This weekend signified the end of the first round of early-season stage races, with Opening Weekend and the Classics arriving in just a few day's time. Last week we saw the UAE Tour, the Volta ao Algarve and the Vuelta a Andalucía/Ruta del Sol, featuring a variety of the protagonists we're expecting to see in this summer's men's Grand Tours.

It's too early to use these February races as a barometer for July or even May, but they're a handy indicator as to who's wintered well and who has a little further to go, and more. We take a look.

Isaac Del Toro 2-1 Remco Evenpoel

Perhaps the most impressive overall performance of the past week has come from young Mexican Isaac del Toro. The UAE Tour was the first race of the season for the 20-year-old UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and one which he began in the shadow of Belgian star Remco Evenepoel.

All eyes were on the Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe rider, as one of the few big stars to openly declare Tadej Pogačar-beating intentions.

The first two stages saw the pair take one apiece, but on the stage three summit finish to Jebel Mobrah, Evenepoel began to fade, losing two minutes and his GC lead to winner Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and declaring afterwards: "I don't know what happened." Del Toro, however stayed strong and close to the race lead.

After two days of GC stalemate the Mexican added another stage and took the GC lead at Jebel Hafeet summit finish, while Evenepoel continued to languish among the also-rans, ultimately finishing 10th on GC.

The final report: a 'could do better' for Evenepoel; a gold star for Del Toro.

Tom Pidcock opens his account

With a win in the final stage of the Vuelta a Andalucía, Tom Pidcock's tally for the year is off and running.

After a particularly successful round of results in last season's early stage races, the 26-year-old will be relieved to have been able to notch up a result here again.

“I think it’s great to get the pressure off and get the hands in the air early in the season in the first block of races," he said afterwards. "That’s definitely what we were working towards.”

It doesn't quite live up to last year's four wins in early stage races, but that's not the point. While he was second in Strade Bianche last year, Pidcock went the whole season without a WorldTour win while he settled into his new Q36.5 team, and he will be looking to correct that this year.

Juan Ayuso breaks the ice

Over at the Volta ao Algarve, Juan Ayuso was opening his account too, which will have gone down well with his new Lidl-Trek, who prised him from UAE Team Emirates-XRG last year mid-contract. Like Pidcock, Ayuso won the final stage, but the Spaniard enjoyed the added bonus of that victory also netting him the overall.

Like most of his rivals at the Volta al Algarve, who included old team-mate Joāo Almeida, Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers) and Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM), Ayuso is focused on the summer Grand Tours (the Tour de France in the Spaniard's case). But this first ever win at Lidl-Trek is a great icebreaker and will alleviate some of the pressure going forward to the bigger race.

Away from the politics, Ineos Grenadiers looking positive

Politics and rash outbursts by their owner Jim Ratcliffe aside, Ineos Grenadiers are enjoying a start to the season that belongs right up there with some of their best years.

A time trial victory by an impressive-looking Filippo Ganna at the Volta ao Algarve brought the team's win tally to seven so far this year, all taken by a healthy variety of riders, including 20-year-old AJ August at the Vuelta Valenciana and new Aussie signing Sam Welsford in the Tour Down Under.

Add to that new signing Oscar Onley's second-place right behind Ayuso on the final stage at Algarve, and you have a team that is looking in great shape for the months to come – and potentially able once again to challenge for the podium at the Tour de France.

Paul Seixas seizes the day

The name Paul Seixas will be familiar to many already, despite his mere 19 years and the fact that until last week he was yet to win a professional race. As the winner of last year's Tour de l'Avenir though, the Decathlon CMA CGM rider already had plenty to show off.

His win on the cat-one climb to Foia at the Volta ao Algarve though, where he outsprinted Ayuso no less, was a watershed career moment for the Frenchman though, and he went on to finish an impressive second on the GC and take the youth classification. It was, said Seixas, "an almost perfect start to the season". These are results that bode well for Seixas's upcoming assault on hilly Classics, including Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Isaac del Toro climbed to victory on Jebel Hafeet on Saturday, taking over the race lead on the penultimate stage of the UAE Tour with it.

The Mexican UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider attacked with 4km to go, dropping all eventually, including previous race leader Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) on the way to the top of the dam. With one flat stage to go, it seems likely that the Mexican is on course for his first WorldTour general classification victory.

It was Del Toro's relentless riding out of the saddle which allowed him to power away on the iconic UAE finish. It was a reversal of stage three, when Tiberi beat Del Toro to the top of Jebel Morah. Tiberi remained with his rival until 2.7km to go, before finally dropping, and finishing fourth.

Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) finished 12 seconds behind Del Toro in second, to move up to third overall. Tiberi remains second on GC, but Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) finished third on stage six.

"Ot's a mentality game that you have to be confident enough to keep trying and of course if one time it doesn't work you need to still have to have it in your head that you're able to do it," Del Toro said post-stage. "Today we weren't confident that we'd be able to win but we had the mentality that we will work for it.

"With 2.5km to go, I knew I had to keep going to the line and when I saw the gpa I tried to believe and increase the gap as much as I can.

"Today is one of the top three victories of my career. It's so special, when you win with a team like this it's even more special. Now it's time to realise that I'm working for it and I need to believe in myself more day by day."

Previous race leader Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) is now 10th overall. If Del Toro is to win the UAE Tour tomorrow, after a flat sprint stage, he will be the first UAE rider who isn't Tadej Pogačar to win his team's home race.

Antonio Tiberi flew to his first ever WorldTour win on stage three of the UAE Tour on Wednesday, as race leader Remco Evenepoel lost over two minutes on the steep climb of Jebel Mobrah.

As a result, Bahrain Victorious's Tiberi climbed into the red leader's jersey. Stage one winner Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished second, but couldn't challenge Tiberi after he attacked with just over four kilometres to go.

After being out of position when the attack happened, Del Toro finished 15 seconds behind the victor, with former UAE Tour winner Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Intermarché) finishing third, a further 14 seconds back.

As well as Tiberi's first ever WorldTour win, it was also the first glory for Bahrain Victorious in 2026. Evenepoel, meanwhile, showed weakness for the first time this season.

"This is amazing," Tiberi said post-stage. "It's a dream come true. I've been dreaming to this kind of victory since I turned pro. It finally arrived after the beginning of the season was already good from the first race. I was waiting for this day. Only in the last 300 metres I felt the victory coming. But from the bottom of the climb, I was feeling very good.

"When I realised Remco [Evenepoel] was in trouble and Isaac Del Toro wasn't up there either. I wasn't sure if it was a good day for me or if they were waiting for the final. But I tried to do my race. I attacked and I managed to push as hard as possible till the finish. I was hearing that Del Toro was coming back really fast. In the last kilometre, I used all the energy that was remaining in my body and I went full gas till the finish."

"At the foot of the climb, I already had cramps coming on. Something I haven't experienced often. Maybe from yesterday's effort, which I hadn't fully digested," Evenepoel told Het Nieuwsblad after the race.

"When I had to drop, I had a really bad kilometre, but after that, I managed to get through it somewhat. I often have that at the start of the season on climbs like this, where I have a bit of a rough patch. But I didn't feel good in my legs today anyway."

"I definitely kept drinking, so [the heat] can't be the cause. I don't think I digested yesterday's exertion at all. I didn't have the best night either; I woke up from the heat. But ultimately, I can't make excuses."

Dates: Monday 16 - Sunday 22 February 2026
Distance: 978.2km

How to watch: the race is on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, accessible via a TV package or Discovery+ subscription. For more streaming options, visit our how-to-watch guide.

2025 podium:
1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
2. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)
3. Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious)

Five things to know about the race

The absence of Pogačar

There will be no defending champion at the UAE Tour this year as Tadej Pogačar has decided to forego his home team’s race, which opens it up for everyone else. Interestingly, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad has never won the event without the Slovenian, so Isaac del Toro has big shoes to fill as the team will be chasing yet more wins on their quest to 100.

Post-Remco Quick-Step

In all the excitement of Remco Evenepoel’s move to Red Bull the future, well present, of Soudal Quick-Step has been under-discussed. The team are yet to win in 2026, not that they have had many opportunities, but in Ilan Van Wilder they have a Belgian GC hope, and in Ethan Hayter they have stage-hunting power.

Evenepoel’s great record

With no Pogačar or Jonas Vingegaard, the latter due to illness, all eyes will be on Evenepoel. He is the rider here most likely to finish on the podium at the Tour de France, and so the UAE Tour will be ripe for speculation – while July is far off, the hype starts here.

Who will be sprinting?

Two-time stage winner last year Tim Merlier will be absent, so therefore the favourite for the many bunch sprints will likely be Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan. It will be interesting to see who his rivals will be, setting the narrative for bunch finishes this year – so far, Sam Welsford, Tobias Lund Andresen and Biniam Girmay have been the picks elsewhere.

American dreaming

The UAE Tour will be Modern Adventure Pro Cycling’s first ever WorldTour race, with the ProTeam run by George Hincapie in its debut year. Fresh out of the blocks, not much is expected by way of results, but a new American team on the world stage is something to be celebrated.

Five riders to watch

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Leading the home squad’s charge for glory will be the young Mexican, the breakout star of last season. The 22-year-old is yet to race this year, but finished 2026 with nine wins from September onwards, so shouldn’t be too rusty.

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe)

It has been a dream start for Remco Evenepoel at Red Bull, with four wins in his first five days racing, but the UAE Tour will be a step up. It might not mean the toughest climbs, but the level of opposition will be the highest he has faced so far. A statement win will get people talking.

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)

Two wins at the AlUla Tour suggest that Milan has started the year in flying form, and who would bet against more success for the 25-year-old in the Middle East? He won two stages here last year, so knows what he is doing.

Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step)

Eyes will be on Evenepoel for the time trial on stage two of the UAE Tour, but the British champion is always impressive against the clock. With the ITT being 12.2km, his experience in the team pursuit could come in very handy.

Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)

The brand new age at Decathlon CMA CGM has been a little delayed by injury to Olav Kooij, so taking up the mantle for wins at the UAE Tour will be Felix Gall. The Austrian finished in the top 10 at both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España last year.

Jonas Vingegaard will not make his season debut at this month’s UAE Tour as planned, choosing instead to recover after crashing during training and subsequently falling ill.

The two-time Tour de France winner fell off his bike last week after being followed by an amateur cyclist on a descent near Malaga, Spain.

Vingegaard was due to open his 2026 season at the UAE Tour on 16 February, but now may not race until his next confirmed event: the Volta a Catalunya at the end of March.

“I was really looking forward to returning to the UAE Tour and am therefore disappointed that we have had to make this decision,” the Dane said in a statement shared by his team, Visma-Lease a Bike.

“However, the combination of the crash and subsequent illness made it necessary. It is better to fully recover first so that I can then focus on my next goals.”

Following his crash last week, Visma-Lease a Bike released a statement saying Vingegaard was “okay” and did not sustain any “serious injuries”.

The team also urged restraint from the public towards their riders. “For both your own and others’ wellbeing, please allow riders to train and give them as much space and peace as possible,” the statement read.

Vingegaard, who won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, earned his first Vuelta a España title last year, and is now targeting the Grand Tour treble in the Giro d’Italia, which he will ride for the first time this spring.

After his UAE Tour withdrawal, the Giro and the Volta a Catalunya are the only races on his calendar before July’s Tour de France.

“Having the Tour de France in mind, if you do too much in the spring, you will pay for it in the Tour,” the Dane told Wielerflits last month. “After the Tour, we’re going to see where I am, how I feel, and then we decide if that’s season [finished] or if we plan some more [races].”

It took three days, but Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is finally off the mark for 2025, earning his first victory of the year on stage three of the UAE Tour.

The world champion was the fastest in a mountaintop dash at the summit of Jebel Jais, kicking beyond Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) in the final 500m.

So fierce was the Slovenian’s sprint, that he had time to look over his shoulder, sit up in the saddle, and check behind again, before celebrating across the line. He was later congratulated by his family, as he warmed down beneath the setting sun on the limestone mountain.

"It feels amazing," Pogačar said afterwards. "Finally back racing, finally a victory after three days. We're super happy."

UAE Team Emirates-XRG controlled Wednesday's stage from the beginning, commanding the peloton on the flat, and swapping through turns on the 21km ascent of Jebel Jais.

"We had no help whatsoever until the final climb," Pogačar said. "We executed it really good. Everybody deserves the victory today from our team.

"We asked Ineos if they wanted to pay the honours to the jersey from the start, but we were left alone, so Rune [Herregodts] was really good pulling all day. Lotto helped us a bit, but then in the climb we just tried to do our own pace."

Pogačar now leads the UAE Tour by 18 seconds over Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), the winner of stage two’s time trial.

"It’s really good to win in the rainbow jersey," the Slovenian said. "Part of me hoped that Tarling would hold onto the bunch and he would keep the jersey, but I will be more than happy to have the leader’s jersey tomorrow instead of the rainbows."

In each of the last two seasons, Pogačar won on his season opener, going on to claim 16 victories in 2023, and 25 in 2024.

The UAE Tour continues on Thursday with a flat finish to Umm al Quwain. "Nothing’s won yet. Tomorrow’s the middle point of the race, so we still have more than halfway to go," Pogačar said.

The seven-day race will conclude at the summit of Jebel Hafeet, where the world champion has won three times already in his career, on Sunday.

Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) delivered on his promise to go “all in” on the time trial at the UAE Tour, as he thundered to his second WorldTour victory since turning pro.

Just three days after his 21st birthday, the British time trial champion ruled supreme around stage two’s flat 12.2km circuit on Al Hudayriyat Island, clocking 12:55 across the line.

His average speed of 56.670km/h gave him a comfortable winning margin of 13 seconds over runner-up Stefan Bissegger (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished third, 18 seconds down.

Ahead of the stage, Tarling vowed he would “go all in” for the victory, his first at WorldTour level since August 2023 at the Renewi Tour.

“I want it, I need it, and I think the team does as well,” he told Cyclingnews. “For the team, it'll get things rolling and for me as well, I would like to be in a bit better of a place, but I think I need a win after struggling with the confidence.”

Setting off 31st of 139 riders, Tarling ripped down the start ramp, and onto the waterfront course. So determined to win was the Brit, that he tagged and overtook his minute man just five minutes into his ride. He then pushed the limits of the corners, almost ending up in the sand at the roadside at one point, as he cannoned to victory.

“It was really windy,” Tarling said afterwards. “The first part was a headwind, and then there was a long crosswind section. The first part was the hardest. Then we got a bit of respite with the corners before the end. It was kind of two halves.

“From the end of last year, I had a bit of bad luck, and I kept coming second in the TTs with Remco [Evenepoel]. I needed this. I’m super happy,” he said.

The 21-year-old’s victory continued a winning streak for the Ineos Grenadiers, who also won on Monday, courtesy of Michał Kiwatkowski at the Clásica Jaén.

Tarling now leads the general classification at the UAE Tour by 13 seconds going into stage three, the first big climbing test with a summit finish on the 19km-long Jebel Jais.

“I think tomorrow’s going to be a big day,” the Brit said. “Hopefully I get a bit of confidence back now. I’m excited for the rest [of the season].”

It's a sunny morning in Dubai, and Mark Cavendish is minding his own business at the start of stage four of the UAE Tour. 

The former world champion is used to a lot of attention at sign-on. Typically, there’s a bustle of fans, many holding British flags, swarming for autographs and selfies. Outside the Dubai Police Officer’s Club, though, Cavendish’s clientele is different. 

Two of the institution’s residents make a beeline for the Manxman. Two police dogs have sniffed him out. 

For many, the prospect would be daunting. “Why me?” one might think. Others might gulp as the paws step closer. 

For Cavendish, though, there is no need to worry. Tails wagging, tongues flapping, two harnessed spaniels have come to greet him. He reaches down and ruffles their ears, something he seldom does with human fans. 

Shared on X by his team, Astana-Qazaqstan, the video is heartwarming and joyous. Cavendish grins like a child as he strokes the dogs, the only appropriate way to react to such a canine interaction. 

The moment might have made him think of his pair back home. For readers who haven’t been keeping track of riders’ pets, Cavendish is the owner of two guard dogs. Expensive ones, too, apparently. 

His first, a German Shepherd, is reported to have set him back £25,000. His second was slightly cheaper, coming at a price tag of £20,000. He once referred to the duo as his “puppies” in an Instagram story, but they’re hardly the kind that would make the front cover of a calendar. 

Sadly, although the Emirati spaniels brought Cavendish joy, they couldn’t bring him good luck. The 34-time Tour de France stage winner finished 21st on the stage, a host of riders back from the day’s victor, Soudal Quick-Step’s Tim Merlier. 

Elsewhere on social media, British cyclo-cross champion Cameron Mason eats birdseed, Lorena Wiebes pines for chicken nuggets, and Tadej Pogačar shows himself as capable on one wheel as he is on two. 

