Cycling: Tim Merlier won the third stage of the AlUla Tour. The Belgian and his team defied the strong crosswind and were able to use their final speed to their advantage ahead of Arvid de Kleijn.
Merlier wins, Waerenskjold loses the lead
Flat stages don't always have to be boring. On today's third leg of the AlUla Tour, the wind played a very special role. Due to strong side gusts, the field broke up into many small groups over the last 30 kilometers. And due to a technical defect, the overall leader lost Soren Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) the connection and finally the leader jersey. Bert Van Lerberghe (Soudal – Quick-Step) kept a cool head despite all the hectic pace thanks to his experience and prepared the sprint for his captain Tim Merlier (Soudal – Quick-Step) is exemplary. The Belgian drove confidently as the stage winner ahead of the two Dutchmen Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor) and Casper van Uden (dsm-unternehmenich PostNL) crossed the finish line. But the third-place finisher on the day can be happy about taking the lead in the overall standings.
#replay / #AlulaTour
Tim Merlier (SOQ) s'impose assez facilement au sprint on this three stage! Il devant notamment Arvid de Kleijn (TUD). pic.twitter.com/dG7Ya805qr— Renaud Breban (@RenaudB31) February 1, 2024