Discover the Stage 4 highlights
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#TheAlUlaTour
More exclusive contents on Tour de France Club : https://www.letour.fr/fr/club
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SportsTranscript
00:00I have a kind of stage here, I will be really happy.
00:09Tim Merlier, there was never any doubt.
00:12It's already difficult to win one race, so we will see.
00:16Who is going to take this stage? Groenewegen is trying to get on the wheel.
00:21It's Merlier and Groenewegen, but it's two sprints out of two for Tim Merlier.
00:27Do you look in the shape of your life so early in the season?
00:31I don't think so. We will see later.
00:39Tim Merlier doubled up in yesterday's third stage,
00:42taking an impressive sprint victory ahead of Dylan Groenewegen.
00:46But today is all about the GC battle, as the peloton head to the sky views of Harata Wairid
00:51on the Queen stage of this Alula Tour 2025.
00:57This morning, the riders gathered at the architectural marvel that is Mariah,
01:02the world's largest mirrored building, a glittering jewel here in the heart of the desert.
01:09Today, the race leader Tom Pidcock will be defending his eight-second overall lead.
01:16It's definitely a tough climb, and definitely one where you can't go too early.
01:22Like you say, the flat part after you definitely needs something left for there.
01:26So it's going to be interesting, but I guess I know I'm in good shape.
01:30I've looked after myself, so all to play for.
01:33I guess the main thing is defending this jersey, but if we go on the offensive,
01:37try and win the stage, that's probably the best way to try and defend.
01:42But the chasing pack will be waiting to pounce.
01:45The highest placed man for home team Jacob Alula is mountain bike star Alan Hafferley.
01:52For sure I'm going to leave it all out there, and fingers crossed it goes our way today,
01:56and can move up on GC, and dream day would be stage win as well.
02:00Okay, so we've had the Olympic mountain bike champion win stage two.
02:04Is it going to be the world mountain bike champion who wins stage four?
02:07Let's hope so.
02:10Stage four is a shade over 140 kilometres, and for the most part it's flat.
02:15The riders will go past Hegra twice as they head to this race's signature climb,
02:19with maximum gradients of 22 per cent it will seriously thin out the field.
02:24There are bonus seconds available at the summit,
02:26before an eight and a half kilometre drag race along the plateau to the finish line.
02:31Fireworks are guaranteed.
02:40There were two non-starters this morning, including Nils Eyckhoff,
02:43who had that nasty accident in yesterday's final, colliding with a lamppost.
02:47The Dutchman broke a tooth and fractured his jaw, and we wish him a speedy recovery.
02:52Well, the peloton keeping a close eye on the day's eight-man breakaway,
02:56with Pidcock up towards the front.
02:58This is only the second time that he has won a leader's jersey since back in his under-23 days.
03:03Jacob Alula on the front of the pack.
03:05This was a big day for the home team, who have yet to win at this race.
03:11Well, most of the eight guys at the front had already been in a breakaway this week.
03:15Alessandro Rumeli and Alexander Vinokourov from XDS Astana,
03:19Yuma Koishi from Team Ukiyo,
03:21Mohamed Abdelhalim from Terengganu Cycling,
03:25Andreas Miltiadis and Kongfob Timachai from Rujai Insurance,
03:29and Henri-Francois Brunaerhakka and Jens Rijnders of Wagner-Bazin.
03:34Well, Rijnders all but wrapping up the most active rider competition,
03:38the 26-year-old Belgian with a virtual lead of 13 points,
03:42after taking four at the day's first two sprints.
03:49Well, the peloton appeared to be relatively satisfied with this situation,
03:53keeping the gap steady at around a minute.
03:55The GC teams taking turns on the front of the peloton.
04:04Well, after a sudden injection of pace at the front,
04:07a couple of riders were caught out and dropped from the breakaway.
04:11Vinokourov and Miltiadis were unable to close the gap on their fellow escapees,
04:15and they eventually rolled back to the peloton.
04:20So, five men now leading the way,
04:22and Rijnders was frequently the one driving them along.
04:26The gap still hovering just under a minute.
04:31Well, heading into the last 30 kilometres,
04:33there was a minor issue for one of the race favourites.
04:37Oops, and a problem here.
04:39And this is Hatherley, who has got an issue.
04:42Well, it's good to have it now rather than later.
04:45Hatherley was soon back on his way again,
04:47getting a tow back to the peloton from the imposing frame of Max Walscheid.
04:54The sky views of Harata Wairu then looming into view,
04:57and as the road began to rise, riders began to go backwards.
05:06The breakaway is caught.