1. Dogs are barking mad for Cav

2. Now there's a film we'd like to see. If Timothée Chalamet was on the WorldTour, he'd definitely ride for EF Education-EasyPost, right? 

3. Dune 2 isn't out for another week or so, but we're hoping for plenty of scenes like this

4. Luke Rowe is all of us when our GPS takes us onto a cobbled street

5. Astana-Qazaqstan here with one of the tightest dialled leadouts in the peloton

6. It's a tough life for Lorena Wiebes

7. A helmet thief, you say? Someone fetch the police dogs

8. Is there anything Tadej Pogačar can't do? 

9. If that's birdseed, then call me a bird

10. Puck Pieterse made a mission of sneaking onto cyclo-cross podiums the day before the races and posing for pictures. Here's her wonderful gallery

11. This is a hugely satisfying bar drop compilation from GB track sprinter Sophie Capewell. 10/10, would watch again

12. And finally, over to Mark Stewart, cycling's true romantic

Belgian national champion Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) claimed his second victory of this year’s UAE Tour, proving himself as the fastest on stage six in Abu Dhabi. 

The 30-year-old burst through a gap in the race’s closing moments, and was able to hold off Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and stage five winner Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla), who completed the day’s podium. 

Speaking after the race, Merlier said: "Today was a good one. It was really hectic. Everyone was so nervous because today was the last sprint, the last opportunity. 

"In the last 500m, I found a good spot and went again from far out," he added. "Today was enough." 

British national champion Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) was absent from the bunch sprint, having suffered a mechanical in the final 2km.

Despite temperatures reaching 33 degrees Celsius, the wind never picked up enough to force echelons, leaving the general classification unchanged ahead of Sunday’s finale. World champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) continues to hold the red leader's jersey, with a nine-second advantage over Ineos Grenadiers’ Luke Plapp. 

"Being in the lead for the last day is a special one," Evenepoel told the press in Abu Dhabi. "We're going to defend this jersey very well and maybe, why not, try to go for the stage again tomorrow." 

How it happened

Soon after the flag drop, a three-man breakaway formed - made up of intermediate sprints classification leader Edward Planckaert (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Samuele Zoccarato (Grean Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) and former US national champion Larry Warbasse (AG2R Citroën) - but was kept on a tight leash by the peloton.

The trio were reeled in with 5km to go, before the sprint trains took charge on the wide run-in to the line.

Hoping to set up a second successive win for Groenewegen, Jayco AlUla led the bunch through sweeping right-hand bend onto the finishing straight. There, as the road veered slightly to the left, Merlier found a gap on the inside and accelerated through to the front.

Only Bennett was able to follow the green jersey wearer's wheel, but the Irishman couldn't muster the speed to come around him.

Merlier lifted his arms to mark his team's third win of this year's UAE Tour, adding to his sprint success on stage one and victory in the team time trial on stage two.

The race will conclude on Sunday with a summit finish atop the steeply pitched, 10km-long climb of Jebel Hafeet.  

Results

UAE Tour 2023, stage six: Warner Bros. World to Abu Dhabi Breakwater (166km)

1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, in 3-41-12
2. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Jayco AlUla
4. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
5. Fernando Gaviria (Col) Movistar
6. Arvid de Kleijn (Ned) Tudor Pro Cycling
7. Sam Welsford (Aus) Team DSM
8. Gerben Thijssen (Bel) Intermarché-Circus-Wanty
9. Emīls Liepiņš (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
10. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious, all at same time

General classification after stage six 

1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, in 16-14-28
2. Luke Plapp (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers, at 9s
3. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain Victorious, at 13s
4. Stefan de Bod (Zaf) EF Education-EasyPost, at 1-03
5. Wout Poels (Ned) Bahrain Victorious, at 1-06
6. Harm Vanhoucke (Bel) Team DSM
7. Andreas Leknessund (Nor) Team DSM, both at 1-12
8. Einer Rubio (Col) Movistar
9. Georg Steinhauser (Ger) EF Education-EasyPost, both at 1-13
10. Adam Yates (GBr) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-14

Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) sprinted to victory on stage four of the UAE Tour, saving a disappointing race for the home squad.

The Colombian won on the bike throw, timing his sprint perfectly to power past Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) and Sam Welsford (DSM) in Dubai Harbour on Thursday.

The high-speed sprint was tackled into the headwind, meaning timing was everything in the finish. Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) and Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) went early, and as a result were rounded in the final 100m.

It meant a win for UAE Team Emirates at the fourth opportunity, an important result at their home race, all the more important due to Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) having a clear advantage over its leader, Adam Yates. The race has been won by UAE's Tadej Pogačar for the last two editions.

"It's a good victory for me, a good victory for the team," Molano said on Thursday. "I'm very happy for the team, for this country. Thank you all the team and the riders. Pascal is a good sprinter, now he is not here, because it's better for me. My opportunity here is more important for me and for the team."

The UAE Tour is suited to sprinters, which is why there is such a roster at the Middle Eastern race; there are still two more flat days to come. Many of the big names were unable to challenge in the finale, including Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla), who came fifth, and others including Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe), Merlier, Gaviria, and Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan).

Molano came round Welsford and Kooij in the final metres of the stage, finding a route through the sprinting chaos which eluded some of his more successful peers in the peloton.

The bunch finish followed a reasonably ordinary flat stage in the UAE, with a three-man breakaway up the road that was easily controlled for most of the day by a peloton that knew it was always heading for a sprint.

Samuele Zoccarato and Alessandro Tonelli (Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) and Alex Baudin (AG2R Citroën) made up the day's move, which moved clear of the peloton just a kilometre into the race, and was then caught with 2.6km to go. Despite the catch being made so close to the finish, the trio never looked like challenging.

The sprint finish looked like another photo finish, as happened on the opening stage when Merlier narrowly beat Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny), but Molano was just about a clear winner.

Evenepoel maintained his lead in the general classification, just ahead of Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers).

Soudal Quick-Step, led by Remco Evenepoel, triumphed in stage two’s team time trial at the UAE Tour, beating EF Education-EasyPost by a single second. 

The road world champion started and finished his team’s effort on the 17.3km course through Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port, averaging 56.773km/h to set a time of 18-17. 

As a result, Evenepoel is now tied for the race lead with Ineos Grenadiers’ Luke Plapp, who holds the red leader’s jersey having placed better on Monday's opening stage.  

Speaking after the race, the Belgian said: “We didn’t expect to go under the time of EF. We were mainly focused on the other GC guys, Plapp and [Pello] Bilbao, to do better than them.”

“To be able to win this stage is very incredible I think we executed our plan perfectly. We wanted to stay all together until we got out of the headwind, and then some guys really took our all their energy to do one last pull. 

He continued: “To win it with one second is pretty crazy. I think it’s my first ever TTT victory and to do it in this race, back-to-back victories for our team, it’s a perfect start.” 

The course for the team time trial was drawn out on wide, straight roads, save for two sharp u-turns. Race banners flapped in the breeze, but the wind was less troublesome than the first stage, where it tore the peloton into echelons. 

Having lost 53 seconds to Evenepoel in the crosswinds the day before, Adam Yates and his UAE Team Emirates team-mates rolled down the start ramp with intent, setting an early best time of 18-33.

Soon though, the home team began to tumble down the standings. EF Education-EasyPost earned their place in the hot seat with a blistering ride, and couldn’t be toppled, despite Ineos Grenadiers’ best efforts falling two seconds short.

As the final few teams navigated through the port’s stacks of shipping containers, it looked like the American team might go unbeaten. Soudal Quick-Step clocked in 10 seconds down at the time check, and Bahrain Victorious, one of the pre-race favourites for the stage win, could only muster 8-21. 

Then, as the Belgian team went under the flamme rouge, red jersey wearer Tim Merlier peeled off the front, unleashing Evenepoel to come through for a final turn. The former junior world time trial champion pulled hard, as he had done in the crosswinds on stage one, and towed his team-mates to the line to win by just one second.

The victory marked Soudal Quick-Step's second marginal win of the race, after Merlier was awarded the first stage in a tight photo finish. 

The peloton will now face the first of two climbing tests on Wednesday, with a summit finish scheduled atop the 20km-long Jebel Jais. 

Results

UAE Tour 2023, stage two: Khalifa Port team time trial (17.3km)

1. Soudal Quick-Step, in 18-17
2. EF Education-EasyPost, at 1s
3. Ineos Grenadiers, at 3s
4. Bahrain Victorious, at 4s
5. Jayco AlUla, at 5s
6. Team DSM, at 10s
7. Bora-Hansgrohe, at 15s
8. UAE Team Emirates, at 16s
9. Astana Qazaqstan, at 17s
10. Trek-Segafredo, at 19s

General classification after stage two

1. Luke Plapp (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers, in 3-35-50
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, at same time
3. Nikias Arndt (Ger) Bahrain Victorious, at 3s
4. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain Victorious, at 4s
5. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Astana Qazaqstan, at 15s
6. Cees Bol (Ned) Astana Qazaqstan, at 21s
7. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, at 23s
8. Bert van Lerberghe (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, at 29s
9. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, at 30s
10. Jarrad Drizners (Aus) Lotto Dstny, at 50s

On his first WorldTour outing with his new team, Mark Cavendish sprinted to a commendable third place on stage one of the UAE Tour. 

The new Astana Qazaqstan rider was part of a 13-rider group that broke free with 30km to go, and contested a reduced bunch sprint on the line in the coastal city of Al Mirfa. 

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto Dstny) fought out the victory, with the race jury giving the win to the former following a review of the photo finish images.

Asked about the race finale, Cavendish said: “I was squeezed a bit on the last corner, but still did my best in the sprint, finishing on the podium, and that’s not bad. 

“Actually, I am happy I was there for the sprint, with my form and with the support of Cees [Bol] in the final.” 

The British road champion’s team-mate, Cees Bol, was the only other Astana Qazaqstan rider to make the front group when the peloton splintered early in the race. The Dutchman was also part of the winning 13-rider move, where he took up his duty of sheltering the Manxman.

“I didn’t have to pull in my group,” Cavendish said. “When we came back together, I just jumped on the wheel of Cees, following him in the group. He is a great rider just to stay behind on his wheel. 

“There was a right-side split in the group and the riders with GC ambitions worked hard in front, trying to keep the second group away. I just stayed there ready for the sprint.” 

Also speaking after the first stage, Bol said he felt he could have performed his role “a bit better” in the race’s closing moments. 

“We [Cavendish and I] quickly spoke to each other just to make a short plan,” the 27-year-old said. “In the sprint, I think I still can do some details a bit better, but in general it went good and we got a nice result.” 

Cavendish’s third place is his best result since joining Astana Qazaqstan, trumping his previous best of 21st on the first day of the Tour of Oman. 

Six stages still remain at the UAE Tour, including three likely sprint finishes, where Cavendish will be hoping to score a maiden victory under his new team. "It's good to try and get the ball rolling early in the year," he told the media at a press conference on Sunday. 

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) took his first WorldTour victory of the season on Monday, beating Caleb Ewan by a hair’s breadth on the first day of the UAE Tour. 

It was the latter who celebrated over the line in Al Mirfa, before the race jury reviewed the photo finish images and declared Merlier the victor. 

“In the end, it was really close,” the Soudal Quick-Step sprinter said after the race. “They waited, I think, for sure 15 minutes to decide to won, but I’m really proud I could take the victory here.

“Everyone was suffering in the end and the team did a great job to do a good lead-out,” he continued. “I need to say thank you to Remco [Evenepoel] also because he did a really great ride today. He was so strong. I think he will suffer a lot tomorrow.” 

Road world champion Evenepoel was one of the driving forces in a 13-rider move that wriggled off the front with 30km to go. The 23-year-old then rode hard on the front to stretch out over a minute’s lead on his GC rivals, ultimately finishing in eighth place on the stage. 

Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) finished third, having cleverly manoeuvred himself on the right side of the day’s splits. 

How it happened

With the wind howling in the desert, it didn’t take long for chaos to reign over the first stage of this year's UAE Tour. A series of crashes followed shortly after the peloton rolled out from Al Dhafra Castle, but fortunately no riders were forced to abandon. 

Faced with a cruel cross-headwind, the 140-strong field splintered into echelons. Many of the pre-race favourites made it into the front group, but some saw their lead-out trains reduced. One of those was British national champion Cavendish, who was left with just Cees Bol (Astana Qazaqstan) for company. 

In the hunt for intermediate sprints points, Plapp faced competition from Nikias Arndt (Bahrain Victorious), but was able to take the advantage in the classification, placing second and first to earn himself a black jersey for Tuesday's second stage.

The wind then appeared to die down in the final 50km. With the gap dropping away between the 60-rider front group and the peloton, 13 riders attacked up the road, spearheaded by world champion Evenepoel. Sprinters who made the split included Cavendish, Ewan, Merlier, Olav Kooij (Jumbo Visma) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious). 

Entering the 18.5km finishing circuit in Al Mirfa, the leading pack held a lead of 40 seconds over the chasers, and looked set for a reduced bunch sprint. Bahrain Victorious, the best represented team with four riders, did the lion’s share of the work on the front. Evenepoel, too, gave himself up to pull, teasing out the seconds on his fellow GC contenders. 

The world champion steered the group under the flamme rouge, before ceding to his team-mate Merlier to lead through the final right hand bend. 

Down the finishing straight, the Belgian was the first to launch his sprint, but couldn't shake Ewan from his wheel. The two riders threw their bikes across the line, before the Australian punched the air, confident he had won. 

The race jury, however, saw it differently. After a prolonged review of the photo finish, Merlier was declared the winner, and awarded the race’s first red leader’s jersey. 

The race will now move to Abu Dhabi, where the riders will line up in a 17.3km team time trial around the city's Khalifa Port on Tuesday.

Results

UAE Tour 2023, stage one: Al Dhafra Castle to Al Mirfa (151km)

1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, in 3-17-25
2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto Dstny
3. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Astana Qazaqstan
4. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
5. Nikias Arndt (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
6. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
7. Luke Plapp (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers
8. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
9. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain Victorious
10. Cees Bol (Ned) Astana Qazaqstan, all at same time

General Classification after stage one

1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, in 3-17-25
2. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto Dstny, at 4s
3. Luke Plapp (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers, at 5s
4. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Astana Qazaqstan, at 6s
5. Nikias Arndt (Ger) Bahrain Victorious, at 7s
6. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
7. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain Victorious, both at 8s
8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
10. Cees Bol (Ned) Astana Qazaqstan, all at 10s

The inaugural edition of the UAE Tour Women, the first ever women’s WorldTour race to be held in the Middle East, is set to take place between 9-12 February. 

The four-stage race will pass through the country’s megacities, deserts and mountain ranges, totting up a distance of 468km. 

With three stages slated to finish in a bunch sprint, the overall winner is expected to be decided on the third day, when the peloton will face a summit finish on Jebel Hafeet. 

Favourites for the red leader’s jersey include Paris-Roubaix winner Elisa Longo-Borghini (Trek-Segafredo), German national champion Liane Lippert (Movistar), UAE Team ADQ's new signing Silvia Persico and Marta Cavalli (FDJ-Suez), who placed second in last year’s Giro d’Italia Donne. 

The sprint field at the race will be spearheaded by Lorena Wiebes, who will be making her SD Worx debut. Challenging the Dutchwoman will be her former team-mate Charlotte Kool (Team DSM), as well as Emma Norsgaard (Movistar), Marta Bastianelli and Chiara Consonni (both UAE Team ADQ).

Thirteen of the 15 UCI Women's WorldTour teams will compete in this year's race, with both Jumbo-Visma and EF Education-Tibco-SVB absent. 

The full start list for the 2023 edition of the UAE Tour Women is below. 

Where can I watch the UAE Tour Women 2023? 

The UAE Tour Women will be broadcast live around the world on GCN+, Discovery+ and Eurosport. 

To gain access to Discovery+ and Eurosport coverage, you can subscribe for £59.99 a year, or £6.99 per month. Alternatively, access to GCN+ costs £39.99 a year, or £6.99 per month.

If the race is not available on the above platforms in your country, you can just download and install a VPN and select a location where it is showing. Try out Express VPN(opens in new tab) for its speed, security and simplicity to use.

