Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Soudal) secured overall victory at the 2022 Saudi Tour, after finishing safely in the peloton on the final stage 5 to AlUla Old Town.
Dylan Groenewegen won stage 5 after the racing finished with a sprint finish.
The BikeExchange-Jayco sprinter beat Britain’s Dan McLay (Arkea-Samsic) and Davide Ballerini (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) in the dash to the line. Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) suffered a late puncture and was unable to contest the sprint.
Van Gils finished 36 seconds ahead of Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and 48 seconds ahead of Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates).
“Yesterday I won my first professional bike race and today I already take home the leader’s jersey. This really gives me a special feeling," Van Gils said, after his overall success.
“The past week really was a wonderful experience. That is why I want to thank the entire team for their support and helping me achieve this victory, without them this would not have been possible.
"The final stage definitely wasn’t an easy one, we had to exert force on the pedals the whole day long. Again Thomas De Gendt did an incredible job in keeping the early breakaway in check. Now it is time for some rest before I prepare the next races. We’ll see what they bring, but at Lotto Soudal we are of course always aiming for the victory.”
| Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Lotto Soudal | 20:05:48 |
| 2 | Santiago Buitrago Sanchez (Col) Bahrain Victorious | 0:00:36 |
| 3 | Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates | 0:00:48 |
| 4 | Tim Declercq (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team | 0:00:52 |
| 5 | Danny van Poppel (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe | 0:00:54 |
| 6 | Daniel Oss (Ita) TotalEnergies | 0:00:57 |
| 7 | Anthon Charmig (Den) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | 0:01:29 |
| 8 | Alexandre Geniez (Fra) TotalEnergies | 0:01:36 |
| 9 | Benjamin Declercq (Bel) Arkea-Samsic | 0:01:45 |
| 10 | Alexis Renard (Fra) Cofidis |
| Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Lotto Soudal | 20:05:48 |
| 2 | Santiago Buitrago Sanchez (Col) Bahrain Victorious | 0:00:36 |
| 3 | Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates | 0:00:48 |
| 4 | Tim Declercq (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team | 0:00:52 |
| 5 | Danny van Poppel (Ned) Bora-Hansgrohe | 0:00:54 |
| 6 | Daniel Oss (Ita) TotalEnergies | 0:00:57 |
| 7 | Anthon Charmig (Den) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | 0:01:29 |
| 8 | Alexandre Geniez (Fra) TotalEnergies | 0:01:36 |
| 9 | Benjamin Declercq (Bel) Arkea-Samsic | 0:01:45 |
| 10 | Alexis Renard (Fra) Cofidis |
-
NSN overcomes crash losses to make most of extra Tour Down Under sprint opportunity with Ethan Vernon
Corbin Strong abandons after stage 1 crash, planned 'wing man' Jake Stewart breaks collarbone, but Gilmore steps in to guide Vernon to team's first victory of season -
As it happened: Briton fastest on uphill sprint to win stage 4 at Tour Down Under
Extreme fire danger forces route change to 131km from Brighton to Willunga township -
'It was going to be 50/50 whether or not we had a stage today' – Changing the plans as altered Tour Down Under stage 4 survives the heat
Race director Stuart O'Grady said there was 'no hesitation' in making decision to remove Willunga Hill as 'it's sad from a racing point of view … but it's the most common sense and sensible decision for rider safety and public safety' -
Tour Down Under: Ethan Vernon wins wind-buffeted shortened stage 4 as second overall Jhonatan Narváez crashes out
Tobias Lund Andersen second and Laurence Pithie third while Jay Vine retained lead on penultimate stage
