Nils Eekhoff third in Stage 2 of AlUla Tour: "I tried to launch Casper, but he could no longer sprint"

Casper van Uden lost his leader's jersey in the AlUla Tour on Wednesday but not everything went wrong for DSM-firmenich PostNL as the Dutch sprinter saw his teammate Nils Eekhoff sprint to third place, while Van Uden crossed the line fifth himself.

"It was a long day with a lot of nervousness due to threatening echelons," he said afterwards. "We got through it well and were always well placed. Enzo Leijnse did a great job controlling the breakaway. Then Casper and I were dropped off wonderfully for the last climb, well ahead, but out of the wind. After some attacks from GC riders, which we were able to follow, our focus was Casper's sprint."

Eekhoff chose the wheel of the Uno-X Mobility train. "I then tried to launch Casper 450 meters from the finish, but unfortunately he could no longer sprint," he reflects.

Eekhoff himself finished third, to the satisfaction of team leader Roy Cuvers. "Nils did a lead-out for Casper, but unfortunately the climb had cost too much energy. All in all it was good to see us competing for the win again. The legs ultimately made the decision, and we are happy with that. We'll go for it again tomorrow."