UAE Tour Women 2023 start list

FDJ-SUEZ 

Grace Brown
Marta Cavalli
Emilia Fahlin
Maëlle Grossetête
Victorie Guilman
Gladys Verhulst

Bepink

Valentina Basilico
Matilde Bertolini
Lara Crestanello
Alessia Patueli
Prisca Savi
Jade Teolis

Canyon-Sram Racing

Soraya Paladin
Elise Chabbey
Tiffany Cromwell
Pauliena Rooijakkers
Sarah Roy
Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka

Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling

Arianna Fidanza
Sandra Alonso
Laura Asencio
Nadine Gill
Cédrine Kerbaol
Marta Lach

Fenix-Deceuninck

Kim De Baat
Evy Kuijpers
Christina Schweinberger
Petra Stiasny
Marthe Truyen
Julia Van de Velde

Human Powered Health

Alice Barnes
Nina Buijsman
Kaia Schmid
Marjolein van't Geloof
Lily Williams
Eri Yonamine 

Israel-Premier Tech Roland 

Lara Vieceli
Claire Steels
Caroline Baur
Sofia Collinelli
Tamara Dronova-Balabolina
Thị Thật Nguyễn

Laboral Kutxa Fundación Euskadi 

Alba Teruel
Idoia Eraso
Eider Merino
Inés Cantera
Lija Laizane
Aileen Schweikart

Liv Racing TeqFind

Thalita De Jong
Valerie Demey
Marta Jaskulska
Jeanne Korevaar
Tereza Neumanova
Silke Smulders

Movistar

Liane Lippert
Aude Biannic
Emma Norsgaard
Alicia González
Sheyla Gutiérrez
Gloria Rodríguez

St Michel - Mavic - Auber93

Roxane Fournier
Simone Boilard
Coralie Demay
Camille Fahy
Dilyxine Miermont
Margot Pompanon

Team Coop - Hitec Produts

Josie Nelson
Emma Boogaard
India Grangier
Ane Iversen
Mari Hole Mohr
Nora Tveit

Team DSM

Pfeiffer Georgi
Daniek Hengeveld
Franziska Koch
Charlotte Kool
Esmée Peperkamp
Maeve Plouffe

Team Jayco AlUla

Kristen Faulkner
Georgia Baker
Ingvild Gåskjenn
Nina Kessler
Chelsie Wei Shi Tan
Urška Žigart

Team SD Worx

Lorena Wiebes
Barbara Guarischi
Femke Markus
Anna Shackley
Lonneke Uneken

Top Girls Fassa Bortolo

Alessia Vigilia
Giorgia Bariani
Vanessa Michieletto
Alessia Missiaggia
Alice Palazzi
Cristina Tonetti

Trek-Segafredo

Elisa Longo-Borghini
Elynor Bäckstedt
Ilaria Sanguineti
Lauretta Hanson
Gaia Realini

UAE Team ADQ

Marta Bastianelli
Eugenia Bujak
Chiara Consonni
Mikayla Harvey
Silvia Persico
Anna Trevisi

Uno-X Pro Cycling

Maria Confalonieri
Anniina Ahtosalo
Hannah Barnes
Hannah Ludwig
Amalie Lutro
Anne Dorthe Ysland

Zaaf Cycling  

Audrey Cordon-Ragot
Maggie Coles-Lyster
Danielle De Francesco
Mareille Meijering
Nikola Nosková
Emanuela Zanetti

Morning all, Tom Thewlis here bringing you all the essential news in the world of cycling on this cold but sunny Wednesday morning. 

It's 21 December and Christmas is around the corner. Are you out riding your bike today? Or are you scrolling through the news, counting down the hours at work? 

Either way, get in touch with me via Twitter or email: tom.thewlis@futurenet.com and let me know what you want to know about today in cycling!

Key Developments

- 09:25- Julian Alaphilippe to miss the Flemish Opening Weekend once more. 
- 09:52- Caleb Ewan confirmed for Milan-San Remo.
- 10:43- B & B Hotels-KTM not registered as a team for 2023 with French National Cycling League.
- 11:09- Autopsy confirms that impact with truck killed Davide Rebellin.
- 11:57- Remco Evenepoel confirms he will begin 2023 campaign at the Vuelta a San Juan.
- 12:09- Organisers unveil US Nocturne Cycling Series.
- 12:40- AG Insurance- Soudal Quick-Step unveils new Castelli for for 2023.
-13:25- Servais Knaven confirmed as AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step sports manager
- 15:33- Alexander Richardson resigns with British UCI Continental team Saint Piran
- 16:32- Movistar release teaser for season four of Netflix documentary 'The Least Expected Day'

JULIAN ALAPHILIPPE TO MISS OMLOOP HET NIEUWSBLAD ONCE MORE

Julian Alaphilippe will reportedly begin his 2023 season with the Faun-Ardèche Classic and Drôme Classic, meaning that he will once more miss the opening weekend of the Flemish Classics in 2023. 

According to WielerFlits, the Frenchman will skip Omloop Het Niewusblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne next February, and instead he will target the alternative races which take place on the same weekend in France instead. 

According to the organiser of the Faun-Ardèche and Drôme Classics, Romain Bardet will also make an appearance in the two events next year. 

Alaphilippe rode both the Faun-Ardèche Classic and Drôme Classic last season, finishing in 25th and fifth respectively. 

One of Alaphilippe's main goals next spring is expected to be the Tour of Flanders, a race he was in contention to win in 2020 before colliding with a motorbike in a horrific crash, before being forced to abandon. 

The rest of his schedule next spring is expected to include the E3 Saxo Classic, Amstel Gold Race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege before he makes a return to the Tour de France. 

Due to injury and illness, Alaphilippe was not selected for last season's Tour.

CALEB EWAN CONFIRMED FOR MILAN-SAN REMO

Caleb Ewan will once again look to land a monument victory at Milan-San Remo next season.

The Australian sprinter has gone close on several occasions, proving himself as being one of a select group of sprinters able to tackle the Poggio climb in the races' finale and stay with the leaders. 

Ewan finished second in San-Remo at the 2018 edition of the race to winner Vincenzo Nibali. He was runner up once more in 2021 to winner Jasper Stuyven. 

Lotto-Dstny manager Kurt Van de Wouwer also told Sporza that rising star on the team, Arnaud De Lie, will appear on a more frequent basis at some of cyclings top classics next season. 

De Lie is expected to start both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix next season.

"We know within the team that Paris-Roubaix has been keeping Arnaud awake for several years," Van de Wouwer said. "He's always very motivated."

B & B HOTELS-KTM NOT REGISTERED WITH FRENCH CYCLING AUTHORITIES FOR 2023

The now defunct B & B Hotels-KTM team have not been registered in any capacity with the French national cycling league for 2023.

B & B Hotels recently collapsed after a big money sponsorship deal failed to materialise, leaving multiple riders facing a last ditch scramble to find new teams for the coming season. 

Mark Cavendish was one of several big name signings that the team were reportedly set to announce, although the squad were ultimately left disappointed by manager Jérôme Pineau.

For a while Pineau had said that the team hoped to at least be able to race at Continental level next year, although according to French newspaper Le Telegramme that is no longer an option. 

Le Telegramme has also reported that approximately 50 people have been left without work after the teams collapse, including 22 riders.

Meanwhile Cavendish has been heavily linked with a move to Astana Qazaqstan. 

AUTOPSY CONFIRMS IMPACT WITH TRUCK KILLED DAVIDE REBELLIN

Davide Rebellin's funeral is due to be held on Friday morning in his hometown of Lonigo near Vicenza in northern Italy, after a scheduled autopsy was completed on his body.

According to reports from various news sources in Italy, results from the autopsy confirmed that the former professional cyclist's death was caused by the impact with the truck that is alleged to have struck him on a roundabout near Lonigo. No other underlying medical conditions were discovered.

According to a report from Cyclingnews, police in Italy are considering issuing a European arrest warrant for the German truck driver, who allegedly stopped after the impact but then drove away and returned to Germany. 

Italian police are due to carry out a reconstruction of the incident to fully understand the details of what happened in the build up to Rebellin's death. 

Authorities reportedly already have both video and photographic evidence from the crime scene which was provided to them by witnesses as well as from cameras in a nearby restaurant car park. 

Rebellin's widow wrote about her heartbreaking loss and love for the former professional rider in a Facebook post. Françoise married the Italian rider in 2004 and they lived together in the hills near Vicenza and Montecarlo. 

"I’m trying to recover from what has happened but how can I without you? Please, hug me with your aura that was so beautiful, so kind and so warming. Give me the strength to pick myself up. Rest in peace, the peace you so deserve. You will always be in my heart, in my being, forever," she wrote. 

Other tributes poured in for Rebellin in the aftermath of his death from across the cycling community.

REMCO EVENEPOEL CONFIRMS HE WILL BEGIN SEASON AT VUELTA A SAN JUAN

Current road world champion Remco Evenepoel has confirmed he will begin his 2023 campaign at the Vuelta San Juan in Argentina. 

The Belgian rider who won both Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Vuelta a España will return to the race where he made his first professional outing in 2019 before returning and winning it the following year. 

In a video released on social media, Evenepoel said he was looking forward to wearing the rainbow jersey in Argentina next year. 

"I'm happy to race again in San Juan, it was my first race as a pro in 2019, I have a lot of great memories from my previous outings in Argentina, and I'm delighted to start my year in the rainbow jersey there," Evenepoel said.

"I hope to see many of those amazing fans on the road and I can't wait to debut my Soudal-QuickStep world champion jersey in a couple of weeks," he added.

ORGANISERS UNVEIL US NOCTURNE CYCLING SERIES

A new three-race criterium series has been unveiled in the United States by its organisers Endurance Sport Marketing. 

Taking place in El Paso, St Petersburg and San Rafael, the three-race series is called Nocturne Cycling Series . Each event will feature several categories of racing through the day and into the night around a 1.5 kilometre circuit. 

The new series builds on the original Nocturne Cycling event which was first developed in 2007 in London. 

“Our firm was honoured to be offered the opportunity to launch the Nocturne Cycling Series in the U.S. and after 18 months of planning, searching, and many site visits, we are happy with the first three choices we made with our partners and cities," Craig Mintzlaff of Endurance Sports Marketing said. 

"Our ideas and London’s success will create a unique event that Americans will find quite different and festive than anything else seen in the States."

The series is scheduled to be held throughout September in 2023 with San Rafael in California playing host to the first race on 9 September. 

It will then travel to El Paso, Texas on 16 September before wrapping in St Petersburg, Florida on 23 September.

AG INSURANCE- SOUDAL QUICK-STEP WOMEN'S TEAM UNVEILS NEW KIT

The recently rebranded AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step team has revealed a new look for 2023 that clearly displays its ties with the men's team moving forward.

Earlier this year, the team were riding under the name AG Insurance-NXTG but partnered with the Patrick Lefevere run Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl squad. 

In addition to Soudal being brought onboard as a new headline sponsor for both the men's and women's teams, Castelli has also come onboard as kit supplier to the new women's team. 

Both of the teams new kit's follow a similar design made up of dark blue and white, with just logos of a few key sponsors being the main difference. 

DATES FOR THE UAE TOUR IN 2023 RELEASED

Earlier this week the dates for the UAE Tour in 2023 were confirmed by race organisers RCS. 

Next years edition of the race through the desert is due to start and finish in Abu Dhabi, and will take place between 20-26 February 2023. Further details of the route are expected to be announced in early January.

Fabrizio D'Amico, chief operating officer for RCS Sports and UAE Tour director said that once again, the UAE Tour will provide the perfect opportunity for the best riders in the world to begin their season. 

“For the past eight years the UAE has exponentially grown from strength to strength in professional cycling. The seven stage WorldTour race will enter is fifth edition in February 2023 and will once again attract the best riders from all the world," he said.

"The UAE Tour is always an exciting race as it allows the riders to test themselves ahead of the European calendar races and the Grand Tour races and sets the tone of the season to come”.

The first ever UAE Tour was held in 2019 and was won by Primož Roglič. 

Adam Yates won the race the following year during the Covid interrupted 2020 season, with Tadej Pogačar taking the victory in both 2021 and 2022. 

Meanwhile little is currently known about the 2023 UAE Tour for women.  

AG INSURANCE-SOUDAL QUICK-STEP CONFIRM SERVAIS KNAVEN TO BE NEW SPORTS MANAGER

Servais Knaven has been confirmed as the new sports manager for the AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step team for 2023 according to our sister site Cyclingnews.

Until recently Knaven was working as a directeur sportif for the Ineos Grenadiers team but left during an overhaul of the British squads coaching staff this winter.  

Knaven’s wife Natascha van Ouden, a four-time Dutch cyclo-cross champion, is already the team manager, while his daughters Britt, Mirre and Senne Knaven are all part of the roster for the next season.

Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio also recently signed for the Dutch registered team from SD Worx for 2023.

Partnering with the men's Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl squad for the new season will see them share backers with Patrick Lefevere's men's team. Both squads will have Soudal as a headline sponsor and share Castelli as a kit supplier.

“All the parties who are putting their shoulders to the wheel of our women's team have been active in cycling for several years, so they are familiar with the ins and outs of the cycling world,” Lefevere said.

“It’s a factor that is obviously extremely important if you want to build something together.”

ALEX RICHARDSON RE-SIGNS WITH SAINT PIRAN FOR 2023

British UCI Continental team Saint Piran have confirmed that star rider Alex Richardson has resigned with the Cornwall-based team for 2023. 

Former WiV SunGod rider Richardson has vast experience at a higher level, previously racing for UCI ProTeam Alpecin-Fenix. He also came third in the British national championships road race this year behind Mark Cavendish and Sam Watson. 

The 32-year-old also took the honours at the Ryedale GP this year in what was a solid season in the colours of Saint Piran. 

Richard Pascoe, general manager of the British team said that keeping hold of Richardson was central to the teams long term racing ambitions. 

“We are a family and building a team is about lots of different aspects coming together sure performance is key but what we have in Alex is a man that portrays the right values in a human . This leadership is key am delighted he has committed to Saint Piran for the foreseeable future," Pascoe said. 

"He’s a road captain and we have some unfinished business for and with Alex around what he wants to achieve . The last eight months is about building a culture in the team, and one which all our riders thrive in and Alex is central to developing all our new talent," he added.

SERGIO HIGUITA SAYS SOME WORLDTOUR TEAMS 'FORGET' ABOUT SENIOR PROS

Sergio Higuita has said that some top level cycling teams are so focussed on finding the next Tadej Pogačar, they then forget that older riders on their roster can still perform at a very high level. 

In an interview with El Colombiano, Higuita explained that he feels teams are too caught up in the pursuit to find the next Evenepoel, Ayuso or Pogacar and forget about the quality that they already have.

“There is too much pressure for riders today," Higuita said. "It is that with what they have been doing, for example, Remco, Tadej or Ayuso, the big teams believe that it is the young people who are going to perform and not the old ones. And it happens that with Roglic, Quintana, Urán... you can also achieve high performance."

"The teams are looking for a new Pogacar, but not all young riders are going to become like him," he added.

Higuita is one of several South American riders that has risen through cycling's development ranks to then go on to perform at the highest level in the WorldTour and achieve results. 

Last season Higuita won the Colombian national road championships as well as winning the general classification at the Volta a Catalunya. 

However, Higuita has noticed that the development programme that he along with other riders such as Egan Bernal, Dani Martinez and Santiago Buitrago followed is now "being ignored". 

“The quality is still there, but due to the desire to get young Colombian cyclists, they are skipping the processes. A good school must be done, especially in Europe, as Dani Martínez, Bernal, Iván Sosa, Santiago Buitrago, I did... I saw that none of them immediately made it to the WorldTour," he added.

MOVISTAR RELEASE TEASER FOR 'THE LEAST EXPECTED DAY' SEASON FOUR

Movistar have released a short teaser video for season four of their Netflix documentary 'The Least Expected Day'. 

The show run in collaboration with Netflix has been highly successful for the Spanish team. Each season has documented the teams most recent year with the recently released third season documenting the fallout of Miguel Angel Lopez's row with management at the Vuelta a Espana. 

Other highlights of season three was an in depth look at Annemiek van Vleuten's success with the team so far. 

In the late summer I watched the whole series so that you don't have to! Here's what I learned from watching season three of the least expected day. 

Over at Cycling Weekly, this is what we want to see in the upcoming series too. 

Right! That's all we've got time for today folks!

See you back here for another day of live blog action tomorrow!

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) successfully defended his UAE Tour title with a resounding victory on stage seven’s summit finish.

The 23-year-old, who also won a mountaintop sprint on Jebel Jais on stage four, held off two attacks from Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) to win the race’s red jersey for the second time.

Yates claimed the runner-up spot, with Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious) in third. The Spaniard rose four places in the overall standings, overtaking Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) who was unable to hold the pace on Jebel Hafeet.

Jasper Philipsen’s impressive sprint victories on stages one and five ensured he took home the green jersey, while breakaway stalwart Dmitry Strakhov (Gazprom-RusVelo) cemented his ownership of the black jersey.

How it happened

Stage seven offered the shortest road stage of this UAE Tour at 148km in length. 

Starting in the city of Al Ain, the riders would head north on a flat figure of eight circuit, before climbing to the summit of the iconic Jebel Hafeet. The 10.6km-long mountain road, set at an average gradient of 6.6%, is known for being decisive at the UAE Tour and promised to play host to this year’s final GC showdown.

