Merlier and Milan get three sprint chances in AlUla Tour, other days favor puncheurs

The organizers of the AlUla Tour have revealed the route for the upcoming edition (January 27-31) of the five-day stage race. Just like last year, there are three sprint stages and two punchy stages. In the flat stages, top sprinters Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier will go head to head.

The sixth edition of the AlUla Tour starts on Tuesday, January 27 with a relatively flat and thus sprinter-friendly stage, starting and finishing at the AlUla Camel Cup Track camel racetrack. There are no significant climbs along the way, so it would take something unusual to prevent this stage from ending in a bunch sprint. There is one caveat: the wind in the Middle East can often cause echelons and hence exciting racing. This threat also looms in the second stage to and from AlManshiyah train station, but here too, the fast men are the biggest favorites.

Two punchy stages
On day three, the GC contenders will have to step up. The stage finishes at Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah. There was also a finish here last year, but the stage was shortened due to poor road conditions on the final descent. This year, however, there is no local circuit, and the riders will climb from the opposite side. This side is almost five kilometers at nearly five percent gradient. A 'quadratic climb,' as Tim Krabbé might say.

After another flat stage (from Winter Park to Shalal Sijlyat Rocks), the queen stage follows on the final day. As in previous editions, the route leads to Skyviews of Harrat Uwayrid. And this can mean only one thing: the sting is in the tail again. Less than nine kilometers from the finish lies the summit of a brutally steep climb (2.9 kilometers at 12%), followed by a flat finale.

Merlier versus Milan
It was already known that Jonathan Milan—stage winner in 2023—would take part in the AlUla Tour, but now the organizers have also announced the participation of Tim Merlier. The Belgian won two stages in the Saudi stage race both in 2024 and 2025. Besides Milan and Merlier, Arvid de Kleijn is also on the provisional start list. Tom Pidcock, last year’s overall winner of the five-day race, is not mentioned by the organizers as a participating rider. Eddie Dunbar, Jan Christen, and Jakob Omrzel are expected to make an appearance.