Lotto Soudal survive rough day to keep GC ambitions intact at Saudi Tour

It was a tough day in the office at the Saudi Tour for Lotto Soudal, who have seen their leader Maxim van Gils crash and their sprinter Caleb Ewan loose the race lead, however not all is bad.

"Of course we knew it was going to be really hard but it was too good an opportunity to miss. We tried and I wasn’t too far away. To be already in this shape where I wasn’t too far off from the win is a positive thing to take into the season," Ewan confirms. Having Milano-Sanremo as a main target for the season just over a month away it is no surprise the Australian is riding some good form, however today was a confirmation that the winter work has gone well.

"Tomorrow is a new chance to take the win and get the green jersey back. Two more sprint chances coming up and we will be going for that full gas.”

As for team leader Maxim Van Gils who came with ambitions of fighting for the GC it also wasnt an easy day, having crashed halfway through the day, the Belgian youngster had to carry a considerable amount of road rash throughout the whole finale. “Today was a nice stage which suited both Caleb and me. However, we didn’t know much about what to expect as it was a new road and not to be found online. Unfortunately I crashed after 70 kilometres but I don’t remember how exactly it happened. Suddenly I was down and I incurred quite some abrasions on my right side."

That didn't stop Van Gils though, as he hung tough and, whilst pacing Ewan up the final climb, also managed to get himself in 4th position for the stage, and sits only 17 seconds behind GC leader Santiago Buitrago, in 5th place. "But still I was focused on doing a good result and the boys did another great job getting us into a great position. Maybe I hoped for a little better than 4th but I just missed that little bit to join the attacks. Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to the queen stage on Friday, where I hope to secure a top-three spot on GC"