Cyclingflash
Two out of two: Jonathan Milan again by far the fastest in AlUla Tour

Two out of two: Jonathan Milan again by far the fastest in AlUla Tour

Jonathan Milan claimed victory in the second stage of the AlUla Tour after winning the opening stage. The race was once again marked by echelons but eventually ended in a 'normal' bunch sprint. Milan outsprinted Daniel Skerl (Bahrain Victorious) and Pascal Ackermann (Jayco AlUla). Fabio Jakobsen suffered cramps in the finale and couldn't contest the sprint.

After a fiercely contested first stage—where the wind played a crucial role and Jonathan Milan rode convincingly to victory—the fast men seemed poised to shine again in the AlUla Tour. There was just one caveat: in the Middle East, the wind often creates echelons and, therefore, spectacle. This threat loomed again in the second stage to and from the AlManshiyah train station.

Echelons, once more
Just like yesterday, a not overly dangerous breakaway got away from the pack for a time. Mohammed Al-Wahibi, Said Alrahbi, and Muhammad Nur Aiman Bin Rosli launched another attack and were joined this time by Zhe Yie Kee and Federico Iacomoni. The peloton allowed them to go, and the gap grew to over four minutes. The race seemed to settle into a lull, but this was short-lived.

With about eighty kilometers remaining, the nervousness in the peloton visibly increased. That could mean only one thing: echelons! Indeed, thanks in part to Lidl-Trek and Picnic PostNL, the peloton split into two groups. But it didn’t stop there, as the strongest riders in the front echelon disrupted the race multiple times. This caused several riders—including Fernando Gaviria—to be dropped.

Another regrouping
After this new selection, the wheat was finally separated from the chaff. The first echelon consisted of only about twenty riders, including leader Jonathan Milan, who rode very alertly at the front and contributed significantly. However, it wasn’t enough, because with forty kilometers to go, the peloton suddenly regrouped, and everything was to be decided anew.

Two riders took advantage of a subsequent calm moment in the wind. South African time trialist Stefan De Bod and Dane Mathias Bregnhøj teamed up and built a maximum gap of half a minute. However, this breakaway attempt was short-lived, and we were indeed heading toward an authentic bunch sprint.

Cramps for Jakobsen
Before that, there was a bonus sprint. Jan Christen crossed the line first there. The Swiss rider, who had lost twenty seconds earlier in the week due to a time penalty, clawed back three seconds on many of his rivals. Then it was time for the real sprint. Fabio Jakobsen would not be involved. About five kilometers from the finish, the Dutchman suffered cramps in his left leg and had to let the peloton go.

At the front, the pace continued to increase. Approaching the final kilometer, Lidl-Trek took over at the head of the race. Jonathan Milan still had several teammates ahead of him who launched him in the final straight. Once the last lead-out man, Simone Consonni, had done his job, it was Milan’s turn. The powerhouse from Lidl-Trek proved by far the fastest, taking a dominant win.

Daniel Skerl (Bahrain Victorious) finished second, Pascal Ackermann (Jayco AlUla) third. Further down in the top ten we also find Milan Fretin (eighth), Timo de Jong (ninth), and Milan Vader (tenth).