"Hopefully it’s nothing too serious" - Mixed day on stage 1 of AlUla Tour 2025 for UAE as Rafal Majka crashes hard and Juan Sebastian Molano misses out on victory
CyclingTuesday, 28 January 2025 at 21:30
Tim Merlier emerged victorious in a frantic bunch sprint finale on stage 1 of the 2025 AlUla Tour on Tuesday afternoon. For UAE Team Emirates - XRG though, it was a bit more of a mixed day as Juan Sebastian Molano finished 2nd, whilst GC hopeful Rafal Majka crashed hard in the finale.
In fact, Majka wasn't the only UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider to go down in the crash towards the end of the stage. "On the final run-in there was a crash inside -5km involving several riders including Rafal Majka and Adria Pericas who both came down," explains the team in a post-stage press release on their official website. "Majka was the worse-off of the pair with an impact to his ribs and some abrasions to his right knee. Both riders finished the stage and are expected to be okay for tomorrow’s stage 2 from AlUla Old Town to Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirkah."
As for Molano himself, the Colombian sees positives in a 2nd place on just his second race day of the 2025 season. "It was a very fast finish. I knew Merlier would be the man the watch and I managed to get on his wheel on the final straight," Molano assesses. "He was very strong today and I couldn’t get around him. I’m satisfied with the result although I’m eager and hungry to get the first win of the season on the board. Overall I’m happy with my shape and I’ll be looking for more opportunities this week. We had a couple of our guys caught up in a crash at the end but hopefully it’s nothing too serious and we’ll live to fight another day.”
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Stage 1 - AlUla Tour 2025 Results:
| 1 | Merlier Tim | Soudal Quick-Step | 14 | 03:10:21 |
| 2 | Molano Sebastian | UAE Team Emirates XRG | 5 | + 00 |
| 3 | Zijlaard Maikel | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | 3 | + 00 |
| 4 | Moschetti Matteo | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 00 | |
| 5 | Groenewegen Dylan | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 00 | |
| 6 | Walscheid Max | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 00 | |
| 7 | Barbier Pierre | Wagner Bazin WB | + 00 | |
| 8 | Bruttomesso Alberto | Bahrain Victorious | + 00 | |
| 9 | Weemaes Sasha | Wagner Bazin WB | + 00 | |
| 10 | D'Amato Andrea | JCL Team Ukyo | + 00 | |
| 11 | Jakobsen Fabio | Team Picnic PostNL | + 00 | |
| 12 | Darder Sergi | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 00 | |
| 13 | Brustenga Marc | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 00 | |
| 14 | Gonov Lev | XDS Astana Team | + 00 | |
| 15 | Boniface Lucas | Team TotalEnergies | + 00 | |
| 16 | Abrahamsen Jonas | Uno-X Mobility | + 00 | |
| 17 | Fedorov Yevgeniy | XDS Astana Team | + 00 | |
| 18 | Romele Alessandro | XDS Astana Team | + 00 | |
| 19 | Sorarrain Gorka | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 00 | |
| 20 | Quick Blake | Roojai Insurance | + 00 | |
| 21 | Hatherly Alan | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 00 | |
| 22 | Van Hautegem Leander | Wagner Bazin WB | + 00 | |
| 23 | Iribar Unai | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 00 | |
| 24 | Oliveira Ivo | UAE Team Emirates XRG | + 00 | |
| 25 | Dauphin Florian | Team TotalEnergies | + 00 | |
| 26 | Mezgec Luka | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 00 | |
| 27 | Van Rooy Kenneth | Wagner Bazin WB | + 00 | |
| 28 | Kepplinger Rainer | Bahrain Victorious | + 00 | |
| 29 | Van Lerberghe Bert | Soudal Quick-Step | + 00 | |
| 30 | Märkl Niklas | Team Picnic PostNL | + 00 | |
| 31 | Reynders Jens | Wagner Bazin WB | + 00 | |
| 32 | Cahyadi Aiman | Terengganu Cycling Team | + 00 | |
| 33 | Reinders Elmar | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 00 | |
| 34 | Ibanez Javier | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 00 | |
| 35 | Pesenti Thomas | Soudal Quick-Step | + 00 | |
| 36 | Erzen Zak | Bahrain Victorious | + 00 | |
| 37 | Johnston Calum | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 00 | |
| 38 | Basset Pierre-Henry | XDS Astana Team | + 00 | |
| 39 | Vinokurov Nicolas | XDS Astana Team | + 00 | |
| 40 | Elosegui Iñigo | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 00 | |
| 41 | Dunbar Edward | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 00 | |
| 42 | González Abner | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 00 | |
| 43 | Garibbo Nicolo | JCL Team Ukyo | + 00 | |
| 44 | Pidcock Tom | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 00 | |
| 45 | Uriarte Diego | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 00 | |
