Echelons were the main protagonists of Thursday’s 181.2km stage.
The crosswinds wreaked havoc on stage 3 of the Middle Eastern race right from the off, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl being one of the main instigators. An insane tempo pushed by our team saw six of the seven Wolfpack members make it into the first group once the field was split. With the GC leader caught on the back foot, several other squads joined the party and kept the speed up for the next hour, before the wind abated allowing the chasers – who at that point were trailing by 40 seconds – to rejoin the bunch.
More attempts to put the group under pressure came from our team, but with the wind not strong enough in the final part of the stage, the peloton remained as one and 50-odd riders entered the last kilometers of the stage, close to the Alula Old Town.
Davide Ballerini was again Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s man in the reduced bunch sprint, and the Italian finished 10th as Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange) took the win on the small ramp to the line. In the overall standings, Tim Declercq is our best placed rider, sitting in sixth place ahead of the tough stage 4.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
