Colombian cyclist José Serpa has won the 2009 edition of the Tour de
Langkawi in Malaysia. The 29-year-old finished 55th in the closing time
trial, which was good enough to defend his overall lead.
Serpa, who was by many seen as favorite to win this race, took the lead when he won the queen stage on Friday, and never had his advantage threatened in the two remaining stages.
Serpa finished the seven stages, of which the last ended in Kuala Lumpur, in 24 hours, 22 minutes and 12 seconds, and was 27 seconds faster than Australian Jai Crawford.
The Tour de Langkawi is an important pre-season event for some of the world’s best cyclists. Serpa came close to winning this race a few times before, finishing sixth overall in 2006 and second in 2007.