Tim Merlier extends his UAE Tour record by securing his sixth victory in the fastest-ever stage (48.571 km/h) of the One and Only UCI WorldTour race in the Middle East. It was once again Tadej Pogacar who shook the things up. The Red Jersey, along with Black Jersey holder Djordje Djuric and defending champion Lennart Van Eetvelt, joined an early-stage breakaway that animated the first part of the race.
Thanks to the Intermediate Sprints, Pogacar and Van Eetvelt gained 3” over their GC competitors. With 39 km to go, the peloton reeled in the breakaway, setting the stage for a sprinter showdown. After a crash little over 3 km to go, the final sprint battle was between Merlier and Green Jersey holder Milan.
This time it was the European Champion who had the best, while Malucelli edged out his compatriot with a last-second bike throw to claim second place.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG)
2 – Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) at 21″
3 – Ivan Romeo (Movistar Team) at 27″
STAGE RESULTS
1 – Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), 160km in 3h16’55”, average speed 48.571 km/h
2 – Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana Team) s.t.
3 – Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) s.t.
THE OFFICIAL JERSEYS
The leader jerseys of the UAE Tour are provided by ALÉ, with ENIT and ITALIA.IT as proud jersey partners
- Red Jersey, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by International Holding Company: IHC – Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG)
- Green Jersey, leader of the Points Classification, sponsored by Mubadala -Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
- White Jersey, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Nakheel – Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers)
- Black Jersey, leader of the Intermediate Sprint Classification, sponsored by ALDAR – Djordje Djuric (Solution Tech Vini Fantini)
PRESS CONFERENCE
Speaking in the press conference, the stage winner Tim Merlier said: “I was thinking during the race that maybe I could win the fastest ever stage of the UAE Tour. This is a WorldTour race so it’s a very important one for all of us. Yesterday there were several moves in the wind, then I couldn’t find any slipstream anymore, I had to pass two riders to choose my moment and I saw Jonathan Milan was already starting his sprint. I was lacking a bit of speed. Today, I was coming back from a pee stop when Tadej Pogacar attacked and we started pulling then we asked help from other teams. The guys did a very good job to bring it back. I’m very satisfied with today’s victory”.
The Red Jersey Tadej Pogacar said: ““It was not the plan to extend my lead throughout time bonuses today but the move happened in a funny moment just like last year at Volta Catalunya when Domen [Novak] came with me to the front but today, other guys followed as well and it turned out to be a breakaway. We just sort of commit but we tried not to spend too much. It was a good day out, trying to keep the breakaway alive. We finished the stage much faster because of that. In the finale, my team-mates tried to make a bubble around me behind the sprinters’ teams, just to stay safe. For 90% of the peloton, it was a comfortable day on the road”.
The Green Jersey Jonathan Milan said: “It was a difficult finale and [team-mate] Simone [Consonni] crashed, quite far away from the end. But he was feeling good so we tried to move together. It just happens that in the last kilometres sometimes you miss each other, it’s important to learn from a situation like today’s and to keep pushing and looking for other victories. Tomorrow we have another good stage. I’m looking forward to it although I’m starting to feel the heat but I still have good legs. Congratulations to Tim Merlier for his win today. He did a nice sprint”.
STATISTICS
- Today’s stage was run at 48,751 kph, the new record for a road stage of the UAE Tour, beating the Al Mirfa stage of 2021, won by Mathieu Van der Poel at 46,771 kph.
- Tim Merlier recorded his 53rd professional win, the 3rd this year after stages 1 and 3 at the AlUla Tour.
- Matteo Malucelli (2nd) posted his first career top-3 in a World Tour race.
Up to now he had recorded 41 podiums in Professional races, but not at World Tour level. - Team Soudal-Quick Step, in its various denominations, is the first one with 10 stages won at the UAE Tour, leaving UAE Team Emirates at 9.
www.giroditalia.it
