AlUla Tour

It was a day of echelon action at the AlUla Tour, with the crosswinds splitting the peloton just 30 kilometers into the race. Only 29 riders made it into the first group, which rode full gas and almost instantly opened a 45-second gap on the chasers. That insane tempo continued for more than an hour, with the large bunch behind eventually managing to make it across around 90 kilometers from home.

With around 30 kilometers to go, things became chaotic again, as another round of crosswinds left a small group up the road, including the European Champion and his teammate Thomas Pesenti. The leaders pushed the pedal to the metal, increasing the gap over those caught at the wrong end of the split, and the stage came down to a reduced sprint at the AlUla Camel Cup Track. Matteo Moschetti Q36.5) took the spoils, while Tim – despite being there – couldn’t fight for a good result due to some problems encountered in the last two kilometers of the stage. In the general classification, Thomas was the highest-ranked Soudal Quick-Step rider, after gaining three places on Saturday and concluding in 14th place.

“We are content with our week in Saudi Arabia. Two stages and a good GC – these are results that make us happy. Tim matched his tally of last year, confirming he remains one of the fastest riders in the world, and he’ll go with even more confidence into his next race after this performance, while Thomas put in a solid effort in what was his first appearance with us. It’s a strong start to the season for the team here and something that motivates us as we start a busy month of racing”, said sports director Davide Bramati.

Photo credit: ©Szymon Gruchalski / Getty Images