XDS Astana’s Malucelli wins stage 2 of Tour of Taihu Lake, takes overall lead
XDS Astana Team cyclist Matteo Malucelli claimed victory on stage 2 of the Tour of Taihu Lake in China, while his XDS Astana Team teammate Gleb Syritsa finished third after a strong team performance, Qazinform News Agency cites the team’s press service.
The stage ended in a bunch sprint, with Malucelli perfectly positioned by his teammates before producing a powerful finish to take the win.
Syritsa played a key role in the final kilometers, delivering Malucelli into position for the sprint. The result also saw Malucelli move into the overall lead of the race after two stages.
“Today everything went exactly as we had planned,” Malucelli said. “We allowed Lotto Intermarché to control the stage while still remaining involved in the race. Dias Rysbay and Ruslan Yelyubayev did a great job at the front, helping the leading team.”
He also praised his teammates for their work in the closing stages.
“Haoyu Su and Gustav Wang rode an excellent final 15 kilometers before Lev Gonov and Gleb Syritsa delivered a perfect lead-out, bringing me into position for the sprint. In the end, everything worked out perfectly - we took the win and third place.”
Malucelli also gained valuable seconds at the intermediate sprint, allowing him to take the overall race lead.
“There are still three stages to go, and we will fight every day to try to bring this all the way to the overall victory,” he added.
After two stages, Malucelli leads the General Classification of the Tour of Taihu Lake, with three stages remaining.
Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina had officially become the world’s number one women’s tennis player for the first time in her career following the conclusion of the 2026 US Open.