Sheikh Mohammed waves at the UAE Tour participants in Dubai on Friday. WAM

Gulf Today Report

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, witnessed Stage Six of the UAE Tour 2021 in Dubai on Friday.

Sheikh Mohammad was seen waving at the cyclists from the sidelines.

The sixth stage began on Friday morning with Saeed Harib General Secretary, Dubai Sports Council, Nasser Yousef Al Mohammed Al Zaabi, Director of Communications Office and Mohammed Al Qassem, Managing Director at Nakheel flagged off the Dubai Stage of the UAE Tour 2021.

Sheikh Mohammad interacts with tour officials.

Friday's penultimate stage is a 168-kilometre charge from Dubai to the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah.

Tadej Pogacar maintained his lead in the UAE Tour by keeping closest challenger Adam Yates at bay in Thursday's fifth stage, won by Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard.

Sheikh Mohammad greets tour cyclists.

Reigning Tour de France champion Pogacar finished three seconds behind Vingegaard and just ahead of Briton Yates, who now sits 45 seconds behind the Slovene in the general classification.

The pack rides during the sixth stage of the UAE Tour.

The road now seems clear for the UAE Emirates rider to claim the overall title on Saturday.

"I'm glad I've retained the lead but I'll stay focused in the next two days," said Pogacar. "There are no more mountains, but I haven't won the UAE Tour yet."

To take the fifth stage, Vingegaard imitated his usual Jumbo-Visma team leader Primoz Roglic, who lost last year's Tour de France to countryman Pogacar on the penultimate stage.

Vingegaard attacked at the highest point of the week-long race, at an altitude of 1,489 metres, just one kilometre from the finish to deny Kazakh Alexey Lutsenko.