Picnic PostNL gets everything "almost right," but Jakobsen misses out on win despite a strong setup

For the second year in a row, Picnic PostNL delivered a near-flawless lead-out in the opening stage of the AlUla Tour. In 2024, this effort secured a surprising victory for Casper van Uden. This year, despite a promising setup, sprinter Fabio Jakobsen couldn’t make it count. He finished 11th. Coach Roy Curvers shared his thoughts with IDLProCycling.com on what went well and what could improve.

Picnic PostNL clearly knows how to handle the stage around the historic Al Manshiyah train station. In 2024, the young Van Uden shocked everyone by beating Tim Merlier and Dylan Groenewegen. In 2025, Merlier got his revenge, claiming the win after excellent work by Bert Van Lerberghe. Meanwhile, Van Uden, riding as a replacement for the AlUla Tour, joined Jakobsen’s lead-out train.

Van Uden, along with Enzo Leijnse, set a strong pace before Nils Eekhoff, John Degenkolb, and finally Nikias Märkl positioned Jakobsen perfectly. However, Jakobsen hesitated at a crucial moment. "It was the first race of the season for all of us, here in Saudi Arabia. Overall, it was a good start. The team worked really well together, and we set up a great lead-out for Fabio. We still need to analyze the stage, but I think we can be satisfied with how we rode as a team and how we started here," said Degenkolb. Coach Roy Curvers, who hadn’t yet reviewed the footage, provided further insight.

Read more below the video!

Interview Roy Curvers (Picnic PostNL) after opening stage 2025 AlUla Tour

Roy, if my screen was correct, I mostly saw Picnic PostNL leading the way in the final kilometers.

"I think everything seemed to go according to plan, so yes…"

Not everything, right?

"Well, you can’t just plan a win. I’m not sure exactly what went wrong because I haven’t watched it back yet."

It seemed like Fabio just couldn't go full speed.

"What Fabio said was that he got boxed in a bit. He was on Merlier’s wheel, but when he wanted to start his sprint, Max Walscheid was right there. As a result, he missed two pedal strokes, which made him lose momentum. On a finish like this, that means you’re out of contention for the win."

What positives do you take into the next sprint opportunities?

"I think we showed here that we’re back in the game. If we can do things just a little bit better, then we’re fully there."

Have you guys been out of the game?

"Well… yes, a little bit, sure. Perhaps not in races like here in AlUla, but in the bigger competitions, yes. That’s why it was important for us to show up here and be competitive in the finale. That way we can't give doubt a chance to creep in. With how we rode today, that gives confidence for the coming days. That we are close."

How can you, as a sprint coach, contribute to that?

"Ultimately, most of these guys are experienced enough. When a new season starts, everyone resets to zero, and the deck is reshuffled. Over the winter, we did the right things and didn’t miss much, so physically, we’re there. Fabio and the team are at a level where they are competitive. If you compare Fabio now to where he was a year ago, there’s a clear difference. That gives us confidence too."

Did you use last year’s sprint preparation as a reference for this stage?

"With the riders we have, we had high hopes for a stage like this. We knew what we needed to do, and we executed that plan again."

What’s your overall feeling?

"You’re always disappointed when you see the team come into the finale in perfect position with three guys, but you're not close in the end. But on the other hand, this also gives us confidence, and we have to focus on that. After all, only one person can win the first race of the season, and you also have to beat guys like Merlier to do it."

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