All it took was one little mistake in the race map, and Enrico Degano (Ceramiche Panaria) beat out powerhouses Mercury Viatel and Mapei-Quick Step in a bunch sprint to take his second stage of the Tour de Langkawi. Jans Koerts (Mercury Viatel) continues to hold the yellow jersey, although his lead over Degano has been cut to 18 seconds from 25.

Stage 5, from Pekan to Kota Tinggi, is the longest of the Tour at 241.1km. However, it was not slow, with a break of five going away at kilometer 17. This group - Michael Barry (Saturn), Walter Beneteau (Bonjour), Daniel Spence (South Africa), Massimo Strazzer (Mobilvetta) and Karl Pauwels (Collstrop-Palmans) - stayed away for 195km, reaching a maximum lead of 11:09 before Mapei and Mercury decided that it was time to rein them in.

The break stayed out for nearly 200km

Photo: Casey B. Gibson

The peloton was chasing, but it was a long effort before they began to make a dent in the lead. However, eventually the breakaways were reeled in with less than 30km remaining in the stage, and everyone prepared for the fifth consecutive field sprint.

Everything was unfolding as usual - Mapei, Mercury and the other teams were setting up their sprinters, and as the race approached the last few Kilometers, speculation turned to who would get the best leadout. However, the map neglected to show a sharp S-curve about 1500 meters from the line, and this changed everything.

Degano described the effect of this deviation in the course: "I was on the left, but half the guys were on the right and they lost ground to us. I asked my teammate (Nathan) O'Neill to work at the front for me and at 300 meters I pulled the trigger." Degano's shot gave him time to sit up 25 meters from the line and blow kisses to the crowd.

Race Notes:

- Ivan Quaranta (Alexia Alluminio), three-time stage winner last year, went down in a crash 200 meters from the line when someone forced him into the barricades. Quaranta is still listed in fourth place on the general classification, but hurt his shoulder and is a doubtful starter for tomorrow.