On smooth desert roads, the day’s racing began at full tilt. The fight for the breakaway saw seven riders escape up the road: Michael Scharzmann (Lotto-Soudal), Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech), Joris Nieuwenhuis (Team DSM), Clément Davy (Groupama-FDJ), Michael Mørkøv (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Fenix) and Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco). The riders clocked an electric average speed of 50km/h for the first 80km.

A prime at the stage’s halfway point showed there was little interest in energy-sapping sprints. Mørkøv was allowed to roll over the line uncontested at the front of the group. The gap to the peloton then stretched out to over three minutes and Impey, at least momentarily, became the virtual leader on the road.

Before long, the stage’s flat preamble was over, and the race reached the foothills of Jebel Hafeet - the jagged limestone peak that winds up through the Martian landscape. The breakaway hit the lower slopes of the climb with a 50-second advantage over the peloton and was quickly roped back in.

Bora-Hansgrohe’s attempts to set the pace were ousted by George Bennett, Rajał Majka and João Almeida of UAE Team Emirates, who took charge on the front. Their plan to thin the peloton worked and with 4km to go, the group was reduced to the GC contenders and their trusted mountain domestiques. 

A little over 3km from the summit, Adam Yates made the first move. The Ineos Grenadiers rider, who started the day with a 17-second deficit on Pogačar, stood tall on the pedals and powered into the climb, but was unable to distance the race leader.

Behind them, Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) and João Almeida followed, both taking turns to counter once the pace relented.

As the group of four passed under the flamme rouge, Yates launched a last-ditch dig for victory. Pogačar, wise to the Brit's move, followed his wheel with ease and tucked in behind. The race would come down to a two-up sprint. 

Still seated, the Slovenian came round the right side of Yates and kicked down on the pedals. When Pogačar rose out the saddle towards the finish line, Yates sat down, and the UAE Team Emirates rider was able to savour the moment as he claimed victory for his team at their home tour. 

Many predicted this race as a foregone conclusion. Pogačar proved them right.

Results

UAE TOUR 2022, Stage Seven: Al Ain > Jebel Hafeet (148km)

1. Tadej Pogacar (Svn) UAE Team Emirates, in 3-20-24
2. Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
4. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 15s
5. Lucas Plapp (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers, at 16s
6. Carlos Verona (Esp) Movistar, at 16s
7. Rajał Majka (Pol) UAE Team Emirates, at 16s
8. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 30s
9. Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) AG2R Citroën, at 53s
10. Chris Harper (Aus) Jumbo-Visma, at 53s

General Classification after Stage seven

1. Tadej Pogacar (Svn) UAE Team Emirates, in 25-38-16
2. Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 54s
5. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates, at 55s
6. Carlos Verona (Esp) Movistar, at 1-17
7. Rajał Majka (Pol) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-24
8. Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) AG2R Citroën, at 1-46
9. Romain Bardet (Fra) Team DSM, at 1-46
10. David de la Cruz (Esp) Astana Qazaqstan, at 1-58

Mathias Vacek won from the breakaway on stage six of the UAE Tour as the peloton failed to time catching the attackers up the road on a flat day.

The Gazprom-RusVelo rider triumphed for the first time in his career in Dubai, as the Russian team made their numbers count in the break. Paul Lapeira of AG2R-Citroën came in behind, and was followed by Vacek's teammate Dmitry Strakhov in third.

Behind, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) continued his impressive form to win the sprint for sixth place, but it was not the position he would have been hoping for at the beginning of the day.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) remains in control of the general classification, leading Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) by four seconds ahead of Saturday's final stage.

How it happened

Few would have predicted anything other than a bunch sprint on a flat day in Dubai. Over 180km there was just 388 metres of climbing, almost nailing on that it would be a day for the fast men.

Almost from the gun, six riders attacked as the race left the Expo 2020. There were three Gazprom-RusVelo riders, as has been customary this week: Dmitry Strahkov, Pavel Kochetkov and Mathias Vacek. They were joined by two Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè riders, Alessandro Tonelli and Johnatan Cañaveral, and Paul Lapeira of AG2R-Citroën.

The Gazprom riders were there attempting to maintain the lead of Strahkov in the intermediate sprints competition, which he has been in control of throughout the race. He won both intermediate sprints on Friday to add to his lead.

While the gap between the peloton and the break briefly ticked over four and a half minutes, it still remained likely that the escapees would be caught.

However, despite the efforts of the sprinters teams behind, the gap still remained at a minute with 5km to go. Cañaveral had been dropped from the front at this point, but the others kept working.

It looked as if Gazprom would make their numerical superiority count, and they did in the end with Vacek outsprinting Lapeira for the win. Strahkov came in third, while Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) was the best finisher from the peloton, 15 seconds behind.

There was no change at the top of the general classification, with Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) in control ahead of Saturday's summit finish.

Results

UAE TOUR 2022, STAGE six: Expo 2020 Dubai to Expo 2020 Dubai (180km)

1. Mathias Vacek (Cze) Gazprom-RusVelo, in 3-58-10
2. Paul Lapeira (Fra) AG2R-Citroën, at same time
3. Dmitry Strahkov (Rus) Gazprom-RusVelo
4. Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè, both at same time
5. Pavel Kochetkov (Rus) Gazprom-RusVelo, at 5s
6. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix, at 15s
7. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco, at same time
8. Pascal Ackermann (Deu) UAE Team Emirates
9. Rudy Barbier (Fra) Israel-Premier Tech
10. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious, all at same time

General classification after stage six

1. Tadej Pogačar (Svn) UAE Team Emirates, in 22-18-02
2. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers, at 4s
3. Aleksandr Vlasov (Kaz) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 14s
4. Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 17s
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost, at 25s
6. João Almeida (Por) UAE-Team Emirates, at 30s
7. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain-Victorious, at 37s
8. Óscar Rodríguez (Esp) Movistar, at 40s
9. Ruben Guerreiro (Por) EF Education-EasyPost, at 42s
10. Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) AG2R Citroën Team, at 43s

Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Fenix comprehensively out-sprinted the rest of the field to claim stage five of the UAE Tour, his second of the week-long race.

The Belgian followed Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) after the Irishman launched earlier, and comfortably rounded him in the final 100m. Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) pipped Bennett to the line to finish second and achieve his joint highest result at WorldTour level.

Philipsen strengthened his grip on the points jersey with the victory, and had time to sit up and celebrate as he crossed the line. It is his eight WorldTour victory.

Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), the winner of stage two's sprint finish, did not contest the final, possibly showing the after effects of his crash on Wednesday's stage.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) survived a scare after a late puncture to finish with the bunch and hold onto the leader's jersey.

How it happened

The third sprint stage of this UAE Tour was largely a relaxed affair, similar to the first two, with the real action coming towards the end of the day.

From almost when the flag dropped, three riders from Gazprom-RusVelo, Dmitry Strahkov, Pavel Kochetkov and Michael Kukrle attacked, along with Alessandro Tonelli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè). The Gazprom riders were attempting to maintain the lead of Strahkov in the intermediate sprints comptetition.

They were caught after 40km in front after crosswinds caused an acceleration and then a split in the bunch; Adam Yates and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) were among those caught out by the brief separation.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) contested the first intermediate sprint, in the red leaders and green points jerseys respectively. The bonus seconds gained by Pogačar meant that he has extended his lead in the general classification.

The peloton came back together after 20km apart, and Strahkov, Tonelli and Kochetkov were again part of a breakaway that also included Johnatan Cañaveral of Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè. Strahkov claimed the second intermediate sprint, before the attack was swept up by the peloton.

With 31km to go, Kukrle attacked again, and remained alone out front until 2.8km to the finish.

Inside the final 7km, Pogačar faced a brief moment of danger when he punctured, but the Slovenian quickly made it back to the bunch and continued his overall lead in the race as a result.

In the sprint, Israel-Premier Tech kicked their leadout off first, aiming to deliver Rudy Barbier in a prime position. Bora-Hansgrohe then took to the front, but Sam Bennett went early and could not keep up with Philipsen when he finally launched his sprint.

Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) rounded Bennett in the final metres to take second, while Philipsen was able to enjoy his victory in front.

Results

UAE Tour 2022, Stage five: Ras al Khaimah Corniche to Al Marjan Island (182km)

1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix, in 4-17-04
2. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, at same time
3. Sam Bennett (Ire) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Matteo Malucelli (Ita) Gazprom-RusVelo
5. Rudy Barbier (Fra) Israel-Premier Tech
6. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
7. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
8. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Team DSM
9. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar
10. Marc Brustenga (Esp) Trek-Segafredo, all at same time

General classification after stage five

1. Tadej Pogačar (Svn) UAE Team Emirates, in 18-19-37
2. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers, at 4s
3. Aleksandr Vlasov (Kaz) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 14s
4. Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 17s
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost, at 25s
6. João Almeida (Por) UAE-Team Emirates, at 30s
7. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain-Victorious, at 37s
8. Óscar Rodríguez (Esp) Movistar, at 40s
9. Ruben Guerreiro (Por) EF Education-EasyPost, at 42s
10. Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) AG2R Citroën Team, at 43s

Filippo Ganna impressed his Ineos Grenadiers team-mates after finishing 11th on stage four of the UAE Tour, with both Adam Yates and Luke Plapp singing his praises after the race. 

The Italian managed to keep himself within touching distance of the leading group, his stocky frame powering up the 20km, 5.5 per cent average gradient mountain to Jebel Jais. His performance meant he finished three seconds back on stage winner Tadej Pogačar, with the Slovenian now leading him by just two seconds on general classification. 

"Ganna in second," Yates highlighted after the finish. "A top ten of climbers and then the big fella.

"Plapp did a great job closing moves and then his attack was impressive in the final trying to chip off for the win. And the big fella was still there. So it’s been a good day."

"Ride of the day - Ganna," Plapp echoed. "It was awesome to see him do that and so nearly take the red jersey."

Adam Yates managed a second-place finish on the 181km mountain race, crossing the line just behind GC rival Pogačar. The Briton worked well with team-mates Luke Plapp and Ganna towards Jebel Jais, and now moves up to fourth overall. 

"We did a really good race," Yates said. "But to be honest on this climb, it’s pretty hard to get it right. With a five per cent average the whole way and the wind plays a factor so we tried to be conservative today.

"I was with Pogačar but he’s pretty quick on this type of finish hey? It was the best we could do but we gave it a crack. Like we've said all along, Saturday will be the critical climb."

The aforementioned Luke Plapp is riding his first stage race for the team this week, with his stage four performance an impressive showing. 

The Australian quashed attacks during the climb, and even attempted an attack of his own 500m out from the finish line. While the 21-year-old didn't have enough left in the tank to make the move stick, he is encouraged that Yates is still in contention to win the UAE Tour. 

"It was good fun," Plapp said. "I thought we controlled it pretty well. But it was too easy to ride tempo up that climb I think. Once you had a gap it was too easy for the group to ride it back.  

"But we gave it a crack and Adam got second so it keeps us in the fight for the final day and anything can happen there. We’re still in the hunt."

The next two stages will favour the sprinters once again, before the finale on Saturday to Jebel Hafeet will determine the UAE Tour winner. 

Tadej Pogačar paid credit to his UAE-Team Emirates teammates after his first victory of the season, saying that their efforts gave him "goosebumps".

The Slovenian triumphed on the Jebel Jais climb on Wednesday to take control of the general classification. He was paced into the final by João Almeida and Rafał Majka, and kicked in the final to take the sprint ahead of Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) and Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe).

The UAE Tour is Pogačar's first race of the season, and comes just weeks after he tested positive for Covid. There are no signs that the virus has greatly impacted the 23-year old, as his impressive sprint to win on stage four came after he finished fourth in the time trial on Tuesday.

“I always like to win, having succeeded makes this day beautiful for me and for the team," he said. "As a team we rode well, also trying to move with João and Rafal: the latter was the strongest climber of the group today.

"João and Rafal were also excellent in the final in launching me towards the sprint, the victory pays off all the work done in the past months, it’s great to start the season like this."

The only general classification rider to finish above him in the time trial, Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma), shipped over 5 minutes to Pogačar on the climb. However, Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) remained in contact, meaning the Slovenian only leads the Italian by two seconds, which were the result of his bonus for winning. 

"Despite all the attacks that followed one another uphill, I saw that practically all the big names of the race remained in the leading group, so I checked that we reached the final with the compact group, since I knew it would not be possible to go solo I decided to wait for the sprint."

Majka covered almost every attack that was made on the 20km climb, and was briefly up the road in a group before it was brought back.

"Already in training, even after recovering from Covid-19, the sensations were very good," Pogačar said. "But in the race everything can be different; the period of the illness was not so heavy for me thankfully. I had the support of the team, they helped me and gave me peace of mind: also for this reason, today’s result is the result of an overall work of the whole team. 

"Having a team like this gives you goosebumps."

The only serious test left for the general classification should be the stage seven climb to Jebel Hafeet, but Pogačar has triumphed there twice in the past, and so will Yates and Vlasov will find him hard to dislodge from the red jersey.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) has started his 2022 season with an impressive win on the first mountain stage of the UAE Tour, beating Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) and Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) to victory on the climb to Jebel Jais. 

With just 1km to go, more than 20 riders were in contention to win the race, but it was the 2021 Tour de France winner in the driving seat, with his UAE Team Emirates team-mates creating a lead-out train for him to benefit off the back of. 

The Slovenian will now take the red leader's jersey into the fifth stage, just two seconds ahead of second-placed Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) on general classification. The Italian produced a spectacular performance to keep pace in the climb, showing he is more than just a time trial specialist.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

While Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) entered the fourth stage of the UAE Tour wearing the red leader's jersey, Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) seemed the riders best placed in the GC to potentially open up a gap to the other contenders. 

Starting on the east coast of the UAE at Fujairah Fort, stage four heads north to Jebel Jais in the first mountain challenge of the race. There is still an extended section of flat, but the final climb is a constant ascent lasting over 20km at a gradient averaging 5.5 per cent. The climb could entice one or two riders to attack aggressively, with big ring power required up the mountain.  

At the drop of the startling flag, Luca Rastelli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè) and Jakob Egholm (Trek-Segafredo) attacked, eager to build up a gap against the moderate-riding peloton. After 20km the pair had put over five minutes between themselves and the rest of the riders, which they maintained until the final 20km when the peloton started to drag them back in towards the foot of the ascent to Jebel Jais. 

Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) and Vadim Pronskiy (Astana Qasaqstan Team) crashed early on in the race, but fortunately the pair were able to escape any lasting damage or injuries and soon caught up to the back of the peloton. It seems Cavendish even caught up without assistance from a car, learning his lesson from the Tour of Oman where he was penalised on stage five of the race. 

The ascent to Jebel Jais is a strategical climb where drafting is important, especially considering the weather conditions. Some of the fast-men were dropped early on, including Cavendish, Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers). Stefan Bissegger and green jersey holder Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) managed to maintain the pace for plenty of the climb though, with their teammates providing much of the pacing for them to draft off of. 

Mikkel Bjerg and George Bennett - both of UAE Team Emirates - did a successful job in stretching the peloton out, powering up the early parts of the climb to drop the riders unable to match the requisite pace and offer Tadej Pogačar or João Almeida the opportunity to attack. 

Rafał Majka (UAE Team Emirates) quickened the pace up with 8km left, followed shortly by Pogačar to try and stretch the field even more. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) dropped off the back, but Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) comfortably went with the Slovenian, who stopped his attack. 

A flurry of attacks by a number of riders followed, but none managed to stick as the peloton comfortably drew them all back in. 

Rein Taaramäe (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) dragged the group along to set up his teammate Jan Hirt for an attack, which Adam Yates comfortably kept with. Vlasov and Pogačar went with them too, along the steepest section of the climb at 1.5km to go. 

Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers) attacked with just 500m to go, but failed to power through the pain as Pogačar, Yates and Vlasov comfortably passed him. 

The thrilling finale culminated with Pogačar outsprinting his GC rivals to cross the line first, though for a minute it didn't seem as if he would take the leader's jersey. Filippo Ganna seemed to finish inside what seemed like the top group, but a three-second gap was given between Vlasov in third and Ruben Guerreiro (EF Education-EasyPost) in fourth.

Consequently, Pogačar is in the lead of the GC, two seconds ahead of Ganna with three stages left in the UAE Tour. 

