The Linda McCartney Pro Cycling Team weathered the storm in the Tour of Langkawi across Malaysia yesterday. Despite missing the major break of the day, the squad dragged themselves back into contention by the finish.

The day started fast and furious, with more than 60kms covered in the first hour. There was constant activity at the head of affairs, with every potential escapee religiously hunted down by the fast-moving peloton. It was likely that sooner or later one of these moves would break the elastic and go clear, so the team were doing their best to place a man in each effort. Spencer Smith (left) launched a vicious solo attack, hoping that maybe that would be the one, but it was not to be. Painfully, as Spencer was recaptured, 13 men slid off the front, and the main bunch sat up. Within a few kilometres, they were two-and-a-half minutes clear. There was not a single McCartney rider amongst them.

"I couldn't believe it when I saw it go," complained Spencer. "Everybody was tired of chasing, and they just let it slip off - and I'd been up there just the second before!"

With 60kms left the group had a towering seven-minute lead. Their hand forced by their absence at the head of affairs, the Linda McCartney riders began a lonely pursuit in pouring rain, unaided by the rest of the field. Between the six of them, with Bjornar Vestol and Spencer putting in some massive turns on the front, they hauled the race back to a two-minute gap. Eventually, when they saw that there was a chance of bringing the race back together, the sprinter's teams of Farm Frites and Mobilvetta lent their weight to the chase. At the finish, just some 40 seconds had been conceded. The price of the day's mistake was eventually small: Bjornar slipping from 8th to 10th overall, but there are still three riders very well placed. In the run in, American Chris Horner of Mercury had outwitted his last two remaining rivals to snatch the stage win, and also the leader's yellow jersey.