Vingegaard claims fifth stage as Pogacar finishes second to keep lead at UAE Tour
Jonas Vingegaard celebrates after winning the fifth stage of the UAE Cycling on Thursday. AFP
Tadej Pogacar defends leader’s jersey and extends his overall lead on the General Classification standings to 46 seconds after finishing second in Stage 5 of the UAE Tour atop Jebel Jais mountain on Thursday.
All eyes were on the Slovenian as he was pipped to the stage win by surprise winner Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma.
The 170km stage saw the peloton start in Fujairah and finish on the second and final summit of the Tour at Jebel Jais. The wide roads saw a lot of Pogacar’s main GC rivals bunched together until around 4km to go.
Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) put up a brave fight and was the protagonist of the day’s main breakaway and managed to hold on until around 3km to go. The race then sprung into action with Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) and Joao Almeida (Deceuininck-QuickStep) ramping up the speed.
Lutsenko was caught by eventual winner Vingegaard inside the final 400m with Pogacar and Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) just behind.
Pogacar looked strong in the final meters and outsprinted GC rival Adam Yates to take second place, keeping the red leader’s jersey heading into the final stages.
Pogacar said: “Today, I was focusing more on the GC guys. In the end there was a lot of headwind in the final climb so it was hard to follow all the attacks.
“I focused on the most important thing and that was to defend the leader’s jersey. It was a great ride by Vingegaard. I am happy with the second place.
“There was too much headwind to make a difference between Yates and myself, in the end it came down to a sprint.
“Now, we still have two more stages, nothing is finished until we cross the last finish line so we need to concentrate and stay focused on the next two stages.
“Tomorrow we will be riding in Dubai, it’s a special place and I am looking forward to it. The UAE fans are great and I enjoy riding here.”
The UAE Tour continues into the weekend with the 165km sixth stage coming to Dubai starting from Deira Island and finishing on the Palm tomorrow. The flat course will be another opportunity for the peloton’s fast men so keep an eye out for UAE Team Emirates’ sprinter, Fernando Gaviria.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), has welcomed all the elite international teams participating in the third edition of UAE Tour, the one and only UCI World Tour race in the Middle East which has attracted 140 top professional riders from across the world.
Sheikh Mansoor’s message for the riders came on the eve of the 165km Dubai Stage, the sixth stage of this year’s UAE which takes place on Friday.
The 2021 UAE Tour started in Abu Dhabi on Feb.21, and it has taken the riders through different emirates of the country.
On Friday, the peloton will arrive in Dubai for the sixth stage, which starts from Deira Islands at noon and will finish in front of the plush Atlantis hotel on The Palm, after taking the cyclists on a tour of Dubai’s historical and cultural districts as well as its swanky new urban centres, and past some of its most iconic landmarks.
The chairman of DSC said organizing the third edition of the UAE Tour, over a period of seven days and a distance of 1045km across different regions of the country at this particular time confirms the ability of the people of UAE to organize major global sporting events with wide participation, across long distances, in different areas - on modern city roads and through the mountains and deserts, and along the coast.
The participation of the world’s elite cyclists and international teams in the UAE Tour is also reaffirmation of the world’s confidence in the UAE’s ability to organize major sports events, thanks to the support of the country’s wise leadership and the provision of all factors of success, foremost of which are the COVID-19 precautionary measures in place, in addition to a distinct and diverse landscape, which appeals both to the sports enthusiast as well as the tourist.