RESULTS

UAE TOUR 2022, STAGE FOUR: FUJAIRAH FORT TO JEBEL JAIS (181KM)

1. Tadej Pogačar (Svn) UAE Team Emirates, in 4-49-24
2. Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
3. Aleksandr Vlasov (Kaz) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Ruben Guerreiro (Por) EF Education-EasyPost, at 3s
5. Damien Howson (Aus) BikeExchange Jayco
6. Romain Bardet (Fra) Team DSM
7. Jai Hindley (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe
8. Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) AG2R Citroën Team
9. Jan Hirt (Cze) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
10. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain-Victorious 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE FOUR

1. Tadej Pogačar (Svn) UAE Team Emirates, in 14-02-34
2. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers, at 2s
3. Aleksandr Vlasov (Kaz) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 13s
4. Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 15s
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost, at 23s
6. João Almeida (Por) UAE-Team Emirates, at 28s
7. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain-Victorious, at 35s
8. Óscar Rodríguez (Esp) Movistar, at 38s
9. Ruben Guerreiro (Por) EF Education-EasyPost, at 40s
10. Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) AG2R Citroën Team, at 41s

Luke Plapp had to complete the 9km time trial in Ajman on stage three of the UAE Tour on a road bike, after crashing his time trial bike in the recon.

The Australian's crash caused a mechanical issue his Ineos Grenadiers team couldn't fix in time, leaving him at a disadvantage throughout the time trial. Consequently, he ended up finishing 102nd on the third stage, 1-16 behind eventual winner Steffan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost).

The Swiss rider completed the 9km course in 9-43, meaning he averaged 55.574km/h on his way to victory. His performance also secured his team's first win of the season, while Bissegger has also taken the leader's jersey too. 

Meanwhile, Plapp's Ineos team-mate Filippo Ganna secured second-place on the time trial stage, seven seconds behind Bissegger. With changeable weather conditions affecting all of the riders at various stages, Ganna seemed in positive spirits from his performance.

“I did a great performance," Ganna said. "The average power was more than the plan and at the end of the day, chapeau Bissegger. That’s a great ride. 

“I felt good and also for the next few days, I’ll be ready to help Adam [Yates], starting on tomorrow’s climb.”

Yates himself finished 12th on stage three, moving him into the top 10 of the GC ahead of the first mountain stage of the race tomorrow. The Briton admits his final result surprised him, but he is eager for the race to start opening up, beginning tomorrow with 181km fourth stage from Fujairah Fort to Jebel Jais. 

“It didn’t feel like a good ride," Yates admitted. "The first TT of the year is always super hard. I followed the plan and did all I could do. 

“It’s the first mountain stage tomorrow but it’s not super hard - last year there was a group of 30 at the finish. It’s the second mountain stage that will create the biggest gaps - but it’s the first mountain stage of the year and we’ll give it a crack.”

Tadej Pogačar has said that he was "pretty happy" with his efforts on stage three of the UAE Tour, which saw him finish fourth on the day and lifted to fifth overall.

The UAE-Team Emirates rider finished just 18 seconds behind the winner, EF Education-EasyPost's Stefan Bissegger on the 9km course. It has set the the UAE rider up well ahead of bigger general classification tests in the coming days. The only GC rival to do better was Tom Dumoulin of Jumbo-Visma, who bettered Pogačar's time by four seconds.

The effort left the Slovenian ahead of other contenders such as Ineos Grenadiers' Adam Yates and Bora-Hansgrohe's Aleksandr Vlasov. 

"It was a really fast course, it was a really flying pace, you couldn't go much faster than that," Pogačar said. He averaged just under 54km/h over his 10:01 effort.

"On the way back it was raw power and I did my best. I did my best intensity ever, so I’m pretty happy. It was a good time."

Wednesday sees the return of the climb to Jabel Jais, where Pogačar finished second behind Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma last year. The biggest test will come on Saturday with the final stage including the climb of Jabel Hafeet, where the 23-year old has won twice before.

"We’re looking good for tomorrow and for the next few days," Pogačar said post-stage

"Everyone is super good and I’m super happy for João [Almeida] and Mikkel [Bjerg], they're up there too, Rafa Majka too. We’re really focused and really good for this race. We’re all in good shape."

Almeida finished just four seconds behind his teammate, with Bjerg another two seconds back. Almeida could prove a useful foil for UAE-Team Emirates in the climbing stages; the Portugese rider is building up to the Giro d'Italia while the Slovenian has targets later in the season.

Pogacar's form was unknown coming into the UAE Tour due to his bout of covid earlier this month. However, the two-time Tour de France champion looks in good shape to defend his title. The race is undoubtedly important to his team, it being their home race.

If he should falter, then UAE have Almeida ready to step up. Therefore, other contenders like Dumoulin and Yates will have to defeat more than one rider in white in order to be triumphant.

Stefan Bissegger of EF Education-EasyPost triumphed on the flat time trial course on stage three of the UAE Tour, beating world champion Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) by seven seconds.

The Swiss rider won his team's first victory of the season over the 9km course in Ajman with a time of 9:43, meaning he rode at an average of 55.574 km/h. He has taken the leader's jersey as a result. Behind him, Ganna was defeated in a time trial for the first time this season.

They were followed on the podium by Tom Dumoulin of Jumbo-Visma, the Dutchman coming in as first of the general classification hopefuls, 14 seconds behind. He was four seconds ahead of Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates), who won the race last year.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) wore the red leader's jersey on Tuesday after coming first on stage one and second on stage two, but despite a valiant ride, he came in 28 seconds behind Bissegger and thus lost control of the race.

GC riders like Dumoulin and Pogačar did not gain too much time on rivals such as Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) and Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe), and the climb to Jebel Jais should prove a tougher test for those aiming for the overall.

How it happened

Artyom Zakharov of Astana-Qazaqstan was the first rider down the start ramp on Tuesday afternoon, but given his previous best result in a WorldTour time trial was 83rd at the Tour of California in 2017, he never looked like posting too competitive a time, and finished in 10:45.

The first rider who could lay a claim to being a favourite was Mikkel Bjerg, the Danish UAE-Team Emirates rider who won the under-23 time trial world title three times. The 23-year old posted a time of 10:07

He was followed by Vlasov, who is an overall contender at the UAE Tour following his victory at Valenciana earlier this month. The Kazakh came in an agonising one second behind Bjerg, so he remained in the hot seat.

Bissegger started reasonably early in proceedings, and posted the fastest time at the intermediate check in 4:26, benefiting from the tail wind on the first half of the course to ride at 60.902 km/h. The EF rider overtook the man who started a minute ahead of him along the way to finishing in the fastest time of 9:43.

He would remain in the hot seat for the rest of the stage, as riders like João Almeida (UAE-Team Emirates) and Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) briefly looked like threatening. However, all eyes were on Ganna when he started, hard to miss in the rainbow stripes of world champion and on his Azzurri-blue bike.

The Ineos powerhouse was just a second behind Bissegger at the first time check, but lost six more on the return run, meaning his Swiss rival tasted victory.

Results

UAE Tour 2022, stage three: Ajman to Ajman

1. Stefan Bissegger (Sui) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43
2. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
4. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
5. João Almeida (Por) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
6. Mikkel Bjerg (Den) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s
7. Stefan de Bod (RSA) Astana Qazaqstan, at 24s
8. Aleksandr Vlasov (Kaz) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 25s
9. Johan Price-Pejtersen (Den) Bahrain-Victorious, at 26s
10. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin Fenix, at 28s

General classification after stage three

1. Stefan Bissegger (Sui) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02
2. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s
4. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
5. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
6. João Almeida (Por) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
7. Stefan de Bod (RSA) Astana Qazaqstan, at 24s
8. Aleksandr Vlasov (Kaz) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 25s
9. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost, at 28s
10. Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 29s

Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) managed to take victory on the second stage of the UAE Tour, holding off red jersey holder Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) in a bunch sprint by pipping him to the line. 

The pair battled in a two-man race in the final 100m, dropping the rest of the field's talented sprinters in the final couple of hundred metres. Cavendish attacked early on, and managed to maintain just enough distance between him and the Belgian to take the victory by a wheel. 

This is Cavendish's second win of the 2022 season, having already won on stage two of the Tour of Oman two weeks ago. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) showed the race’s stacked field of fast men that he would be the man to beat this season, finishing ahead of Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Dmitry Strakhov to the win on stage one of the race yesterday. The young Belgian entered the second day wearing the red jersey, ahead of another suitable stage for sprinters.

Starting in Hudayriyat Island and finishing with an extended straight to Abu Dhabi breakwater, the second stage of the UAE Tour offers an extremely flat race. Riding in an urban environment and without any difficult profiles to manoeuvre, the stage represented another perfect opportunity for the field of sprinters to battle it out. 

From extremely early in the race, three Gazprom-RusVelo riders - Pavel Kochetkov, Michael Kukrle and Dmitry Strakhov - created a breakaway group, maintaining a lead over the peloton by between one and two minutes for over 100km.

However, with three hours of racing complete and with the route coming back into the city after a long spell skirting around it in the desert, the breakaway group decided to reacquaint themselves with the peloton, slowing down completely to slot back in. 

With the pace dropping off as the riders came up against a strong headwind, Elia Viviani and Filippo Ganna decided to take matters into their own hands somewhat by jumping in front of the peloton to drag some riders along with them. 

Heading into the final 10km the lead-outs began, stringing out across the wide roads before the final corner pinch point arrived, with 1200m to go. Riders attempted to jostle for position ahead of the extended straight, causing chaos in the peloton as they all knew the importance of heading into the final corner at the front. 

Groupama-FDJ took control on the lead-in, but sprinters surrounded them as each one took turns to attack. Mark Cavendish and Jasper Philipsen managed to escape from the group bunching up, leaving enough room between themselves and the rest of the sprinters to open up a gap. Sam Bennett managed to trap Arnaud Démare, stopping the Frenchman from challenging as he himself struggled to match the speed Cavendish displayed.

Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) managed to complete the podium, finishing in third ahead of Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) in what proved an exceptionally close ending. 

Surprisingly, Bennett ended up finishing 17th, while Dylan Groenewegen could only managed 14th, and Elia Viviani crossed the line 24th.

This win represents some sort of redemption for Cavendish, who was blocked in the sprint of the final stage at the Tour of Oman by Maximiliano Richeze (UAE Team Emirates), scuppering his chances of securing the green jersey. 

RESULTS

1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, in 4-20-45
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix in same time
3. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama FDJ
6. Matteo Malucelli (Ita) Gazprom-RusVelo
7. Emīls Liepiņš (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
8. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux
9. Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Lotto Soudal
10. Marijn van den Berg (Ned) EF Education-EasyPost

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE TWO

1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix, in 9-03-03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (Rus) Gazprom-RusVelo at 4 seconds
3. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl at 6s
4. Sam Bennett (Ire) Bora-Hansgrohe at 10s
5. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirates at 12s
6. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers at 12s
7. Michael Kukrle (Cze) Gazprom-RusVelo at 12s
8. Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè at 12s
9. Xandres Vervloesem (Bel) Lotto Soudal at 14s
10. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama FDJ at 16s

The latest in a long line of peloton safety complaints emerged on the very first day of 2022 WorldTour racing at the UAE Tour.

An overhead shot of the peloton captured Bahrain-Victorious' Jonathan Milan giving Ag2r Citroën's Paul Lapeira a shove, nearly sending the 21-year-old French neo-pro crashing into another rider in the bunch. Luckily, he managed to remain upright and Milan then gesticulated wildly at Lapeira.

"Jonathan Milan, you just can't do that," Lapeira tweeted above a video clip of the incident.

"It's disrespectful and super dangerous in a peloton. To [the] UCI, we have to do something about these guys and stop this kind of behaviour for our safety."

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So far, neither Jonathan Milan nor Bahrain-Victorious have commented on the incident.

"Come on, exclusion. You have to be sick to react like that in a peloton," French journalist Renaud Breban tweeted in reaction to the incident, while others pointed out the shove was unnecessary given the calm atmosphere in the peloton at that stage.

Another pointed out that Tadej Pogačar was in Lapeira's wheel, so had a crash occurred the two-time Tour de France champion would have been brought to the ground in his team's home race.

On stage one, Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) claimed stage honours, outsprinting Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe), Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers) and Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange-Jayco) to take first blood at the first WorldTour race of the season.

Stage two, from Hudayriyat Island to Abu Dhabi Breakwater, will provide another chance for the fast men, as will stages five and six.

Stage three, meanwhile, will be an individual time trial to begin to sort out the general classification, while summit finishes on stages four and the final seven will decide the overall winner of this year's race.

Jasper Philipsen opened this year’s WorldTour calendar with a bang, pipping Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers) in a bunch sprint on stage one of the UAE Tour.

The Alpecin-Fenix rider, a podium constant in 2021, showed the race’s stacked field of fast men that he would be the man to beat this season.

With this victory, Philipsen took the lead of the UAE Tour and claimed the race’s red jersey to wear on stage two.

How it happened

Starting and finishing in the town of Madinat Zayed, the opening stage headed south on a long, straight road through the desert. The first tilt of the handlebars wouldn’t be expected until 53km into the 184km-long route, when a right turn set the riders on a rolling circuit of dunes. The same highway then awaited the pack for the long road home to the finish line.

The race rolled out with little urgency, allowing a five-man breakaway to form. Composed of Luca Rastelli, Alessandro Tonelli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè), Pavel Kochetkov, Dmitry Strakhov (Gazprom-RusVelo) and Xandres Vervloesem (Lotto Soudal), the group quickly established a buffer, which yo-yoed between two and four minutes ahead of the peloton for most of the day.

With 88km to go, an intermediate sprint offered the breakaway a chance to stretch their legs. A long-range dig from Kochetkov paved the way for his Gazprom-RusVelo teammate Strakhov to counter and take maximum points over the line at Moreeb Dune.   

The second intermediate sprint came 30km later and was again won by Strakhov ahead of Tonelli and Vervloesem. With no more primes on offer, the Russian sat up to let the advancing peloton absorb him back into the pack. The gap to the now four-man breakaway fell to less than a minute for the first time. The forecast bunch sprint looked inevitable.

As the tension grew, a touching of wheels in the peloton caused Rick Zabel (Israel-Premier Tech) to hit the asphalt. The rest of the pack, fortunately, stayed upright and continued to cruise along the endless desert highway.

With no corners, roundabouts or technical twists, the run-in to the finish would be a pure test of power for the sprint trains.

The lead-outs began 11km from the line as the teams arranged themselves in throngs of colour across the wide road. Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, Jumbo Visma and Bahrain Victorious claimed their spots at the front of the bunch, leaving the sprinters behind them to lurk in their slipstream.

Of the illustrious start list of sprinting talent, only one could win, and those honours went to Alpecin-Fenix’s Jasper Philipsen in a chaotic race finale. 

With speeds reaching 70km/h, the Belgian came off the wheel of Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) and unleashed a fierce kick along the barriers on the right side of the road. Philipsen’s smart positioning gave Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange-Jayco) no room to come round, and the 23-year-old was able to stay ahead of the onslaught of elite sprinters who arrived strewn over the line. 

The victory marked a dream season debut for Philipsen who made it one win from one race in 2022.  

Results

UAE Tour 2022, Stage one: Madinat Zayed to Madinat Zayed (184km)

1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix, in 4-24-34
2. Sam Bennett (Ire) Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time
3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco
5. Emils Liepins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
6. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar
8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux
10. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirates, all at same time

General classification after stage one

1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix, in 4-24-34
2. Sam Bennett (Ire) Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time
3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco
5. Emils Liepins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
6. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar
8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux
10. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirates, all at same time

In-form and big name sprinters clash

The 2022 season may still be in its infancy, with the UAE Tour set to be the first WorldTour race of the year, but already multiple sprinters have opened their accounts.

Of those poised to ride in the UAE next week, Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) picked up a win in his battle with Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) in Oman, Elia Viviani made a triumphant return to Ineos Grenadiers in Provence, and Dylan Groenewegen dominated the sprints in Saudi Arabia on what was his first race for new team BikeExchange-Jayco. 

As well as an encouraging sign of form, winning so early will come as a significant confidence booster, especially for riders like Viviani and Groenewegen who have endured a difficult last couple of years.

But the UAE Tour will be 2022’s first major gathering of top sprinters. Joining Cavendish, Groenewegen and Viviani will be Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix), both of whom will be making their first starts of what are highly anticipated seasons, plus Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ), Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) and Alberto Dainese (DSM), all of whom are hoping to get going after slow starts. 

Even with a total of four stages expected to be decided by a bunch sprint at the UAE Tour (stages one, two, five and six), there isn’t enough to go around, and most of these sprinters will come home winless. But those who do come out on top will bring themselves forward as the men to watch this year. 

First test for the new-look UAE Team Emirates line-up  

As defending champion and best rider in the world, there is no doubt that Tadej Pogačar is the hot favourite for overall victory.

The only doubt hanging over the Slovenian is what kind of form he is in, especially considering that his preparations were recently interrupted by a Covid infection. But the 23-year-old has said that he believes he’s fully recovered, and the time trial on stage three and the two mountain top finishes at Jebel Jais on stage four and Jebel Hafeet on stage seven all play to his strengths. 

