00:00Générique
00:30Yannis Voisar seized control of the Eluder Tour yesterday
00:34with a brilliant display on Beer Jaida Mountain Worker.
00:38However, the Swiss rider will have to be switched on in today's fourth stage
00:42with more crosswind chaos forecast on the road to Hegra.
00:46The teams that we've spoken to already this morning
00:49say that this race is going to blow apart in the crosswinds.
00:53What do you think?
00:54Yeah, probably there is a lot of chance that it will happen,
00:58so we'll try our best to keep the jersey
01:00and try to also make the sprint at the end.
01:03The profile is nice and flat,
01:05so Lidl Trek will be hoping to guide their sprint star,
01:08Jonathan Milan, through the echelons
01:09and give him a shot at a third stage victory.
01:13Today will be another really good opportunity
01:17for all of us sprinters in the end,
01:20but we will have to be really careful with the wind.
01:24It will be really, really windy.
01:27Maybe it will be more or less like the first day,
01:31maybe 30, 40 riders.
01:33As I said, the wind is really strong
01:35and really probably will split.
01:38Time is running out, meanwhile, for Jayco Alula,
01:41who are determined to win here in the region of their title sponsor.
01:44Their sprinter, Pascal Ackermann,
01:46hoping to improve on third place two days ago.
01:49I'm quite happy about my shape
01:51and it's going better and better from day to day.
01:53Today is still a big chance to grab.
01:55I mean, it's still a super important race for us,
01:57for Jayco Alula, to be here.
01:59So we're going to fight for our stage victories.
02:02We have two days to go.
02:03Today is my chance.
02:04Tomorrow is a climber's day.
02:05So we have to try everything today.
02:08Stage four is the longest of this Alula tour.
02:10173 kilometres between Winter Park and Hegra,
02:15the ancient Nabataean city
02:16that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008,
02:20Saudi Arabia's first.
02:22The bonus sprint comes early after just 19 kilometres
02:25with the two intermediate active sprints in the final 50k.
02:29No climbs on the menu,
02:30but like on stages one and two,
02:32the wind is bound to be a major factor.
02:34We are by no means guaranteed a bunch sprint.
02:37Well, the pace was so relentless on this fourth stage
02:47that by the time the live pictures began,
02:49there were only 38 kilometres remaining.
02:52The average speed was well over 50 kilometres an hour
02:54for the first two hours of racing.
02:56So once we joined the action,
02:58the day's 16-man breakaway had already been caught.
03:01And after a split in the main peloton,
03:04a group of chasers had caught up again.
03:06Everybody just catching their breath
03:08on this remarkable desert road.
03:13The bonus seconds at the start of the day
03:15were picked up by Matisse Le Baer,
03:17who had been the best-placed man on GC in the breakaway.
03:20But no danger in the end
03:21for the green jersey of Yanis Voizar.
03:24For him, it will all come down to the hike
03:26up to the sky views of Harata-Wyrid
03:27in tomorrow's fifth and final stage.
03:30Ultimately, then, this was going to be another one for the sprinters.
03:36And, of course, the big favourite was Jonathan Milan,
03:39already a two-time stage winner earlier this week.
03:43Others to keep an eye on were Pascal Ackermann, Milan Frittin,
03:47and the other Italians who've been on form this week,
03:49Matteo Moschetti, Matteo Maluccelli and Daniel Skirl.
03:52Well, not everybody had made it back to the front
03:58after those cross-wind battles.
03:59A group containing the orange jersey, Ziyi Key,
04:03was a long way back.
04:08And the gap is massive.
04:11There's the peloton.
04:13And Pinarello Q36.5 were keen to shake things up again.
04:18Now we get a big acceleration.
04:22Any moment now in this race,
04:24you need to keep your focus,
04:26because if you don't,
04:27you can miss the breakaway of the day.
04:30Now that acceleration, wow,
04:31look at the speed round that left-hander.
04:38Well, that move came to nothing,
04:40and things settled down again
04:42until Zeb Kiffin attacked
04:43for the Terengganu cycling team.
04:45Decidedly, they have been very lively this week.
04:53The British rider taking three points
04:55at the final active sprint
04:57and deciding to kick on.
04:59The rider's now heading into the final
05:0110 kilometres of this stage
05:02and enjoying some magnificent views
05:04on the road back to Hegra.
05:07Oh, the terrain is pretty breathtaking, isn't it?
05:11Through the rocks
05:12and the gateway towards Hegra now.
