Daniel Skerl capped off a great day’s work for Bahrain Victorious to claim the second step on the podium on Stage 2 of the Al Ula Tour. The stage covered 152 km, starting and finishing at AlManshiyah Train Station on a flat route exposed to crosswinds for most of the day.
Early echelons formed under strong winds and sandstorms, with Bahrain Victorious placing six riders in the front group before the race eventually regrouped as it approached the final laps around AlManshiyah. The profile and race dynamics pointed clearly toward a high-speed bunch sprint, and teams began organising their lead-outs as the peloton entered the final 10 km.
Inside the last kilometres, the race remained tightly packed, and Bahrain Victorious had to shift plans as Bauhaus suffered a puncture roughly 5km to the finish. The team adapted quickly, setting up Daniel Skerl for the finish. Alessandro Borgo was the last lead-out man, and he delivered Skerl into position inside the final 1 km, placing him directly on Milan’s(Lidl-Trek) wheel for the decisive sprint. The sprint unfolded cleanly on the flat finishing straight, with Milan launching first, Skerl securing second place, and Pascal Ackermann (Jayco Al Ula) third.
Daniel Skerl was happy with his result: “Phil was unlucky with a flat tire 5-6km to go, and straight away he said I’ll be doing the sprint. In the last few kilometers, we were perfect as a team, and Borgo did an amazing job in the final; he delivered me to the best wheel possible, on the wheel of Milan. I ran out of the legs in the final, but I think the second place is really important and the most we could achieve today. It was a hectic day, and we kept ourselves the whole race in front, and this final was like a cherry on top of the cake. Tomorrow we’ll see what our leaders can do on the climb.”
Michał Gołaś reflected on the day: “It was a very positive day for us, not only with the result of Daniel, but also how the boys rode the whole day. On the main echelon split, we had 6 guys in the main group, and we contributed towards the group efforts. It was also a chance for us to improve on the GC for Afonso. Later on, it came back together, and we decided to stick with the plan and lead out for Phil, who punctured around 5 km to go. It was a quick decision from Phil, so chapeau to him for immediately deciding that Daniel goes for the sprint. It was clear communication, Daniel also responded positively. So, the boys did the same plan we planned for Phil, but executed it for Daniel. It’s such a great result for a young rider to be second just after Jonathan Milan, a promising result. For myself, it was not a huge surprise as I know that he has great potential and a great future in the sprint. Overall, very good job from the boys.”
Tomorrow is the day for the GC with an uphill finish and we’ll aim to have Eulálio and Kepplinger go for the result.
