Saudi Tour 2022 - Preview

5 stages in the desert.

After a successful first edition in 2020, Saudi Tour is back after one year of hiatus. Last edition was one for the sprinters and in 2022, the base concept is nearly the same. However, there are some tricky bits which riders need to tackle with.

Except for stage 5, every stage can be tricky or crucial. Stage 1 includes a 10-kilometre sandy part which can cause punctures and chaos. Stage 2 finishes on a 1,6k 7,7% ramp, one for the puncheurs definitely. Stage 3 and 4 will be affected by wind, albeit its’ direction is still unknown, if it is a crosswind situation, things can go exciting. And in stage 4, there is a 3k 12% ramp not far from the finish…. All in all, route seems exciting and overall victory can go to many places.

Favourites: UAE needs to be mentioned first, Gaviria is their designated sprinter, while Rui Costa is the GC man – both can achieve victories here. Bahrain has Fred Wright as their main man for actually both disciplines, he might be a good choice as he is an underrated climber, curious how this very young team performs in Saudi Arabia. Bora is also kind of a favourite, great to see Lennard Kamna back on saddle after a 9-month hiatus, but all the eyes will be looking to a certain Belgian called Uijtdebroeks – he can surprise everyone! Their sprinter squad is also epic with Sam Bennett, Meeus and Laas. Cofidis also brought good puncheurs and sprinters, Consonni leads the sprinter squad, while Alexis Renard leads the guys who can climb as well. Lotto-Soudal goes all in on sprints, the whole team is concentrated on Caleb Ewan. Quick-Step is one of the favourites in the race with Andrea Bagioli, but as Ballerini tends to be very good in early season, I wouldn’t exclude some sprint victories as well. Bike-Exchange also goes all in to Groenewegen, just as DSM goes for Dainese in sprints. Alpecin has a good GC choice with Xandro Meurisse just as TotalEnergies with Victor de la Parte. And we should not forget Uno-X with the talented Danish rider Anthon Charmig on the saddle.

Prediction: Predicting a GC victory for young Italian Andrea Bagioli.