BORA hansgrohe German Professional Cycling

AlUla Tour: Rolf Aldag Happy with Team's Performance

BORA-hansgrohe at the AlUla Tour 2024 (Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency)

After three out of five stages, BORA - hansgrohe rider Matteo Sobrero is ranked third in the overall standings of the Saudi Arabian stage race. Sports Director Rolf Aldag sees his team "absolutely on track."

So far, BORA - hansgrohe has yet to win a stage at the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia. However, the third day once again demonstrated that the German WorldTour squad is among the strongest teams in the race. After Matteo Sobrero sprinted to three bonus seconds on the first day, he achieved the same feat today. The reward: after three out of five stages, the Italian is now ranked third in the overall standings – just 10 seconds behind the leading Dutchman, Casper van Uden.

"Therefore, we can be very happy with our performance so far. Against the pure sprinter teams, we are absolutely on track. At the same time, Matteo is now in a promising position in the general classification. That is very important since we will probably see a battle of seconds in the end," said Sports Director Rolf Aldag at the finish of the third stage. Aldag also praised the harmony and unity within the team. "After very last-minute sickness-related dropouts, we're starting here with five instead of seven riders. But our guys are doing very well – and Matteo's ranking proves we're competitive."

Aldag is particularly pleased with Matteo Sobrero's performance. The Italian is riding his very first race for BORA - hansgrohe – and immediately presents himself as a leader. "Sometimes it feels like he's been with us for three years – so well has he integrated," the sports director said, expecting two tough stages in the coming days. “Tomorrow, we need to be careful that we stay at the front during the uphill sprint finish. On the last day, it's all about the general classification. Here, we need to put Matteo in a good position.”

General classification AlUla Tour 2024 after stage 3
1 VAN UDEN Casper Team dsm-firmenich  12:00:37
2 MERLIER Tim  Soudal - Quick Step  + 0:02
3 SOBRERO Matteo BORA - hansgrohe  + 0:10  
4 EEKHOFF Nils  Team dsm-firmenich PostNL + 0:10 
5 COQUARD Bryan Cofidis    + 0:12

Photos: Sprint Cycling Agency