Preview of Tour of Hainan S2 | Sprint Battle to Continue, Can XDS Astana Defend Their Victory?

The "XDS Cup" 2025 16th Tour of Hainan Island International Road Cycling Race concluded its first stage today (April 7th). The curtain was opened by the impressive performance of Matteo Malucelli, a sprinter from the Hideseek Astana team, who dominated the final sprint to become the first stage winner of this Tour. In the general classification, Matteo Malucelli leads Norman Vahtra from the China Huaxing MENTECH Continental Team by 4 seconds and Alexander Salby from the Li Ning Star Continental Team by 6 seconds, thanks to time bonuses from the finish line sprint.

Tomorrow, the second stage of the Tour will take place: the "Pik Sports" Qionghai to Lingshui stage. The race will start from Qionghai, pass through Wanning, and end in Lingshui, covering a total distance of 178.1 kilometers. This stage is primarily flat and will showcase the beautiful coastal scenery of Hainan's island tourism highway, especially in Wanning, which features a stunning coastline with bays like Shimei Bay and Riyue Bay. The stage includes two intermediate sprint points at 23.5 km and 124 km, followed by a Category 2 climb at 136 km with a gradient of 5.9%. The main group will control the pace over the subsequent 40 kilometers, gradually catching up with the leading riders and setting up for the final sprint battle.

With the victory of Matteo Malucelli, a popular sprinter from a top team, tomorrow's competition is expected to be even fiercer. Other teams will launch more aggressive attacks to challenge Hideseek Astana. Key competitors for the stage win include sprint specialists like Martin Laas from the Quick-Step Continental team and George Jackson from the Burgos BH team. However, Hideseek Astana will not give up easily. Remember that their top rider, Aaron Gate, shone in last year's Tour by winning multiple stages and ultimately claiming the overall title. He is also expected to be a strong contender in tomorrow's sprint battle.

Let's focus on tomorrow's race and look forward to an even more thrilling sprint showdown!