Groenewegen records first victory of the season in Tour of Saudi Arabia

Jan 30, 2023 at 2:12 PMUpdate: 29 minutes ago

Dylan Groenewegen won the first stage of the Tour of Saudi Arabia on Monday. The Team Jayco AlUla rider was supreme in the sprint and took his first win of the season.

The 29-year-old Groenewegen did not experience a flawless first stage, which led the peloton in 180.5 kilometers from AlUla International Airport to Khaybar. The Dutchman was one of the riders who punctured, but he was quickly brought back into the peloton.

At 13 kilometers from the finish, the lonely escapee Marcus Sander Hansen was caught and the sprinter teams could prepare for a sprint as expected. Favorite Groenewegen took the lead early, but his victory was never in danger.

Just before the sprint, several riders fell victim to a heavy crash, but Groenewegen escaped the malaise. The podium was completed by the Serbian Dusan Rajovic and the German Max Walscheid. Cees Bol finished seventh in the first stage.

Groenewegen and Bol will ride their first race of the season in the Tour of Saudi Arabia. Fabio Jakobsen came into action last week in the Tour of San Juan in Argentina. There he booked his first stage victory of the still early cycling year.

The Tour of Saudi Arabia has a total of five stages and lasts until Friday. Last year, Groenewegen also participated in the Middle East. The Amsterdammer then won two stages and finished at the top of the points classification.

Dylan Groenewegen won the first stage of the Tour of Saudi Arabia.Photo: Getty Images