Pidcock wins shortened and neutralized second stage of AlUla Tour on the slopes of mountain Wirkah
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Follow us on GoogleTom Pidcock won the second stage of the AlUla Tour. The Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team rider granted his new team his first victory. The Brit was also the favorite beforehand, so his win is unsurprising. That's all that was normal about the second stage because it was a crazy day in Saudi Arabia.
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The second stage of the AlUla Tour was immediately crucial for the GC. The nearly 158-kilometer stage took the riders from AlUla Old Town to Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah, a new finish location in this round. After the start, the riders entered the circuit after just over seventy kilometers, where the hill took center stage. With a length of 2.8 kilometers and an average gradient of 9.4 percent, it was clear beforehand that this climb would be ideal for punchers.
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Stage neutralized and shortened due to poor road surface
The stage began quite normally. From kilometer one, five riders rode away: Simone Raccani, Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli, Muhammad Shahmir Aiman Abd Halim, Kongphob Thimachai, and Jens Reynders. They rode about 3'30 away from the peloton. With 66 kilometers left to the finish, we were left with three leaders (Raccani, Reynders, and Aiman Abd Halim). That soon became two. So far, everything has gone normal.
Just before the finale, the situation suddenly changed. With about forty kilometers to go, the race was neutralized due to concerns about the road surface, which were considered too dangerous, especially in the descents. The race jury, therefore, decided to cancel one local lap altogether and let the race continue temporarily neutralized. Both the leading group and the peloton had to descend in packs. Several flat tires were reported during the first descent, which probably reinforced the decision to intervene.
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The race continues in the final five kilometers; Pidcock is the best puncher
The final five kilometers returned to normal, including the final climb to Jaydah Mountain Wirkah. At that point, Reynders and Raccani were in the leading group, but they did not regain their earlier lead during neutralization. About three kilometers from the finish, everything reunited.
Thus, it became a lead-out towards the steep sections. UAE Team Emirates-XRG rode in the lead with Rafal Majka and later young Adrià Pericas. Starting in the final kilometer, an attack by a rider from Equipo Kern Pharma followed. However, this was neutralized by Pidcock.
Not much later, the British rider attacked with power. The supposed favorite managed to punch his way to victory. Pidcock thus gave his new team his first victory and took the first step towards the overall win on the AlUla Tour. Rainer Kepplinger and Alan Heatherly completed the podium in second and third, respectively.
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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