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LTdL: Monsalve Takes Yellow Jersey As Foster Claims His First Stage Win


Jonnatha Mosalve of Androni Giocattoli riding in the rain is the winner of Yellow Jersey. Pic: Shahrizan Jeffri AzizJASIN, Jan 30 (Bernama) -- Germany's Robert Foster of the United Healthcare Pro Cycling team, powered himself in the rain-halted stage eight of the 2011 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) to win his maiden stage win of the Tour.

The 33-year-old Foster displayed remarkable sprinting skills to head a mass-finish, by crossing the finishing line first with a time of three hours, 23 minutes and 32 seconds.

"It's been raining but it's not cold...24 degrees, so nobody is cold. It's a hard race but it's not so hard like 20 degrees below.

"It feels good, the team worked hard and yesterday it was close when I came in second position. Today I had good legs and I told my team the situation was okay in the last kilometre and I go full steam ahead and it happened (winning stage 8)," said Foster after the race.

Asked on tomorrow's stage, Foster hoped the weather would be kind. "I don't know, I hope it won't rain tomorrow and we can ride an easier race," he said.

Meanwhile, the yellow jersey changed hands when Venezuela's Jonnatha Monsalve of Team Androni Giocattoli donned the prime colour jersey.

Mosalve, who also retained the red jersey, accumulated 25 hours, three minutes and 12 seconds after eighth stages.

"I cannot say that I have won the race, the team will for sure work a lot in the last two stages, until I cross the finish-line in Kuala Lumpur, I cannot say I am the winner.

"With such weather today, with the rain, it has made the race difficult and I was afraid that there are so many sprinters who want to go to the hotspot sprints but fortunately no one really made it and I managed to get second place in the hotspot sprints," said Monsalve.

Monsalve managed to collect six points, three points each from two sprint competitions at Bahau and Gemencheh, to lead other contenders by two seconds.

"It's been very difficult to gain the two seconds, especially against all the sprinters, but I've also been fast. I'm happy to have a two-second lead and really looking forward to keep it until the stage in Kuala Lumpur," he added.

Italy's Andrea Guardini of Farnese Vini-NeriSottoli retained the blue jersey and Iran's Rahim Emami of Azad University Cycling Team retained the white jersey as the Asian overall rider.

Tomorrow's stage 9 from Melaka to Nilai (151.7km) offers another exciting competition for the sprinters with three intermediate sprints at Linggi (70.7km), Rantau (83.8km) and Mantin (134.7km) and a sole category 4 climb at Lenggeng, 120.7km.

-- BERNAMA

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