Extended Highlights - Stage 4 - The AlUla Tour 2024 - video Dailymotion

The AlUla Tour

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Transcript

00:00 Tim Melear celebrates, makes it look very, very easy, absolutely smokes it.

00:17 Tim Melear simply had too much firepower for the rest of the field in yesterday's sprints.

00:22 The Belgian is likely to be the man to beat again in today's fourth stage between Hegra

00:26 and Mariah, especially in the absence of Dylan Groenewegen, a non-starter this morning due

00:31 to illness.

00:33 Melear is also eyeing up the red jersey and potential victory in the points classification.

00:42 To focus on the stage is the first thing.

00:45 If you win the stage, the jersey comes from himself also.

00:49 So we will try again to have the win today.

00:53 Matteo Maluccelli finished second in Mariah last year and the Italian is hoping to go

00:58 one better with his new outfit, JCL Team Ucchio.

01:03 It's a little climb, 800 metres, but I have good memories from last year.

01:11 This year for sure I try to do my best.

01:14 I know the road, I know the finish line, so it's important for me.

01:19 I will see what happens in the race.

01:25 There are others who will fancy their chances in this final opportunity for the fast men,

01:29 not least the current race leader Kasper van Ouden, who already has one stage win under

01:34 his belt.

01:36 It's a hard finish and if you lose speed you're screwed.

01:40 So you have to keep the speed and make sure you have enough speed coming into the last

01:46 little hill.

01:47 So we do it once, we can have a little look how the bony sprint will go and try to put

01:51 our plan into place.

01:53 We raced through it last year, so I recognise it from last year, it looks beautiful, but

01:58 I think I have to do some more research after the stage.

02:03 Today's fourth stage will be a journey through the fascinating history of this region, as

02:07 the riders not only set off from Hegra, but ride past it twice during the day.

02:15 Weather wise it was set to be a much easier day for the peloton with warm temperatures

02:19 and no wind to speak of.

02:21 On paper it's going to be a bunch sprint next to Mariah, where an uphill drag will favour

02:26 the punchier fast men.

02:28 The peloton will get a first look at it when they cross the line at the bonus sprint with

02:31 around 30km to go.

02:48 Breathtaking views to get the riders underway today, feast your eyes on this.

02:57 An early attack by five riders was promptly shut down, but three other men managed to

03:00 get up the road by the time the live pictures began.

03:04 Iker Bonilo in the orange of Esquetal Ascari, and two riders who already broke away on stage

03:09 two.

03:10 Andreas Miltiades from the Terengganu cycling team and Tejbaya Batsaikan of Rujai Insurance.

03:18 Three teams who've been jumping in the brakes all week and targeting the most active riders

03:22 jersey.

03:26 The gap to the peloton was around two and a half minutes, with DSM Fermanic PostNL patrolling

03:32 things for their leader Van Uden.

03:34 Soudal Quickstep also represented up at the front for Malir.

03:40 Everyone clipping along at a decent average speed of around 45km an hour.

03:46 Now Batsaikan began the day with four points in the most active rider competition and was

03:51 targeting three more at the intermediate sprint with 50km to go.

03:54 However Bonilo had other ideas.

04:02 The peloton slowly chipping away at the brakes advantage as they approach Mariah for the

04:06 first time.

04:08 You won't be surprised to hear that Mariah means mirrors in Arabic.

04:11 This remarkable concert venue is the largest mirrored building in the world.

04:18 The brake gearing up for the bonus sprint then, and Bonilo was fastest once again, taking

04:22 three seconds and three more active rider points.

04:29 The peloton wasn't far behind and, as Van Uden pointed out earlier, this was a chance

04:34 to recce the finish and start thinking about sprint strategy.

04:38 Meanwhile, Milti Ardis had decided to go solo at the front.

04:42 He is a nine-time champion of Cyprus in the individual time trial, so he definitely has

04:47 an engine on him.

04:48 A Teren Ghanou man quickly pulling around, 30 seconds clear.

04:54 Bonilo and Batsaikan were soon swallowed up by the surging peloton, with DSM and Soudal

04:59 Quickstep still on the fronts.

05:04 So how long can one man hold off a 120 rider peloton?

05:08 Well basically until they decide to catch him, especially on wide, sweeping roads like

05:12 these.

05:13 The different sprint teams getting set for the likes of Melia, Van Uden, Weren Schold

05:18 and Decline, Milano and Kocka, but there was set to be some late drama.

05:38 Henock Mulubrahan was one of the riders to go down in that crash as the peloton caught

05:42 up to Milti Ardis.

05:44 UAE sprinter Juan Sebastian Milano also hit the deck and Arvid Decline was held up, so

05:50 several contenders now out of commission.

05:53 The rest gearing up for the final spectacular sprint shootout of this fourth edition.

06:02 Now the sprint goes, look at Tim Melia, what a burst of pace.

06:06 Melia is looking for stage win number two, tracked by Brian Kocka.

06:11 And has Melia got the pace to go all the way to the finish line?

06:14 Here comes the Frenchman, Kocka is going to try and challenge him on the other side of

06:18 the road.

06:19 Is it going to be a victory for Corfidis?

06:22 It's a photo finish.

06:24 Kocka celebrates, but that looks like Tim Melia takes it.

06:31 Well Brian Kocka may have celebrated on the line, but once again it was Tim Melia who

06:36 got the job done.

06:37 The Belgian going from a long way out and sustaining a tremendous effort for 300 metres

06:43 to just about get there ahead of the Frenchman.

06:45 That's back to back wins for Melia, who also takes over the race lead.

06:52 I know I can do this long effort and I tried because I was in the event, otherwise it was

07:00 also not possible anymore to win.

07:07 If you don't try you can't win.

07:10 But I'm happy it was just enough on the finish.

07:13 Brian he said he won, but I was not sure and I'm happy I'm in this seat now.

07:24 Melia doubling up ahead of poor old Kocka, who had a wry smile on his face after the

07:28 finish.

07:29 Van Ouden, Rik Ploumens and Luca Mesget rounding out the top five with Weren Schold in eighth.

07:36 Melia goes top of the pile by four seconds from Van Ouden, but the standings will be

07:40 turned on their head tomorrow.

07:42 Finn Fischer-Black and Davide Formolo are both inside the top ten, with Simon Yates

07:46 also 27 seconds down in 15th.

07:51 Melia is set to win the points classification after snaffling the red jersey from Van Ouden.

07:55 They're both on 39 points, but the Belgian leads thanks to his extra stage win.

08:00 The only points available tomorrow are at the finish, after the climb of Harata Wyryd.

08:07 Atsushi Oka reclaims the orange jersey after picking up a couple of points early in the

08:11 day, but it's neck and neck.

08:13 But Saikan is also on eight points, with Polychronos Tsotsakis on seven.

08:20 Van Ouden retains the white jersey as the best young rider, but that classification

08:24 is also set for a major shake-up tomorrow.

08:29 The sprinters will finally take a back seat in Saturday's fifth and final stage, as

08:33 the GC contenders battle for glory up to the sky views of Harata Wyryd.

08:38 It promises to be spectacular, so join us then, and thanks for watching.

08:41 (dramatic music)

08:44 (whooshing)

08:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Extended Highlights - Stage 4 - The AlUla Tour 2024

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