PREVIEW | AlUla Tour 2025 stage 3 - Tim Merlier big favourite for another bunch sprint
CyclingWednesday, 29 January 2025 at 22:52
The AlUla Tour will be the second stage-race of the season, and the first outside of Australia for the men's peloton. Saudi Arabia's most important race in the calendar attracts a few good names every year, with an interesting route that will be raced from the 28th January to the 1st of Feburary. We preview stage 3.
Stage 3 takes place from Hegra to the Tayma Fort, another flat and exposed day where a sprint is virtually certain but crosswinds can also shape up the race and the overall classification quite a lot.
Stage 3: Hegra - Tayma Fort, 179 kilometers
Prediction AlUla Tour 2025 stage 3:
*** Tim Merlier
** Dylan Groenewegen, Juan Sebastián Molano, Arvid de Kleijn
* Alexander Kristoff, Fabio Jakobsen, Casper van Uden, Matteo Moschetti, Pierre Barbier, Alberto Bruttomesso
Pick: Tim Merlier
Original: Rúben Silva
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- Yep. But if you hit something stationary at 40 mph, your life is changed. And even just sliding ... the fastest I ever crashed was 35 mph in a race, and it was almost 2 months before the last scabs disappeared. These guys heal much faster, but the pain is the same. I am hoping P is more careful so that he has a long career that ends when he decides. But he doesn't seem built that way.
Barney13-03-2025 - He’s lucky Mohoriç warned him not to follow (and that for once he listened to wiser) because the way M only just avoided disaster that day, T would have done a Senna. Regarding the 40mph, it’s not usually hitting the deck that’s crucial, it’s acrobatics and stationary objects that refuse to move much that do the damage.Mistermaumau13-03-2025
- If you consider ALL the details, things were not as bad as we’ve come to expect from organisers, especially lately, however much can still be improved, especially communication wise. I guess saying the race is neutralised is maybe not enough to be clear in the “heat” of the action, perhaps adding a warning to stay tuned and not remove earpieces, to know if and when the race might resume would help. Weather is completely random so it can go both ways when things reach a limit and BOTH sides should always be prepared for that. As for harshness of conditions, 10cm of snow is less dangerous and difficult than sleet or iced roads, riding on without stopping is easier than restarting after cooling off, everyone is different, Hinault was kind of a European average built man with his 173/68 at the time, Jonas could play an extra in a concentration camp scene, all respect for him and all the others for finishing, some people’s moaning (from their comfy sofa) made it sound like he abandoned before complaining.Mistermaumau13-03-2025
- I was thinking the exact same thing as Kelly in the moment before the crash: if Pidcock is backing off your wheel while bombing a descent, you are going too fast. So many people talk about how dominant Pogacar is and how boring this makes cycling. However, with the stomach-churning risks he takes, his era could end on any day, just as it did for Froome and Bernal. I was surprised to see him remount after hitting the deck at 40-plus mph. I understand why his girlfriend can't even watch his descents. I am going to enjoy his time while it lasts.Barney13-03-2025
- Another brain dead take from the org. While they stayed cozy in their warm carsabstractengineer13-03-2025
- Ahhh, and there was me watching and thinking we might finally get an uncommented article. Now you leave Frieders no choice but to participate ;-)Mistermaumau13-03-2025
- I don’t think that was the sense he was conveying. Anyway, can’t change him much more, Tadej is a little like the Senna of cycling, will do as he wants and has to live with the consequences. MAYBE the fall will swing the heart/mind balance. For cycling popularity and fan discussions it won’t hurt to now have a Tour with a fit Jonas and Tadej having to recover from a nasty crash at P-R.Mistermaumau13-03-2025
- After destroying many careers due to his cheating and pettiness, he suddenly became a saint due to helping out Wiggins /sabstractengineer13-03-2025
- All these ex riders give a brain dead comment now and then. Pogi is three time TDF winner, there are less than 10 riders who have done that. Its not a fluke. Last year he beat Pantani's record by 3.5 minutes. Thats not a fluke. Pogi and Vingegaard have nothing to prove in terms of winning the TDF. They are not one-off. Can we call Kelly's wins in each of the monuments flukes, he never win more than 3abstractengineer13-03-2025
- You mean the guy who once refused to race a Tour stage because the start was too early? Real guts yeah. Respect for a lot he said and does but let’s ask him first and then remind him of it according to his attitude.Mistermaumau13-03-2025