Hours after being declared the winner of the second stage of the Petronas Tour de Langkawi, sprinter Juan Sebastián Morano (UAE Team Emirates) was demoted and Australian Craig Wiggins (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) was declared Laub's stage winner.

At 178.9 km, this was the longest stage of the race, and the riders heading to the finish line in Laub engaged in a fierce sprint battle with Yakub Maletzko of Alpecin-Deseuninck.

Morano stayed in the race, but was relegated to the back of the peloton, finishing 109th on the stage.

Although organizers did not give a reason beyond that it was an "irregular sprint," video footage of the race shows contact between Morano and Raymond Cledder (Team Ukyo) in the run up to the finish. Morano took his hands off the bars and appeared to push forward against Kreder.

Morano was banned from the Criterium du Dauphiné earlier this year after being demoted for a similar incident.

The decision to demote the winner of the final stage of the Vuelta a España made for a difficult two stages for UAE Team Emirates; one of the two GC hopefuls, Rui Costa, was unable to finish the first stage due to illness. Then on stage 2, the victor disappeared. The team is hoping that the race will turn around in the crucial third stage. On stage 3, the team will support George Bennett as the race climbs into the Genting Highlands.

With Wiggins as the winner, Morano's de-classification gave the 23-year-old Wiggins his first win in an international race and helped Australia retain its record for finishing in Laube.

He has three stage finishes in the Tour de Langkawi: Brett Lancaster in 2004, Graeme Brown in 2005, and Wiggins in 2022.