Of most significance in the long-term for Pogačar might not be how well he himself rides, but rather the performance of his team as a whole. Perhaps concerned about the gulf in talent between themselves and Jumbo-Visma and Ineos Grenadiers, UAE Team Emirates have invested heavily in new recruits for this season, of which Joao Almeida, George Bennett and Pascal Ackermann will all be riding in the UAE. 

Almedia and Bennett will be expected to assist Rafał Majka in looking after Pogačar on the climbs, and how well they manage to do so will be of great interest. If Pogačar has had a weakness these last two years, it’s that his team-mates have not been able to provide him as much protection as his rivals; so if this new, bolstered UAE Team Emirates line-up manage to control with an iron grip what is the team’s home race, then the early signs would be that Pogačar might be even more difficult to defeat in 2022.

Yates and Ganna star for Ineos Grenadiers 

This time last year, Adam Yates began what would turn out to be an excellent first season with new team Ineos Grenadiers with a runner-up finish at the 2021 edition of the UAE Tour.

He was the only rider able to stay with Pogačar on both Jebel Hafeet and Jebel Jais, and only lost out on victory due to an inferior time trial. That ride set the tone for what was arguably the best season of the Brit’s career, more than justifying his decision to leave BikeExchange, the team he had spent his whole career at. 

In the absence of their other major GC riders, Yates will again lead Ineos Grenadiers at this year’s race. He’ll have Michał Kwiatkowski and Andrey Amador to help him on the climbs, but it will be down to Yates himself if he’s to take-on Pogačar for overall victory. 

Also riding for Ineos will be Filippo Ganna, who has started the season in intimidatingly good form. As world champion he will of course be favourite for the stage three time trial, but the way he rode at the Tour de la Provence (where as well as winning the prologue he also finished third in a sprint and climbed very impressively) suggests he’ll have a major part to play throughout the race — perhaps helping lead-out Elia Viviani in the sprints, Yates on the climbs…and possibly even tearing the race to pieces in the desert crosswinds? Watch this space. 

Dumoulin back among the list of GC favourites

He’s back! One of the most welcome names on the startlist of the UAE Tour is that of Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma), who starts his 2022 season around a year on since he decided to take a break from cycling.

Back then it wasn’t clear that we’d ever see Dumoulin race again, but now, after returning to racing last June, he’s back and raring to go. He intends to return to the highest level, too, with a bid for the pink jersey at the Giro his first major target of the season. If he can go well in the UAE and resemble his old self, that dream might begin to look like a potential reality.

While his form is uncertain, one GC contender who is flying at the moment is Aleksandr Vlasov, who has made a fantastic start to life at Bora-Hansgrohe with overall victory at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, a result that places him among the favourites to challenge Pogačar for the spoils in the UAE.

Based on form, Jan Hirt (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux) and Fausto Masnada (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) should also be considered contenders having finished first and second respectively at the Tour of Oman, although they’ll find tougher competition in this race — including Romain Bardet (DSM), David de la Cruz (Astana) and the Bahrain-Victorious duo of Gino Mader and Pello Bilbao. 

Climbs, a time trial — and crosswinds?

With two mountain top finishes, the UAE Tour looks like one for the climbers, but things might not be quite as straightforward for them as they’d like. 

Both Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet are long, steady climbs that will suit climbers with diesel engines. With an average gradient of over 7%, Jebel Hafeet is certainly the harder of the two, and last year Pogačar and Yates rode away from the rest of the field on its slopes. But even it only just about exceeds 10% for its maximum gradient, meaning it is possible for the less pure climbers to dig deep and get into a rhythm to limit their time losses.

At just 9km, the tie trial in Ajman is shorter than its equivalent 13km-long stage last year, so is unlikely to see especially big time gaps. Instead, where the race could be turned on its head is in the exposed roads of the desert, if the wind blows. 

In particular, the coastal roads that feature on stages two and five look like they could see some action. As ever in this part of the world, the flat roads need to be feared as much as the uphills — get caught out in an echelon here, and your hopes for overall victory could be over in an instant. 

The UAE Tour gets underway on Sunday February 20, with Mark Cavendish starting alongside an eclectic group of world-class sprinters all vying to take the first UCI WorldTour points jersey of the season. 

Finishing on Saturday February 26, the riders will cover seven stages in seven days in the Emirati country. Four of the stages are flat, providing plenty of opportunities for Cavendish and his fast-finishing counterparts to make their mark. 

The UAE Tour race organisers, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, has announced that as well as Mark Cavendish, Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe), Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers), Dylan Groenewegen (Team BikeExchange-Jayco), Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) will all compete in the race. With 83 Grand Tour stage wins between the six sprinters announced, competition will undoubtedly be fierce.

Cavendish has previously competed twice at the UAE Tour before, in 2019 and 2020, but he failed to win a stage in both attempts. The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl man will no doubt have a point to prove this time around, especially considering the controversy he was embroiled in at the Tour of Oman.

First, the Manxman suffered a fairly heavy crash on the penultimate stage in Oman, and then officials docked the 36-year-old nine points for holding onto a car while returning to the bunch. On the final stage, Cavendish finished sixth after Maximiliano Richeze - who was later disqualified - boxed him out in the final sprint, helping his UAE Team Emirates teammate Fernando Gaviria to take the stage win and green jersey. 

Irishman Sam Bennett won twice on his UAE Tour debut last year, while Elia Viviani took the sprinter's green jersey in 2019 after winning a stage that year. Groenewegen has experience of success at the race too, taking stage four in 2020. 

Organisers also announced time trial specialist Filippo Ganna will also be riding at the UAE Tour, with the Italian looking to put a disappointing end to his Tour de la Provence race behind him, where he was disqualified for an illegal bike change.

He won the race's 13km ITT on Al Hudayriyat Island, 14 seconds ahead of second-place Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost), who will race in the middle-east again this year.

This year’s race features a 9km individual time trial in the city of Ajman, set to take place on stage three.

Meanwhile, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) had already made it clear he would defend his UAE Tour title for his first competitive appearance this year, with 2020 winner Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) and Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) both challenging too. 

Mixed emotions for Ineos Grenadiers

Ineos Grenadiers will reflect back on the first WorldTour race of the season with mixed emotions.

Despite his best efforts, Adam Yates wasn't quite able to defend his title and had to settle for second overall, but the team will be delighted at the flying start he made to his stint at the team, and the early signs are that his move appears to be benefiting both camps.

Ineos also looked their usual dominant selves on the two mountain top finishes, where Daniel Martinez and Ivan Sosa were joined by Colombian revelation Brandon Rivera in controlling the peloton. They were unable, however, to thin the bunch out as much as they would have liked on Jebel Jais, while the fact Yates was the only rider in the squad to make it into the front split during the opening stage crosswinds was disappointing.

And though they were unable to win the overall, a stage win was delivered courtesy of Filippo Ganna in the stage two time trial — the kind of dominant TT victory the Italian world champion is making look formulaic.

Pogačar victorious but questions remain about his team

We didn’t learn anything new about Tadej Pogačar in the UAE last week. We already knew he was the best climber in the race, and that his team’s sponsors riding their home race gave him an extra incentive to win, so it came as no surprise to watch him waltz away with the overall victory with little difficulty.

However, one thing the race did bring into sharp focus was the ability of Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates team-mates following the addition of new riders during the off-season, signed to give the Slovenian the support he merits now he’s one of the sport’s superstars — and the conclusions might give Pogačar cause for concern.

UAE Team Emirates attempted to control the peloton on stage three’s mountain top finish at Jebel Hafeet, but soon saw key domestique Davide Formolo and major new signing Rafal Majka dropped, leaving Pogacar isolated while Ineos Grenadiers took control instead. Two days later, on Jebel Jais, they took a more passive role and allowed Ineos to set the tempo from the bottom, but again left their leader to fend for himself as the summit approached.

Pogacar’s great legs were enough for him to win stage three and seal overall victory in the latter regardless, but he’ll need his team-mates to up their game if he’s to win later in the season — and, most crucially of all, defend his Tour de France title.

Sam Bennett stakes claim as best sprinter in the world

This was the first time all the major sprinters have faced off in 2021, and one rider came out comprehensively on top.

Sam Bennett won the first mass sprint on stage four by a bike-length (after crosswinds had dropped most of the sprinters and diminished the field into a small group sprint on the opening stage, won by Mathieu van der Poel), then got the better of all of his rivals again two days later by an even bigger margin. Although he couldn’t quite make it three out of three on the final stage, when Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) edged him into second-place, the Irishman was clearly the best sprinter in the race.

His Deceuninck - Quick-Step team certainly played a key part in his success, with Michael Mørkøv, in particular, earning praise for some outstanding lead-outs. So long as they keep leading him out like this, Bennett looks likely to continue finishing off the job.

To come away from a WorldTour stage race with two wins and a second-place finish is the kind of dominant display that few sprinters have managed to produce these past few seasons, and Bennett did so against pretty much all the other best sprinters in the peloton. Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) was the only notable absentee — intriguing, the two are set to go head-to-head at Paris-Nice.

After a few seasons without one obvious sprinter who could claim categorically to be the best in the world in the way that riders like Mark Cavendish and Marcel Kittel could in the past, Bennett might just be on the verge of doing so.

More new talent emerges at Jumbo-Visma

Jumbo-Visma’s Sepp Kuss may not have been able to mount a GC challenge, after being one of several pre-race favourites to get caught out in the crosswinds on stage one, but the team still enjoyed a very encouraging race as several young riders made an impression.

Despite the absence of the riders he usually works for, Kuss ultimately found himself once again cast in the super-domestique role, as he helped guide 26-year-old Australian Chris Harper to fourth overall. As a larger rider than many of the climbers, Harper had a tough time defending his high place on GC on the mountain top finishes after finding himself fourth overall following the stage two time trial, but, with help from Kuss he just about managed to do so.

They even managed to win a stage on the second summit finish, as 24-year-old Jonas Vinegaard — who has promised to break through to the elite since winning a mountainous stage of the Tour of Poland a couple of years ago — jumped out of the bunch as the summit approached.

There was success in the sprints, too, as 23-year-old Dutchman David Dekker mixed it up with the sprinters in the bunch finishes, even managing to beat them all in the points classification to win the green jersey. The way he managed to finish second on stage four despite having to sprint from far back, and also having to check his sprint was especially impressive, suggesting he could be a sprinting star in the making.

More evidence of the generational divide

One of the trends of the 2020 season was the old guard being replaced by a new generation of frighteningly talented young riders, and the first WorldTour race of 2021 suggested that this season would continue the shift.

It wasn’t so long ago that Adam Yates could count himself as part of a young generation of emerging talents, but this week he was the only rider in the top six who was over the age of 26.

Behind Yates and overall winner Pogačar (aged 22), Deceuninck - Quick-Step’s João Almeida (also aged 22) rounded off the podium, building upon his breakthrough ride at the Giro d’Italia last year. 24-year-old Nelson Powless was fifth, partly thanks to help from his 23-year-old EF Education-Nippo team-mate Sergio Higuita, while younger still was 20-year-old neo-pro Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Trek-Segafredo) in sixth overall in what was his WorldTour debut.

23-year-olds Florian Stork (DSM) and Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto-Soudal) also climbed very well, and might have featured more in the GC had they not both been caught out by the crosswinds on stage one, while 22-year-olds Steffan Bissegger (EF Education-Nippo) and Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) were second and third in the time trial respectively.

By contrast, the peloton’s old-timers struggled to keep up with their younger adversaries. Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) were dropped both in the crosswinds and on the climbs, while the indifferent form of Chris Froome (Israel Start-Up Nation) suggests he still has a long way to go if he’s to fulfill his ambition of returning to the top of the sport.

Caleb Ewan won the stage seven bunch sprint to ensure he didn't leave the UAE Tour without a victory.

The Lotto-Soudal rider tacked on to Sam Bennett's (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) wheel into the slight headwind at Abu Dhabi Breakwater to deny the Irishman a third stage win in the Middle East, with Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) finishing third.

André Greipel managed sixth place, having been delivered to the front by Israel Start-Up Nation and opening his sprint early, the 38-year-old reminding everyone of his pedigree, while Cees Bol was only able to manage one place better, having received a competent lead out from Team DSM.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) was untroubled as he secured the overall victory, 35 seconds ahead of Adam Yates, the Ineos Grenadier suffering a nasty fall in the final 45km and requiring medical attention, but able to make it to the finish.

"I don't know if it helped, we came here to win a stage and there was only one more left," Ewan said after the finish. "There was a bit of pressure to have a good result. I haven't been this far into the year without a win in my whole career, so it felt good."

How it happened

A flat stage to sign off the opening WorldTour race of the calendar, and despite Tadej Pogačar being docked time for a push in the finale of stage six, his 35 second lead over Adam Yates looked insurmountable barring any disasters.

The first bit of action of the day involved David Dekker (Jumbo-Visma) scooping up the solitary bonus point left behind at the intermediate sprint by the three breakaway riders with 100km remaining, the trio up front consisting of Samuele Battistella, Matteo Sorbero (both Astana - Premier Tech) and Alexys Brunel (Groupama-FDJ). The Dutchman extending his lead over Pogačar in the points classification at his debut WorldTour race.

40km later and Ineos Grenadiers hit the front to try and put the squeeze on Pogačar, the peloton cracking apart in the desert winds. The move failed to dislodge the Slovenian, or Caleb Ewan and Sam Bennett, both in the hunt for the stage victory, but third-place João Almeida and Dekker were caught out. These accelerations swept up the breakaway and the bunch also soon came back together.

The only notable GC drama of the day was when Yates hit the deck with 40km remaining, an innocuous-looking crash as a couple of Ineos Grenadiers lost balance and collided with their new team-mate, sending him face-first into the tarmac.

Bloodied, Yates got back up and after medical attention from both his support staff and the medic's car, he was fine to continue, the peloton waiting up for the Brit.

This incident knocked both the pace and intent out of the bunch for a while, however, and Ineos Grenadiers hit the front inside the final 10km to shepherd Yates safely inside the last 3km to guarantee his runner-up spot in this first race for his new team.

Deceuninck - Quick-Step duly took over at the front, looking to guide Sam Bennett to what would be an impressive third sprint win in the UAE. As the sprint trains jostled for position, Caleb Ewan was delivered to the front by Lotto-Soudal, only for the wave of sprinters to come back over the top. The Australian then got himself onto Bennett's wheel as the Irishman surged past, guided as ever by Michael Mørkøv, before then finally getting the better of his Monaco neighbour, sailing past him into the slight headwind and pumping his fist in celebration, the relief of opening his account for 2021 plain to see.

Results

UAE Tour, stage seven: Yas Mall to Abu Dhabi Breakwater (147km)

1. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto-Soudal, in 3-18-29

2. Sam Bennett (Ire) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at same time

3. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious

4. Michael Mørkøv (Den) Deceuninck - Quick-Step

5. Cees Bol (Ned) DSM

6. André Greipel (Ger) Israel Start-Up Nation

7. Andrea Vendrame (Ita) AG2R Citroën

8. Luka Mezgec (Slo) BikeExchange

9. Riccardo Minali (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux

10. Yevgeniy Gidich (Kaz) Astana - Premier Tech, all at same time

Final general classification

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates, in 24-00-28

2. Adam Yates (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 35 seconds

3. João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 1-02

4. Chris Harper (Aus) Jumbo-Visma, at 1-42

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo, at 1-45

6. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Den) Trek-Segafredo, at 2-37

7. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious, at 2-39

8. Mattia Cattaneo (Ita) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 3-53

9. Rubén Fernández (Esp) Cofidis, at 4-13

10. Fausto Masnada (Ita) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 6-30

Adam Yates was left bloodied in a nasty-looking crash at the UAE Tour.

Nearing the last 40km of the final stage, Yates was brought down in a crash in the peloton, landing face-first on the road alongside a number of his Ineos Grenadiers team-mates.

The Brit, riding his first race for his new team, immediately clutched his face after hitting the deck in the painful fall, his team-mates having collided with him from the side and the origin of the crash currently unknown.

The peloton sat up as Yates was checked over by Ineos support staff, his team-mates Filippo Ganna and Andrey Amador also hanging back for their leader.

Yates then got back on his bike, still receiving assistance from the medic car at the back of the peloton, but seeming not to have suffered a serious injury in the crash.

The Ineos rider currently sits second on GC, 35 seconds behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who narrowly avoided coming down in the fall, having been riding behind a number of the Ineos Grenadiers riders involved.

Having rejoined the peloton, and after hitting another bump in the road but staying upright, Yates signalled to the motorbike cameraman that he was okay.

Update: After the finish, Ineos Grenadiers confirmed Yates had been taken to hospital for precautionary checks, having sustained cuts and bruises to his face.

In that same crash, Brandon Rivera suffered abrasions while new signing Dani Martinez abandoned due to knee pain.

