Saudi Tour, the first sprint is by Caleb Ewan. Bonifazio is fifth

He has already touched the Milan-Sanremo twice, second in 2018 behind Vincenzo Nibali and in 2021 behind the Belgian Jasper Stuyven. For a long time Caleb Ewan, an Australian sprinter born in 1994 in the Lotto-Soudal, has been leading the Classicissima – in 2022 it will be raced on March 19 – and he has good reason, because he has often managed to pass the Poggio keeping the pace of the best. Meanwhile, he opened the month of February and his season by winning: in fact he scored in the first stage of the Saudi Tour, a short stage race organized by Aso in Saudi Arabia. After 198 km, at the finish of the Winter Park, Ewan preceded Martin Laas, an Estonian from Bora-Hansgrohe, and Fernando Gaviria, a Colombian from UAE-Emirates. Two Italians in the top ten: 5th Niccolò Bonifazio, 8th Davide Ballerini. Ewan is also the first leader of the race which ends on Saturday. And for his Lotto-Soudal this is already the third success of the season, after those of Wellens and De Lie in Mallorca: this is not surprising, given that he is fighting for the 18th place useful in the World Tour ranking, the last to keep the license of the top cycling series.