Astana Qazaqstan Team’s rider Matteo Malucelli wins first stage of Tour of Hainan 2025
Matteo Malucelli, currently riding for Astana Qazaqstan Team, ended up first in Stage 1 at the 16th Tour of Hainan cycling race in Qionghai, south China's Hainan Province, Kazinform News Agency cites the team’s press service.
Norman Vahtra from China Glory - Mentech Continental and Alexander Salby from Li-Ning Star finished second and third, respectively.
The stage race Tour of Hainan kicked off today in Qionghai. The first stage, 90 kilometers long, ended in a bunch sprint, where XDS Astana Team rider Matteo Malucelli claimed the victory.
Finally, I managed to get a win for the team and sponsors. It's great to start with a victory here in China – it’s especially meaningful. We had high expectations for this race, and it feels good to open it with a win. The first goal is completed, and now we can calmly focus on the next objectives in the Tour of Hainan. I’d also like to dedicate this victory to my father, who celebrates his birthday today. Today, once again, our X-LAB bike proved its quality. We've already seen this season that it performs extremely well – both in sprints and climbs – and today we had another confirmation of its speed and stability at high pace. I’m very happy to win today, especially because this is a home race for our sponsor XDS. Winning right from the first stage feels great. But now, we have to focus on the upcoming stages – the race has just begun, said Matteo Malucelli.
Malucelli now leads the General Classification and also tops the Points Classification.
Earlier it was reported that Kazakhstan claimed bronze in stage 2 of the 2025 Trampoline Gymnastics World Cup in Riccione, Italy.