Chris Froome said he “just tried to hang on” as he finished within two minutes of the leaders on the UAE Tour’s second summit finish.

Froome, making his debut in Israel Start-Up Nation colours in the Middle East, is still returning to form as he continues his recovery from his serious injuries suffered in 2019. 

While Froome struggled on the first mountain finish of the UAE Tour, finishing five minutes down on stage winner Tadej Pogačar at the summit of Jebel Hafeet on stage three, the four-time Tour de France winner only improved on the slopes of Jebel Jais two stages later.

Speaking after the finish, the 35-year-old said: “In the final there I just tried to hang on in the bunch for as long as possible, use it as preparation for upcoming races and test myself a little bit as well as positioning Ben Hermans for the final. 

“For me personally I'm feeling better and better as the race goes on. I think I definitely need more of these kind of race stages, but step-by-step things are things are hopefully coming together for me.”

Froome finished stage five in 42nd place but was just 1-42 down on the stage winner, finishing alongside UAE Team Emirates climber Davide Formolo and Jumbo-Visma’s Koen Bouwman. 

Grand Tour star Froome spent his winter training in California, USA, working with the Red Bull Performance Centre experts to try and address the power disparity between his legs, having broken his right femur during the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné. 

While Froome was able to rejoin the peloton in 2020, he struggled to compete in stage races. 

But having now left Ineos Grenadiers for ISN, Froome is hoping to fight for a fifth yellow jersey in the Tour de France later this year.  

Froome was never in contention for the overall in the UAE Tour, having lost eight minutes in the hectic crosswind racing of stage one.

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He sits 40th-place overall, 16 minutes down on the leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).

Sam Bennett took his second win of the UAE Tour 2021 on stage six in a chaotic finish into Palm Jumeirah while others were bumping and barging to try and get his wheel.

Bennett (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) looked comfortable as he took his second win during the second WorldTour mass sprint of the season beating Elia Viviani (Cofidis) and Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe).

The race was rather frantic in the last 10km as the roads went up and down bridges, with riders avoiding road furniture and taking on a tunnel and a u-turn with 3km to go.

Some sprinters got forced out of contention with 500 metres to go,  but luckily there were no major crashes, with just two riders going down in a small incident.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) keeps his leaders jersey with no change in the general classification, Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) was down to stay at 45 seconds, but Pogačar was penalised 10 seconds due to pushing a rider.

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How it happened

The stage started out on Deira Island before taking on 165km of almost completely flat roads, then winding to Palm Jumeirah, which has been a popular finish in the history of the UAE Tour, formally the Dubai Tour.

There was a breakaway of six riders who got a maximum gap of 3-30 before almost getting completely pulled back with 65km to go.

The break was made up of Tony Gallopin (Ag2r-Citroën), Iñigo Elosegui (Movistar), Attila Valter (Groupama-FDJ), Mathieu Ladagnous (Groupama-FDJ), Luis León Sánchez and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Premier Tech).

It was Israel Start-Up Nation, Ineos Grenadiers and Deceuninck - Quick-Step who tried to split the race in the crosswinds but no big name general classification riders got caught out, so they sat up.

The gap did drop inside a minute to the break though, with the advantage sticking around the 40-second mark until the peloton started to get ready for the finish. The gap started to drop rapidly and the break got caught with 24km to go.

Three kilometres later though, Astana-Premier Tech sent another rider up the road in a late solo break with Dmitriy Gruzdev who managed a gap of 11 seconds, only being caught with 10km to go.

The last 9km of the stage were filled with awkward road furniture, various bridges and a tunnel before eventually getting onto the Palm Jumeirah.

Just as the peloton entered the tunnel two riders hit the deck, with Filippo Ganna leading the peloton for Ineos Grenadiers with 5km to go.

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They came to a u-turn with 3km to go and it was still Ineos who had control with Ganna and Andrey Amador leading the way with the sprinters teams trying to drag their way to the front.

BikeExchange and Qhubeka-Assos took the lead with 2km to go with multiple teams jostling for positions in yet another scrappy lead-in to the finish.

Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) tried to shoulder barge David Dekker (Jumbo-Visma) out of the way, but failed and the Australian slipped back about six places.

Michael Mørkøv (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) led Bennett to the line where the Tour de France 2020 points jersey winner was unchallenged to the line.

The final day should see yet another sprint finish with a potential for Bennett to take a third win out of three attempts.

Results

UAE Tour stage six, Deira Island to Palm Jumeirah (165km)

1. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 3-32-23

2. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis

3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe

4. David Dekker (NED) Team Jumbo-Visma

5. Fernando Gaviria (COL) UAE Team Emirates

6. Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA) Team Qhubeka-Assos

7. Kaden Groves (AUS) Team BikeExchange

8. André Greipel (GER) Israel Start-Up Nation

9. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM

10. Michael Mørkøv (DEN) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, all at same time.

General classification after stage six

1. Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 20-41-49

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 35 seconds

3. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 1-12

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 1-54

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo, at 1-56

6. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (DEN) Trek-Segafredo, at 2-47

7. Damiano Caruso (ITA) Bahrain Victorious, at 2-49

8. Mattia Cattaneo (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 4-03

9. Rubén Fernández (ESP) Cofidis, at 4-23

10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 6-40.

Jonas Vingegaard took stage victory on the Jebel Jais climb on stage five of the UAE Tour after catching Alexey Lutsenko with 250 metres to go with a very late attack by the young Danish rider.

Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) went on the attack with 500 metres to go as the peloton stalled, and bridged across to Lutsenko who had been in the breakaway all day and ended up finishing outside of the top 10 as he was completely empty.

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Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) managed to take second ahead of his main challenger Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) who came in third after the Brit's team was unable to split the group with no attack from Yates.

Pogačar then increases his lead over Yates by three seconds thanks to the bonus seconds on the line. The race now goes back to the flat lands and potential crosswinds to close out the race.

How it happened

The day started in Fujairah International Marine Club before riding over undulating terrain on the 168.8km route taking in 2581 metres of climbing.

A large breakaway of nine riders went away after one rider was left out on his own for about 20km at the start.

The first rider was Matthias Frank (Ag2r-Citröen) before he was joined by team-mate Larry Warbasse, Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Premier Tech), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Alex Dowsett (Israel Start-Up Nation), Roger Kluge (Lotto-Soudal), Lasse Norman Hansen (Qhubeka-Assos), Kevin Colleoni (BikeExchange) and Omer Goldstein (Israel Start-Up Nation).

The maximum gap was around four minutes before Ineos Grenadiers took over the pacing from UAE Team Emirates with around 50km to go, cutting the gap down to two minutes with 26km to go.

De Gendt won both intermediate sprints which meant that he took the black intermediate jersey away from Tony Gallopin (Ag2r-Citröen).

The break hit the final climb and De Gendt upped the pace which saw Hansen and Dowsett drop out of the back with Warbasse and Kluge joining soon after.

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Back in the peloton, UAE Team Emirates retook the race lead after Filippo Ganna and Andrey Amador put in a huge effort to pull the break’s gap down with 18km to go when Ineos suddenly burst onto the front again.

Ineos started using Iván Sosa, Daniel Martínez and Brandon Rivera working for their leader, Adam Yates as the gap had gone back up to 2-26.

At 16km to go the break was in bits as Lutsenko attacked the remaining riders of De Gendt and Goldstein, with the Kazakhstani champion riding away.

No matter what Ineos did on the lower slopes the peloton was still solidly together with about 60 riders still there with 14km to go, only managing to bring the gap down to 1-32 to Lutsenko.

With 7km to go, Rivera was still the rider leading the peloton but the gap to Lutsenko had only dropped to 1-04. At 4km to go Ben Zwiehoff (Bora-Hansgrohe) tried to up the pace before Martínez took over for Ineos bringing the gap down to 44 seconds.

Martínez finished his effort and it was Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) who went on the attack to try and steal the stage. Harm Vanhoucke (Lotto-Soudal) was the next to try and bridge across the gap.

Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) decided to try and join the attacks before João Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) made a move, which saw Nibali, Vanhoucke and Poels dragged back.

Yates then pulled the Portuguese rider back with 1.5km to go with 20 or 30 riders left in the group. Vingegaard then attacked with a group of riders lower down the general classification as Lutsenko was caught by the Dane with 250 metres to go.

Vingegaard kicked again, leaving Lutsenko behind, taking the stage ahead of a fast-finishing Pogačar, Yates and Sergio Higuita (EF Education-Nippo) with Lutsenko not even managing a top 10.

Results

UAE Tour 2021, stage five: Fujairah International Marine Club to Jebel Jais (168.8km)

1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Team Jumbo-Visma, in 4-19-08

2. Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, at 3 seconds

3. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at same time

4. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF Education-Nippo, at 5s

5. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 6s

6. Nick Schultz (AUS) Team BikeExchange, at same time

7. Sepp Kuss (USA) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 8s

8. Wout Poels (NED) Bahrain Victorious

9. Ben Hermans (BEL) Israel Start-Up Nation

10. Geoffrey Bouchard (FRA) Ag2r La Mondiale-Citroën, all at same time.

General classification after stage five

1. Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 17-09-26

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 45 seconds

3. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 1-12

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 1-54

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo, at 1-56

6. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (DEN) Trek-Segafredo, at 2-47

7. Damiano Caruso (ITA) Bahrain Victorious, at 2-49

8. Mattias Cattaneo (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 4-03

9. Rubén Fernández (ESP) Cofidis, at 4-23

10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 6-40.

Sam Bennett took stage four of the 2021 UAE Tour by around a bike length over second place David Dekker in the Irishman's first hit out in a bunch sprint this season.

Bennett (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) also took his 50th career win with the stage victory on the Al Marjan island after the longest stage of the race at over 200km of pan flat stage.

>>> Sam Bennett takes victory in chaotic finale on stage four of the UAE Tour 2021

After the stage Bennett said: "I was a little frustrated missing the sprint on the first stage and I knew there were only three more opportunities, so I was really motivated today.

"At the same time, I was pretty nervous, because it was the first bunch sprint of the season for myself and you never know what’s your condition coming out of the winter."

As usual, Michael Mørkøv guided the Tour de France 2020 green jersey winner to about 200 metres to go before the Irishman chose to dive down the left hand side, which turned out to be the fastest line.

"Having the team do such a great job you just want to bring the victory. I knew all I had to do was follow the guys, who made my job easier, and with my legs good in the end I was able to do the sprint I wanted.

"It was a messy finale, but I made it thanks to this amazing Wolfpack, who controlled the stage and then delivered me in the perfect position. I am proud to score my 50th victory here. It was a long, hot stage, but it now feels great to get the first bunch sprint of the year out of the way. It’s a perfect way to start the season."

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Bennett has taken some huge victories during his career including eight Grand Tour stage wins and nine Tour of Turkey stage wins as well as 33 further wins.

In a post-stage interview, Bennett said: "It feels good to win my first sprint of the season. I had to wait for a few days to get this opportunity. I was really nervous before the sprint because it was the first fast bunch finish of the year for me. I followed my guys who did a fantastic job.

"My lead out went to the right, which was the shortest way to the line, but I chose the long way to the left, as I felt I had enough speed. I think today is my 50th professional win. It's very nice to take that one."

Sam Bennett took the win in a very chaotic sprint finish on stage four of the UAE Tour 2021 beating the young Dutch sprinter David Dekker and Australian Caleb Ewan.

Bennett (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) took the fastest line into the finish as they came round a gradual left hand bend with Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) picking the wrong side.

Dekker (Jumbo-Visma) was following the wheel of Bennett in the final moments and did get blocked a little bit but managed to use the slipstream of the Irishman to take yet another very impressive second place.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) keeps the red leader's jersey with no issues as the general classification doesn't see any change.

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How it happened

The stage started and finished on the island of Al Marjan with a huge loop of 204.1km over a pan flat course that only saw two riders go up the road.

Those riders were Francois Bidard (Ag2r-Citroen) and Olivier Le Gac (Groupama-FDJ), who pulled out a gap of around four minutes before the peloton slowly started to reel the break in.

Lotto-Soudal joined overall leader Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates squad on the front to set the pace for the peloton as they worked for their sprinter, Ewan.

After the escape went away with about 80km to go, they were caught with about 28km to go, as no-one was wanting to go in the break on this long stage.

The break did take the top two spots in the two intermediate sprints with young Dutchman, Dekker taking the third place as he goes for the points jersey.

Mostly the pace was very relaxed all day as the teams just kept together and organised as they got closer and closer to the finish. Even with 12km to go the pace was relatively sedate. 

Suddenly, with 10km to go the pace rocketed up as teams challenged for positions on a very wide highway taking in a couple of huge roundabouts, as the peloton went into a five-lane road, this split the peloton in two due to the wideness with 8km to go.

The team that managed to take control with 7km to go was Astana-Premier Tech but several other teams managed to come over the top.

The road then compacted to just two lanes with 5km to go, the pace still not as high as perhaps a normal bunch sprint build up would be.

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Bora-Hansgrohe, Trek-Segafredo and UAE Team Emirates took on the control with 3km to go as the GC riders started to slip down the group thanks to the 3km rule - any crashes after that and they would not lose time.

A roundabout came up and the tight turn saw Ewan’s Lotto-Soudal come up as the lead-outs started looking very messy with 2km to go.

Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) was the first to take up the sprint but it was too early alongside Cees Bol (Team DSM) and they got swamped, most riders started going to the right as the road swerved round to the left, but Bennett took the left hand line, which was the fastest to win.

Stage five sees the riders head to the mountains again as they are set to take on the Jebel Jais, much longer than the previously raced Jebel Hafeet but not as difficult

Results

UAE Tour stage four, Al Marjan Island to Al Marjan Island (204.1km)

1. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 4-51-51

2. David Dekker (NED) Team Jumbo-Visma

3. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto-Soudal

4. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis

5. Matteo Moschetti (ITA) Trek-Segafredo

6. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe

7. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious

8. Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA) Team Qhubeka-Assos

9. Fernando Gaviria (COL) UAE Team Emirates

10. Kaden Groves (AUS) Team BikeExchange, all at same time.

General classification after stage four

1. Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 12-50-21

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 43 seconds

3. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 1-03

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 1-43

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo, at 1-45

6. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (DEN) Trek-Segafredo, at 2-36

7. Mattia Cattaneo (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 2-38

8. Damiano Caruso (ITA) Bahrain Victorious, at same time

9. Rubén Fernández (ESP) Cofidis, at 3-32

10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, 4-47.

Tadej Pogačar has dominated the Strava leaderboards on Jebel Hafeet during his tactical stage victory in the UAE Tour.

The Slovenian rider, winner of the 2020 Tour de France, extended his overall lead on stage three of the Middle East stage race, triumphing over Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) and fending off countless attacks. 

Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) flew to the summit of the 10km-long climb, a regular fixture in the UAE Tour, in record time and took a collection of Strava KoM titles along the way. 

The 10.6km-long Jebel Hafeet averages 6.9 per cent gradient, with ramps up to 10 per cent on the lower slopes.  

Yates and Pogacar have taken the official record for the fastest climb up Jebel Hafeet, according to Climbing Records, with a time of 25-57 and an average speed of 25.2km/h. 

The previous record was set in the 2020 edition the UAE Tour by Adam Yates, who set a 26-10 during his stage win in last year’s race.

But with Yates not on Strava, the leaderboards on the social media platform for athletes were Pogačar’s for the taking, as he claimed 13 leader’s crowns by the summit. 

On the full length climb, a 10.6km first category segment named ‘Jebel Hafeet (foot of the climb to summit)', Pogačar smashed the previous fastest time, completing the segment in 25-10.

The previous fastest time on that particular segment was set by Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) in the 2018 edition, when he completed the climb in 25-22, averaging 382 watts to win the stage. 

Unfortunately Pogačar chose not to share his power data from stage three of this year’s UAE Tour, but other top riders from the day did.

Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) was fast enough for a fourth-place finish on the stage and the sixth fastest time on Strava, as he pushed 370w for the 25-57 (estimated 6.3 watts per kilogram) it took him to reach the summit.

Not far behind, Neilson Powless (EF Education-Nippo), eighth on the stage and seventh on Strava, churned out 384w for 26-02 (approx 5.7w.kg), with an average heart-rate of 183 beats per minute during his climb. 

Jumbo-Visma’s Sepp Kuss also looked to be one of the strongest riders on the final climb, before he finally cracked under the pressure of Yates’s attacks.

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Kuss finished 11th on the stage and now holds the 10th fastest Strava time on Jebel Hafeet, pushing 387w (approx 6.3w/kg) for 26-17 to complete the climb.  

Tadej Pogačar extended his lead in the general classification on stage three of the UAE Tour after holding on to multiple attacks from Adam Yates, before flying around the British rider with about 400 metres to go to take it in the sprint.

Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) was set up by his team until Yates's Ineos Grenadiers squad came up with 6km to go and smashed the race to pieces.

