AlUla, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia –
The second day of the Saudi Tour, which is being streamed live in full on the Experience AlUla YouTube channel, came to a thrilling conclusion among the dramatic rock formations of Shalal Sijlyat Rocks just outside the ancient desert city of AlUla, the host venue for the fived-stage 2.1 category UCI race.
Stage two, a 184km sprint stage from the Winter Park to Shalal Sijlyat, took in Hegra, a stunning area of antiquity and Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Elephant Rock (Jabail AlFil) and the Sharaan Nature Reserve, a protected canyon area and natural habitat for a vast array of wildlife.
The windy conditions gave the entire field a real test, including the riders from the Saudi Cycling Federation team who were taking part in the Saudi Tour for the first time.
The team impressed throughout the stage, with Hassan Al Jumah and Abdulaziz Hashim finishing just five minutes and 38 seconds off the pace, ahead of Hani Al Mhrhoon (5m 53s), Azzam Al Abdulmunim and Murthada Al Shaghab (both 12m 43s), a solid effort given the tough 180.5km opening stage from AlUla International Airport to Khaybar contested the day before on debut.
Local hero Hassan Al Jumah was delighted with the learning experience against a range of world-class teams and riders in some of the most stunning cycling terrain in the world.
Hassan said: “This is the first time on the Saudi Tour for the Saudi Cycling Federation team and it is an incredible experience for the team and great to be here, it is fantastic for Saudi sport.
“It is a big opportunity for us to ride and compete with the world’s best, and also gain the knowledge and experience that will help us to improve the performance of the team. It is important to learn from the best while competing against them, it can only help us improve and develop as cyclists.”
Hassan was full of praise for the cycling conditions in AlUla, an area of natural beauty and heritage which is being sustainably and responsibly developed by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). He said: “This is the second year here that the tour has been here racing in AlUla and it is an incredible experience – the conditions are perfect for cycling.
“I think it will a perfect venue for all Saudi teams to come and train, and race, and it is also an ideal destination for international cyclists and teams and visitors from other countries to experience. I hope to come here often for training.”
Italian rider Jonathan Milan of Team Bahrain Victorious edged out stage 1 winner Dylan Groenewegen of Team Jayco AlUla and Cees Bol of Astana Qazaqstan Team in a bunched final sprint. Groenewegen maintains the overall leader’s green thanks to his first and second in the opening two stages.
The Saudi Tour runs in the AlUla area until Friday February 3. Saudi Arabia’s many sports fans can follow the third edition live, with the event being broadcast in full on the Experience AlUla YouTube channel.