| 46 | Buratti Nicolò | Bahrain Victorious | + 00 | |
| 47 | van den Broek Frank | Team Picnic PostNL | + 00 | |
| 48 | Bregnhøj Mathias | Terengganu Cycling Team | + 00 | |
| 49 | Voisard Yannis | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | + 00 | |
| 50 | Zukowsky Nickolas | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 00 | |
| 51 | Pasqualon Andrea | Bahrain Victorious | + 00 | |
| 52 | de Bod Stefan | Terengganu Cycling Team | + 00 | |
| 53 | Dversnes Fredrik | Uno-X Mobility | + 00 | |
| 54 | Hopkins Dylan | Roojai Insurance | + 00 | |
| 55 | Kuzmin Anton | XDS Astana Team | + 00 | |
| 56 | van der Meulen Max | Bahrain Victorious | + 00 | |
| 57 | Eekhoff Nils | Team Picnic PostNL | + 00 | |
| 58 | Parisini Nicolò | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 00 | |
| 59 | Holter Ådne | Uno-X Mobility | + 00 | |
| 60 | Desal Cériel | Wagner Bazin WB | + 00 | |
| 61 | Frison Frederik | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 11 | |
| 62 | Aznar Hugo | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 12 | |
| 63 | Liepins Emils | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 12 | |
| 64 | Thalmann Roland | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | + 12 | |
| 65 | Fancellu Alessandro | JCL Team Ukyo | + 17 | |
| 66 | Warlop Jordi | Soudal Quick-Step | + 17 | |
| 67 | Castellon Jan | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 21 | |
| 68 | Carrascosa Pablo | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 21 | |
| 69 | Azparren Xabier | Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | + 21 | |
| 70 | Haquin Henri-Francois | Wagner Bazin WB | + 21 | |
| 71 | van Uden Casper | Team Picnic PostNL | + 21 | |
| 72 | Eyob Metkel | Terengganu Cycling Team | + 21 | |
| 73 | Aiman Shahmir | Terengganu Cycling Team | + 21 | |
| 74 | Vinokurov Alexandre | XDS Astana Team | + 21 | |
| 75 | Kulset Magnus | Uno-X Mobility | + 21 | |
| 76 | Koishi Yuma | JCL Team Ukyo | + 21 | |
| 77 | Vervenne Jonathan | Soudal Quick-Step | + 21 | |
| 78 | Kulset Johannes | Uno-X Mobility | + 00 | |
| 79 | Jegat Jordan | Team TotalEnergies | + 31 | |
| 80 | Leroux Samuel | Team TotalEnergies | + 40 | |
| 81 | Stockwell Oliver | Bahrain Victorious | + 41 | |
| 82 | Phonarjthan Patompob | Roojai Insurance | + 41 | |
| 83 | Pericas Adria | UAE Team Emirates XRG | + 41 | |
| 84 | Raccani Simone | JCL Team Ukyo | + 41 | |
| 85 | Miltiadis Andreas | Roojai Insurance | + 41 | |
| 86 | Marcerou Nicola | Team TotalEnergies | + 46 | |
| 87 | Mikutis Aivaras | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | + 49 | |
| 88 | Delbove Joris | Team TotalEnergies | + 49 | |
| 89 | Degenkolb John | Team Picnic PostNL | + 49 | |
| 90 | Staes Gibbe | UAE Team Emirates XRG | + 01:09 | |
| 91 | Al Shaikhahmed Ali | Saudi Arabia | + 01:09 | |
| 92 | Ravbar Anze | UAE Team Emirates XRG | + 01:09 | |
| 93 | Mohd Shabri Muhammad Haizam | Terengganu Cycling Team | + 01:09 | |
| 94 | Richards Kane | Roojai Insurance | + 01:09 | |
| 95 | Wallin Rasmus Bøgh | Uno-X Mobility | + 01:09 | |
| 96 | Bjerg Mikkel | UAE Team Emirates XRG | + 00 | |
| 97 | Kobayashi Marino | JCL Team Ukyo | + 01:44 | |
| 98 | Gamper Patrick | Team Jayco-AlUla | + 01:56 | |
| 99 | Grellier Fabien | Team TotalEnergies | + 01:57 | |
| 100 | Kolze Changizi Sebastian | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | + 02:13 | |
| 101 | Saenta Tanawat | Roojai Insurance | + 02:24 | |
| 102 | Bastiaens Ayco | Soudal Quick-Step | + 02:44 | |
| 103 | Jassas Ali | Saudi Arabia | + 03:03 | |
| 104 | Almuhanna Bader | Saudi Arabia | + 03:03 | |
| 105 | Alfairouz Jehad | Saudi Arabia | + 03:03 | |
| 106 | Alabdulmunim Abdulaziz Azzam | Saudi Arabia | + 03:03 | |
| 107 | Leijnse Enzo | Team Picnic PostNL | + 03:25 | |
| 108 | Babor Daniel | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | + 04:40 | |
| 109 | Yamamoto Masaki | JCL Team Ukyo | + 04:45 | |
| 110 | Kristoff Alexander | Uno-X Mobility | + 05:08 | |
| 111 | de Kleijn Arvid | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | + 05:08 | |
| 112 | Azanza Ibai | Equipo Kern Pharma | + 05:10 | |
| 113 | Thimachai Kongphob | Roojai Insurance | + 05:10 | |
| 114 | Alkulaif Alhur | Saudi Arabia | + 05:21 | |
| 115 | Majka Rafal | UAE Team Emirates XRG | + 06:14 | |
| 116 | Rosli Aiman | Terengganu Cycling Team | + 06:38 | |
| 117 | Alhassan Ali Jehad | Saudi Arabia | + 07:36 | |
| 118 | Vangheluwe Warre | Soudal Quick-Step | + 07:36 |
A very close sprint finish on #AlUlaTour 🇸🇦 stage 1 😤.
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) January 28, 2025
Second on the line for @sebasmolano_ 🥈 #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/O8XczDQHup
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