formidable sprinter now trails his teammate by 21:32, but holds his lead in the points competition, with 69 points compared to the 60 of second-placed Nolan Hoffman (South African national).

“I knew it would be a difficult day for me,” said Gavazzi, “but to lose the jersey to my teammate is the best outcome I could have imagined, both for me and for this team.”

Saturday will feature another challenging climbing stage, covering 147.6km from Batang Kali in the foothills of the Genting Highlands to Shah Alam, south of the central Selangor state.

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Results

Results, stage 5

1. Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (Col), Diquigiovanni-Androni, 102km in 2:58:56
2. Jai Crawford (Aus), Australia National, at 0:23
3. Jackson Rodriguez (Ven), Diquigiovanni-Androni, at 0:41
4. Frederrik Kessiakoff (Swe), Fuji-Servetto, at 0:44
5. Johann Tschopp (Swi), BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 1:14

Overall standings

1. Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (Col), Diquigiovanni-Androni, 19:36:19
2. Jai Crawford (Aus), Australia National, at 0:27
3. Jackson Rodriguez (Ven), Diquigiovanni-Androni, at 0:47
4. Frederrik Kessiakoff (Swe), Fuji-Servetto, at 0:54
5. Johann Tschopp (Swi), BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 1:22