05:15Well, Kiffin did win a stage
05:21of the Tour de Langkawi last year,
05:23but he didn't present much of a threat
05:25to a full peloton
05:26containing a fair few sprinters,
05:28and he was caught
05:29with around 7k to go.
05:34Some of the GC favourites looking relaxed
05:37as the fast men prepared to face off.
05:40A big move on the right-hand side.
05:43Q Pinarello, Q3rd 6.5,
05:45with Moschetti getting ready
05:47to try and win today's stage.
05:50Modern Adventure Pro Cycling
05:51on the front with Riley Pickerel
05:54looking to try and take this victory.
05:57Bergadeau is there
05:58in the white colours of Total Energy
06:00as he starts to slot backwards now
06:03in the string.
06:04Not too far to go.
06:06There's the peloton.
06:07They're going to come up
06:08and make a big swoop in.
06:09Left-hand turn
06:10onto very rough road
06:12into the finish line.
06:14It's going to be an almighty charge
06:16into a headwind,
06:17so you need to leave it quite late.
06:20Bahrain victorious.
06:21moving up now
06:22with Phil Bauhaus,
06:24but I wonder whether
06:25they're going to go
06:25with Skrl instead.
06:27XDS Astana move up
06:29in the turquoise,
06:30but Modern Adventure
06:31have the front
06:32of this peloton now.
06:34Jaco Alula move up
06:36in the lavender-coloured kit
06:37as they bring forward
06:39Pascal Ackerman
06:41looking for this stage victory.
06:43Look at the speed
06:44of Lidl Trek.
06:45Where is Jonathan Milan?
06:47There he is in the red.
06:48Has to break a little bit.
06:50Three and a half hours
06:52of furious racing
06:53across the desert
06:54and there's a fight
06:55for this left-hand turn now.
06:57Milan is not quite
06:58in position yet.
07:00Here goes the team
07:01of Kofidis.
07:02Milan is trying to fight
07:04his way out of a box
07:05right now.
07:06Pascal Ackerman
07:07getting ready to go.
07:09Milan moves up
07:10onto his lead-out man
07:11just in time
07:12as Ackerman goes
07:14for the finish line.
07:15Bauhaus is there.
07:17Milan is kicking as well
07:18with Consoni.
07:19Milan goes.
07:20Bauhaus kicks as well.
07:22Milan through the middle.
07:23He's being challenged now
07:25by Malicelli.
07:26Milan is going to be beaten
07:28this time
07:28on the line.
07:30It looks like Malicelli
07:31of the team of XTS Astana
07:33squeezed through
07:34on the inside.
07:42Matteo Malicelli
07:44outpacing his compatriot Milan
07:45to win this fourth stage.
07:47The 32-year-old
07:48played a pivotal role
07:50in XTS Astana's
07:51survival bid last year
07:52with his eight victories
07:53helping to keep the squad
07:55in the World Tour.
07:56He's now off the mark
07:57in 2026
07:58celebrating his 18th
08:00career victory.
08:01for 10 years
08:07like pro
08:08I finished a lot of time
08:09second behind
08:10a big champion
08:11and I needed one time
08:13in front of there.
08:15Today there was Milan
08:15I won in front of Milan.
08:18For me
08:18this is the best
08:19victory of my life
08:20and I hope to be
08:22in the top
08:23sprinter in the world now.
08:25Malicelli besting Milan
08:29with Fritz Biestebos
08:30completing the stage podium
08:32for Picnic Postonel.
08:33Another good effort
08:34from Robin Fradevaux
08:35in fourth
08:36but Ackermann
08:37was down in 21st.
08:39No major changes overall
08:41with Voizar
08:42still leading
08:43Afonso Eulaglio.
08:44Sergio Higuita
08:45remains third
08:46after chasing back
08:47in the crosswinds.
08:48That overall podium
08:49is now another big target
08:50for Astana.
08:51Milan couldn't get
08:54his third stage win today
08:55but he has sewn up
08:56the points classification.
08:58As long as he reaches
08:59the finish line tomorrow
09:00the Italian will go home
09:01with the red jersey.
09:03No change in the orange jersey
09:05Key is still the race's
09:07most active rider
09:08ahead of his team mate
09:09Rossley
09:09and Eulaglio remains
09:11our best young rider
09:12ahead of Bjorn Kurt.
09:15Four down
09:16a one to go
09:17and tomorrow is the GC showdown
09:19on the sky views
09:20of Harit of Weirid
09:21which promises
09:22to be spectacular.
09:23Join us for that
09:24on Saturday
09:25and thanks for watching.
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