05:08The five escapees were brought back with 10.8 kilometres remaining,
05:11and now it was over to the GC riders,
05:13and it wasn't long before the race leader himself moved to the front of the bunch.
05:18Pidcock now takes control.
05:20Pidcock setting a punishing tempo
05:22as they embarked on the steepest part of this brutal climb,
05:25and he soon shredded the front group.
05:28Riders strewn all over the road as the gradients really began to bite.
05:37Soon there were only three men hanging onto Pidcock's wheel.
05:40Rainer Keplinger, second this morning,
05:42Alan Hatherley, third this morning,
05:44and Eddie Dunbar, also in the purple of Jacob Alula.
05:49However, they had no response
05:51when Pidcock went supersonic 700 metres from the summit.
05:56Now Dunbar is struggling.
05:59Pidcock turns the heat up a little bit more.
06:02Now he starts to accelerate a little bit harder,
06:05and Keplinger has no answer.
06:07Hatherley doesn't have one either.
06:09Pidcock has used his immense power to go clear on the climb.
06:15The British rider surging away from his rivals
06:18and quickly opening up a 20-second gap.
06:20It would take some effort to bring him back.
06:24Keplinger, Hatherley and Dunbar were soon joined
06:26by a fourth chaser, Johannes Coulset of Unix Mobility.
06:30Pidcock getting to the summit with 25 seconds in hand
06:33and pocketing another three bonus seconds.
06:36He would now switch to time trial mode
06:38for the flat run into the line.
06:43The four chasers weren't really working together,
06:45splitting into two groups.
06:47Dunbar and Keplinger leading Coulset and Hatherley.
06:50They did eventually get themselves organised,
06:52chasing as a foursome,
06:54and slowly but surely they began to eat into Pidcock's advantage.
06:58But could they catch him in time?
07:01500 metres to go for Pidcock in the green jersey.
07:05He's at 50 kilometres an hour.
07:08He can see now the finish.
07:10Look at that shot.
07:11That is absolutely beautiful.
07:13Dunbar leading the chasers here in the Alula Tour,
07:17but it looks like it might just be a little bit too late.
07:20Hatherley on the wheel, Coulset there,
07:23and Keplinger the best riders behind.
07:28300 metres to go for Tom Pidcock.
07:33Well, what an escapade it has been.
07:37Tom Pidcock, tremendous,
07:40wins stage four of the Alula Tour
07:43and takes the green jersey into the final day.
07:46A big sprint now.
07:48Hatherley is going to take second place.
07:50Hatherley takes second to take the second place bonus.
07:53Behind him is Keplinger, then Coulset, then Dunbar,
07:56and here come the chasers.
08:01The chasing group led in a celebration of Q36.5 on the line.
08:09If Pidcock's first win on stage two was impressive,
08:12then this was a masterclass.
08:14The 25-year-old simply in a league of his own here in the Saudi desert
08:18as he left everybody else in his dust,
08:20showing some of the form that has previously brought him wins
08:23at Strade Bianche and Amstel Gold.
08:25Pidcock just has to finish the job tomorrow.
08:28Yeah, really happy.
08:29Extended the lead and, yeah,
08:31gives us a bit more of a buffer going into tomorrow.
08:34That type of climb, that kind of effort, is an effort that you like?
08:39Yeah, I think I've been doing a lot of training
08:41that's really helped in those sort of efforts.
08:43I think this week I've set my new five, ten-minute best-ever powers,
08:47so I'm definitely in good shape.
08:51Pidcock taking the seventh win of his road cycling career
08:54by 12 seconds from Hafele, Koeplinger and Kulcic.
08:57The next group was led in by Thomas Pesenti at 24 seconds.
09:03Pidcock now has a comfortable lead of 29 seconds
09:06before tomorrow's final sprint,
09:08although just three seconds separate Koeplinger and Hafele.
09:11You know ex-duo Devarsanis and Kulcic round out the top five.
09:16The red jersey continues to go back and forth
09:18between Pidcock and Moliere.
09:20The British rider leads once again,
09:22but the Belgian will likely recover it in tomorrow's sprint.
09:26After his fine effort on the final climb,
09:28Kulcic takes the white jersey from his team-mate Odne Hulter,
09:31UNOEC showcasing their young talent here in Saudi.
09:35And barring any incidents tomorrow,
09:36Jens Rijnders will be heading home with the orange jersey
09:39as the race's most active rider.
09:43Four down, one to go.
09:44Join us again on Saturday for the final sprint shootout,
09:47and thanks for watching.
09:52U.S. Money Reserve