The 5th stage of the AlUla Tour featured a steep hill and turned into a three-man sprint, with Simon Yates (UK, Jayco AlUla) winning. Yates also won the overall victory in front of his team sponsors, while Atsushi Oka (JCL Team Ukyo) won the Active Rider Award.
Moroj Adil (Saudi Arabia, Rib Al-Ula Jaiko) who jumped in to participate in the team presentation photo: CorVos
AlUla Tour 2024 5th Stage Course Profile image:AlUla Tour Prior to the Tour of Oman (from February 10) and the UAE Tour (from February 19), the AlUla Tour (held in Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Peninsula) UCI2.1). The fifth stage, the final day, was a complete change from the previous sprinter’s course, and featured a comprehensive competition between climbers.
The race started in the old town of AlUla, a sub-sponsor of Jayco, and after going through a flat section, came Harrat Uwayrid (distance 2.5km/average 12.8%). The race runs up a steep hill with a maximum gradient of over 20%, and the finish line is drawn at the end of an 8.4km flat road.
Seven players jumped out at the start of the day, including Yuma Koishi and Marcelli Matteo (Italy) of JCL Team Ukyo. At the active point at 57.6km, Tegushbayar Bassaikhan (Mongolia, Lujai Insurance) passed the lead after defeating the two riders from Ukyo. This puts Bassaican ahead of Atsushi Oka by three points in the race for the Active Rider Award jersey.
Ukyo was reversed, but for the last active point of the tournament (42.8km remaining), he led the main group led by Japanese champion Daiki Yamamoto and pulled back. With the help of his teammate and the help of Bert Vanlerbel (Belgium, Soudal Quickstep), Oka succeeded in passing the top of the active points as planned. Bassaican did not score a single point here, so Oka succeeded in keeping the Active Rider Award jersey.
JCL Team Ukyo, led by Daiki Yamamoto, captures the escape photo: CorVos
After that, despite Yamamoto’s mechanical truck, Finn Fischer-Black (New Zealand, UAE Team Emirates) having a puncture, and Lorenzo Millesi (Italy, Movistar) crashing, the group remained at Halat Uwayrid (distance 2.5km/average 12.8%). reached. As the number of participants gradually narrowed down as the climb progressed, Simon Yates (Jaco AlUla, UK) picked up the pace with some light dancing.
From the lead group, which has been narrowed down to around 10 people, 21-year-old William Junior Rusself (Belgium, Soudal Quick-Step), who is in his first year as a professional, will attack. Le Cerf, who was pulling away from the rest with his high cadence, was joined by Fischer Black of UAE Team Emirates, who was the only one in the lead with an assist. As it was, Fischer Black was first to cross the summit of Harrat Uwayrid, where he was given up to -3 seconds of bonus time (Rusself – 2 seconds, S Yates – 1 second).
The lead was narrowed down to four people on the climb up Harrat Uwayrid photo: CorVos
Fischerbrack and Rusself will be joined by Yates and Rafał Majka (Poland) on the flat section, giving UAE Team Emirates an advantageous situation with two of the four riders. Yates then began a sprint ahead of the group led by Micah. In a three-way sprint with Fischer Black approaching from the left and Le Cerf from the right, Yates maintained his speed until the end and won the race.
Simon Yates (Jaco Al-Ullah, UK) wins the 3-person sprint photo: CorVos
As a result, Yates received the -10 second bonus time given to section winners and was crowned the overall winner. Yates, who achieved a better result in AlUla, the team’s second title sponsor, said, “I wanted to narrow down the group on the climbs for the overall victory, but I didn’t have the legs to do that.So I switched to sprints. That strategy worked. I’m really happy,” he commented with joy.
Le Cerf, who placed second in the section, finished second overall, while Fischer Black, who placed third in the section, finished third overall and made it to the podium. Oka, who won the Active Rider Award jersey and was smiling on the podium, said, “Thanks to the team, I was able to keep the jersey. I am truly grateful to the team. I’m glad I was able to take home the results.”
AlUla Tour 2024 overall podium: 2nd place Le Cerf, 1st place Yates, 3rd place Fischer Black photo: CorVos
Atsushi Oka (JCL Team Ukyo) in a commemorative photo of the 4th prize jersey winner image:AlUla Tour
2024-02-04 00:56:49
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