Echelon action sees Casper van Uden sprint to 3rd on Stage 3 at AlUla Tour

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL Emerge Strong in AlUla Tour Echelons with Casper van Uden’s 3rd Place Sprint Finish
Continuing their strong start to the 2024 campaign, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL successfully navigated the challenging echelons at the AlUla Tour. Casper van Uden and Nils Eekhoff made an impressive front group appearance, with Eekhoff setting up Van Uden for a sprint to a strong third place finish.

Leaving the start line near the AlUla international airport, the riders faced 170 mostly flat kilometers through the Saudi Arabian desert before ending the day at the Camel Cup Track. The bunch initially had an uneventful start, with an early break going clear and all Team dsm-firmenich PostNL riders conserving their energy for the challenges ahead. At around 80 kilometers to go, the pace and wind increased, causing the bunch to split into three groups. However, the team was well-represented in the front group, and after a fierce 20 kilometers of action, the group caught the breakaway.

A new break formed out front, leading to another change in direction that split things up for good. Eekhoff and Van Uden made the lead group as the final kilometers ticked by in a flash. Heading into the closing five kilometers, Eekhoff positioned Van Uden brilliantly for the sprint. Despite kicking early, Van Uden gave it his all to the line but was overtaken by two riders, ultimately claiming a fine third place finish on the day. This placing also saw the team move back into the race lead with Van Uden, while Eekhoff himself secured fourth place overall.

Reflecting on the stage, Van Uden expressed: “The boys worked really hard to keep me in a good position today with the echelon stress and in the end Nils and I made the front split. At the finish Nils put me in a good position. I opened the sprint a little too early but we still managed to grab a third place which is nice, and we go back into the race lead.”

Coach Roy Curvers added: “In the echelon chaos we got a little swamped but with a big effort we could at least manage to get Casper and Nils in the first echelon when it split for good. With only two guys in the final we had to gamble a bit but luckily we had a strong Nils who could manage to bring Casper in a position from where he could give it a shot at sprinting for the win again. In the end we took another podium and will give it a go once again tomorrow.”