Milan first to strike
January 27 th 2026 - 18:06 [GMT + 3]
The 2026 Al Ula Tour started with a bang. Over the 158kms stage starting and finishing at the Camel Cup race track, the Lidl-Trek team made the best of the wind to place three of their riders including Jonathan Milan in the front group. It was then up to the Italian sprinter to finish off the work. Milan captured his first win of the season out sprinting Milan Fretin (Cofidis) and Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello Q36.5). The 2025 Tour de France Green jersey takes command of the overall.
While last year the Camel Cup Race track hosted the final stage of the Al Ula Tour, crowning Tom Pidcock, this year, that similar big loop was on the menu of stage 1 for what promised to be a spectacular and possibly windy day. The 117 riders therefore gathered by the Camel Cup Race Track eager to take on this 2026 edition of the event. It just took a kilometre for four riders to breakaway: Rosli (TSG); Al Sheikh (SAU), Al Rahbi and Al Wahaibi (both OMA). Their advantage reached a maximum 3’20 at km 30 before the pack started chasing led out by teams Lidl-Trek and Modern Adventure.
AL SHEIKH LAST SURVIVOR
As the front riders moved closer to the Intermediate Active Sprint (km 69), attacks occurred condemning the good collaboration between the escapees. Ali Al Sheikh collected the most points at the sprint while his companions were dropped. The Saudi leader was the last to be caught at km 92. As expected, the wind played a key role on the day’s outcome. After a change in direction, the peloton broke up into several groups leaving 18 men at the front. Among that leading group were the likes of Milan, Bauhaus, Fretin, Gaviria, Rex and Jakobsen while GC contenders such as Hatherly, Double (both Jayco Al Ula) or Jan Christen (UAE) who suffered two crashes were left stranded.
MILAN IN THE FRONT GROUP
The leading group saw its advantage reach 40” as they moved closer to the final circuit. An intense battle between the leaders and the chasing group continued and at the first crossing of the line which would also be the scene of the second Intermediate Active sprint won by Kirsch (Cofidis), the gap had dropped down to 30”. Despite the efforts of teams Jayco Al Ula and UAE Team Emirates XRG, the front group managed to maintain a decent lead. At the second passage of the line, the bonus sprint was claimed by Donovan (PQT) ahead of Soderqvist (LTK) and Jakobsen (TPP) while the chasers remained 35” adrift. That gap eventually dropped down to 10’’ with one kilometre to go. Enough for Lidl-Trek to launch their star sprinter Jonathan Milan. The Italian who had already claimed a stage in Al Ula back in 2023 powered past all his rivals to win his first success of the 2026 season, beating Milan Fretin and Matteo Moschetti (first here last year) to the line.
MILAN BACK IN GREEN
The winner of the Green Jersey at the Tour de France (for points) last year captures the overall leader’s jersey that has similar colours and can enjoy a 4” advantage over Fretin and 6” over Moschetti going into tomorrow’s second stage that could again end up in a sprint. Milan also leads the points classification while Fretin is the best young rider. Mark Donovan leads the most Active Rider standings.