Yates now moves into second place ahead of João Almeida (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) who tried to stay with the two climbing specialists, but lost a good chunk of time.

Pogačar extends his overall lead as the race heads back towards the flat lands tomorrow.

How it happened

The race started rather slowly with a heavy headwind facing the riders as they left the grounds of Strata Manufacturing before heading 166km to the climb of Jebel Hafeet.

It was just a two-man breakaway that went away, getting a maximum gap of around five minutes - those riders were Tony Gallopin (Ag2r-Citroën) who went away first before being joined by Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal).

The day was largely controlled by UAE Team Emirates for Tadej Pogačar and Deceuninck - Quick-Step, for João Almeida and Mattia Cattaneo, who are both involved in the overall fight for the Belgian team.

With 40km to go the race started getting pacy with several teams battling for the lead of the peloton, including Bora-Hansgrohe, BikeExchange, Lotto-Soudal and Movistar, seeing the time gap drop down to 3-22 very quickly.

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With 18km to go it was the team of Chris Froome, Israel Start-Up Nation as well as Bahrain Victorious at the front, chipping yet another minute off the breakaway.

The final intermediate sprint came with the break making it through, taking three and two bonus seconds. The peloton came through as Almeida tried to take the final bonus second after missing out earlier, when he was pipped by Pogačar's team-mate Fernando Gaviria in the first.

But Portuguese rider Almeida wasn't able to break through and it was Michael Mørkøv who took the final second as they started to climb up the Jebel Hafeet.

Gallopin attacked De Gendt with 11km to go as they went through the gates onto the climb, but he just had a gap of 58 seconds over a charging peloton.

Pogačar's squad sat on the front working hard for the 2020 Tour de France champion after his team had used the climb as their main location for a training camp. Gallopin was caught with 8km to go.

Chris Froome held on to the lead group until 6.6km as he still looks to be on the road to recovery and his target of a fifth Tour de France.

Ineos Grenadiers then moved up with 6km to go and completely ripped the race to bits, isolating Pogačar as Daniel Martínez worked for the British rider and defending champion, Adam Yates.

Martínez pulled over and it was Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) who attacked, seeing Almeida drop backwards. Only Pogačar and Yates could follow the first kick as Neilson Powless (EF Education-Nippo) bridged back.

Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) pulled Almeida and a handful of others back to the leaders until Kuss kicked again. Pogačar and Yates followed with Almeida leading the chase group with 4km, before the British rider attacked and dropped Kuss with Pogačar clinging to his wheel.

In was between Yates and Pogačar with 3.8km to go as Yates tried to kick again to drop the young Slovenian.

Yates kept on hammering the attacks but he just could not shift Pogačar with 2km to go on the first climbing day of the UAE Tour.

Meanwhile, Almeida continued to chase with Powless and Harm Van Houcke (Lotto-Soudal), who were holding the gap at 40 seconds.

Pogačar then hit over the top with 400 metres to go, taking Yates by surprise and managing to hold on with the tight bend at the end meaning Yates was not able to get by with 80 metres left.

Results

UAE Tour stage three, Strata Manufacturing - Jebel Hafeet (166km)

1. Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3-58-35

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at same time

3. Sergio Higuita (COL) EF Education-Nippo, 48 seconds

4. Emanuel Buchmann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe

5. Harm Vanhoucke (BEL) Lotto-Soudal

6. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, all at same time

7. Florian Stork (GER) Team DSM, at 54

8. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo, at same time

9. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 1-00

10. Geoffrey Bouchard (FRA) Ag2r La Mondiale-Citroën, at 1-09.

General classification after stage three

1. Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 7-58-30

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 43 seconds

3. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 1-03

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 1-43

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo, at 1-45

6. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (DEN) Trek-Segafredo, at 2-36

7. Damiano Caruso (ITA) Bahrain Victorious, at 2-38

8. Mattia Cattaneo (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 2-39

9. Rubén Fernández (ESP) Cofidis, at 3-32

10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, 4-47.

Antonio Tiberi was left with a deep wound to his knee after a bizarre crash across the finish line in the UAE Tour time trial.

The 19-year-old went down right at the finish line after his run on the 13km lap in the United Arab Emirates, hitting the floor at speed. 

The cause of the crash is still unclear, as Tiberi was riding in a straight line and didn’t suffer any obvious mechanical failures.

Tiberi, who was dazed after the crash, was taken to hospital for stitches after suffering a deep wound to his right knee, Trek-Segafredo said.

A statement from the team said: "Antonio Tiberi suffered a crash as he crossed the finish line. We will keep you updated with his condition when we know more.” 

The team added: “Tiberi is being taken to the hospital where he will receive stitches to a deep wound on his right knee and evaluated for other injuries.” 

Tiberi, the junior time trial world champion, hit the final stretch of the UAE Tour individual time trial with a strong provisional time, but just metres from the line he lost control of the bike, skidding along the floor and across the finish.

Despite the fall Tiberi was the fastest Trek-Segafredo finisher with a time of 14-45, fast enough for a 19th place finish.

The second stage of the 2021 Tour was won by Italian time trial star Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), who smashed the field with a time of 13-56, 14 seconds faster than his nearest rival Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-Nippo).

In the battle for the overall title, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) moved into the race lead with a storming time trial performance, finishing fourth on the stage. 

>>> Filippo Ganna storms to time trial victory on stage two of UAE Tour 2021 

The day started with the news that Alpecin-Fenix had been forced to withdraw from the race after a member of team staff had tested positive for coronavirus and had been put into isolation. 

Filippo Ganna continues his unbeaten run in the time trials after an amazing ride on stage two of the UAE Tour, where he put 14 seconds into the next man Stefan Bissegger.

Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) was the only rider to get a time under 14 minutes with an incredible time of 13-56.

In the battle for the overall title, defending champion Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) lost time to his fellow GC rivals.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) took the leader's jersey ahead of João Almeida (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) by five seconds, with Yates an extra 34 seconds back.

>>> Deceuninck – Quick-Step reveal stacked squad for Classics Opening Weekend

How it happened

The day started with the news that Alpecin-Fenix had left the race, after taking stage one with Mathieu van der Poel, due to a positive Covid-19 test within the team.

Stage two was a plan-flat, high-speed 13km individual time trial run on a purpose-built cycling track, just outside Abu Dhabi, with the city looming over the riders in the distance.

It was Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) who set the first fast time with a 14-17 and the Danish rider held on until Stefan Bissegger  (EF Education-Nippo) came through with a 14-10.

The young Swiss rider stayed top for the vast majority of the stage, holding off the likes of British talents Alex Dowsett (Israel Start-Up Nation), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) and Harry Tanfield (Qhubeka-Assos) among others.

Among the general classification contenders, Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) set a 14-54 as he looks to defend his title, Neilson Powless (EF Education-Nippo) went a second faster with Italian Mattia Cattaneo (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) setting a 14-35.

Pogačar set an amazing time of 14-20 with Almeida also coming in with a superb ride, but losing out on the overall lead with a 14-26, just five seconds behind the Slovenian.

Tour de France champion Pogačar put 34 seconds into Yates meaning the British rider starts stage three at 39 seconds.

But it was Ganna who powered around the course and stole the show, the only rider who was able to dip under the 14 minute mark as he continues his unbeaten run in the time trial discipline, which started in the Italian national TT in August 2020.

Results

UAE Tour stage two ITT, Al Hudayriat Island - Al Hudayriat Island (13km)

1. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, in 13-56

2. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-Nippo, at 14 seconds

3. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE Team Emirates, at 21s

4. Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, at 24s

5. Luis León Sanchez (ESP) Astana-Premier Tech, at 30s

6. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at same time

7. Max Walscheid (GER) Team Qhubeka-Assos, at 32s

8. Stefan De Bod (RSA) Astana-Premier Tech, at 33s

9. Daniel Martínez (COL) Ineos Grenadiers, at 36s

10. Matthias Brändle (AUT) Israel Start-Up Nation, at 38s.

General classification after stage two

1. Tadej Pogačar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 4-00-05

2. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 5 seconds

3. Mattias Cattaneo (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 18s

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 33s

5. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 39s

6. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo, at 41s

7. Anthony Roux (FRA) Groupama-FDJ, at 45s

8. David Dekker (NED) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 46s

9. Michael Mørkøv (DEN) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 47s

10. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (DEN) Trek-Segafredo, at 48s.

Alpecin-Fenix have confirmed that they are leaving the UAE Tour after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus.

The team from Belgium won stage one with Mathieu van der Poel on Sunday (February 21) but it was revealed on Monday that a staff member of the team has tested positive for the virus and went into isolation immediately.

>>> Mathieu van der Poel hails ‘cyclocross shape in the desert’ as key to UAE Tour stage win

In a joint statement from the race and the team they said: "Alpecin-Fenix, in agreement with the UAE Tour organiser, have decided to withdraw its team from the race, in order to safeguard the race bubble and ensure the safe continuation of the race.

"The team was notified of one positive result of a member of its staff from the round of tests conducted on Sunday evening, February 21.

"Upon receiving the results, the person immediately went into isolation, and all those who came into contact with this person are self-isolating, in compliance with the protocol measures put in place by the race organisers and UAE Health Authorities. All team members will undertake further tests in the coming days, while they remain in isolation."

Last year's race saw the final two stages cancelled due to the Coronavirus with riders, staff members and organisers all catching the virus, which meant that everyone had to quarantine in their hotel.

The riders are based in the same hotel this year at the Yas Marina circuit, used for the penultimate round of the Formula One championships, on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.

Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) was given the win after taking a stage on the first ascent of the Jebel Hafeet climb, which is due to be ridden tomorrow (February 23) at this year's event, before he then defended the jersey for Mitchelton-Scott a couple of days later.

This year's race kicked off with mayhem, but in a racing way, as the win whipped through the field, splitting it to piece with echelons all over the road.

Eventually seeing Deceuninck - Quick-Step and several other strong riders get away, they stayed away to bettle out the sprint with Dutch road race champion, Van der Poel taking the win ahead of young rider David Dekker (Jumbo-Visma).

Even if Mathieu van der Poel rules himself out of the running, stating on the record that he would be working for Jasper Philipsen and Alpecin-Fenix this UAE Tour, it doesn't seem to be able to stop the Dutchman crossing the line first.

When echelons erupted almost from the flag drop of stage one, the WorldTour peloton wasting no time in getting back to racing after the delayed start to the season, Mathieu van der Poel of course found himself at the pointy end of proceedings, making the front group twice in the race.

"There was a lot of wind from the beginning and I was immediately in the first echelon," Van der Poel explained after the finish, having beaten David Dekker (Jumbo-Visma) and Michael Mørkøv (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) in the reduced bunch sprint.

"I felt good but with the headwind we regrouped with the bunch, then after the intermediate sprint it split again and I was just able to catch the first group and it was a really hard race until the finish."

>>> Movistar staff member dies in mountain accident

Van der Poel knew that there were potentially faster finishers than him, as Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) and Elia Viviani (Cofidis) had also made the front group, but that if the race remained hard he would be the one to benefit when it came to the dash for the line.

"For sure the hard races are good for me for the sprint, but there were a few guys faster than me in there, but it was a really hard race, especially with the heat as well, it gave me the confidence I could win the sprint.

"In the sprint, I felt really good still and knew that I just had to start sprinting when I thought it was a good moment."

It's as easy as that for Van der Poel, who takes his first win of the 2021 road season and his first-ever outside of Europe. Only three weeks ago he was standing on the top step of the podium in Belgium, having won the Cyclocross World Championships for the third year in a row. While Van der Poel came to the UAE to transition back into road racing, maybe taking a break until gunning for the bigger prizes on offer this spring, he reckons his cyclocross form probably helped him today.

"I didn't really expect this," Van der Poel admitted of the short wait until he opened his 2021 road account. "I took some rest [after his Worlds victory] and then I trained for a week with the team and then I came here.

"I think this is cyclocross shape in the desert."

The first WorldTour race of the years kicks off in the Middle East with the UAE Tour. After the cancellation of the Tour Down Under, this is the first chance to see a full smorgasbord of top-level talent in the peloton in 2021 - here's how you can live stream the 2021 UAE Tour.

Starting on Sunday (February 21) the seven-stage race will feature a host of star names, including Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), reigning champion Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) as well as the sprinting talents of Sam Bennett (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) and Elia Viviani (Cofidis). Meanwhile, Chris Froome will also be making his debut for Israel Start-Up Nation.

The race is used by most as a respite from the European winter and a chance to get some racing in the legs before the spring Classics.

Here’s how you can watch the racing in your country:

How to watch the UAE Tour 2021 in the UK

Good news for British racing fans as you will be able to watch the racing on the regular cycling broadcasters.

Both Eurosport and GCN will be showing the racing action, airing live coverage on Eurosport and through the new GCN+ package. Coverage starts from around 10.45am (GMT) for the final two hours of racing.

To gain access to Eurosport coverage you can subscribe to the Eurosport Player app for £39.99 a year or £6.99 per month.

Access to the GCN+ costs £39.99 a year, with a special launch offer of £19.99 for the year currently available.

Not at home for the UAE Tour 2021? No worries – just download and install a VPN and choose your location to watch live as if you were back home. Full instructions below.

You may find access to your favourite home broadcaster is restricted by location. Luckily there is a way you can keep watching anyway – downloading and installing a VPN, which allows you to trick your computer into thinking it’s back at home. This allows you to find your native broadcaster coverage without having to resort to an illegal stream, as long as you stick to the terms and conditions set out by the broadcaster.

Setting up a VPN is simple – just download, install, open the app and select your location.

Try out ExpressVPN for its speed, security and simplicity to use. We also like that it’s compatible with so many devices and streaming services (e.g. Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox, PS4, etc).

There are other great options out there of course, but Express VPN gives you the added benefit of a 30-day money-back guarantee and three months free with a yearly plan.

How to watch the UAE Tour 2021 in the US, Canada and Australia

Luckily for racing fans in North America and in Australia, the UAE Tour is being shown on GCN+, so you can live stream the action from the US, Canada and Australia.

>>> Tom Pidcock to make Ineos Grenadiers debut at Tour du Haut Var alongside Geraint Thomas 

How to live stream the UAE Tour 2021 in Italy and Belgium

To catch all the action from Italy, the UAE Tour will be shown on Rai Sport, while Belgian cycling fans can watch the racing on Sporza.

The UAE Tour is now set to be the first WorldTour race of the 2021 season, scheduled to kick off on February 21. 

As the only WorldTour race in the Middle East, the event has been a popular starting point of the season for a number of star riders, including former winner Adam Yates. 

This year the seven-stage race will be the first major event on the cycling calendar after the cancellation of the Tour Down Under, the traditional start of the WorldTour season, due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Organisers of the UAE Tour have confirmed that all 19 WorldTour teams will be racing their event this year, which runs from February 21-27, while Mathieu van der Poel’s Alpecin-Fenix team have also received an invite. 

Last year’s race was cut short due to a coronavirus outbreak - the first cycling event affected by the pandemic before the entire season was suspended for around five months - as Adam Yates was crowned overall winner. 

The event, which usually features a selection of sprint and uphill finishes, will be the first time all WorldTour teams will compete against each other in 2021. 

Start list details have not yet fully been announced, but the race will feature the likes of Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar, Chris Froome, Adam Yates and sprinters Sam Bennett, Caleb Ewan and Fernando Gaviria. 

The route has now been announced for the third edition of the UAE Tour and it looks fairly similar to the first two with four flat days made for the sprinters with potential for crosswinds, two mountain stages up the Jebel Hafeet and Jebel Jais and one individual time trial to really give the GC a shake-up.

Last year's second overall behind Yates, Pogačar, was in attendance at the route presentation as his team have been training in the UAE, the Slovenian said: "I’m very pleased to be kicking-off my season at the UAE Tour.

"We just had our pre-season camp in the UAE and got to do some excellent training, especially on the Jebel Hafeet, which was great.

"I’m feeling good and motivated to race. After the stage win last year I’m coming back hungry for more. This is a huge event for myself and all the team and we will be here to fight for victories at our home race."

Organisers say the strict Covid-19 protocols will also be published before the event to ensure the safety of riders and staff. 

UAE Tour 2021 start list

UAE Team Emirates

POGAČAR Tadej

POLANC Jan

GAVIRIA Fernando

MAJKA Rafal

FORMOLO Davide

BJERG Mikkel

RICHEZE Max

Ag2r-Citroen 

GALLOPIN Tony

VENDRAME Andrea

BOUCHARD Geoffrey

BIDARD François

WARBASSE Larry

HÄNNINEN Jaakko

FRANK Mathias

Astana-Premier Tech

LUTSENKO Alexey

GIDICH Yevgeniy

GRUZGEV Dmitriy

DE BOD Stefan

BATTISTELLA Samuele

SOBRERO Matteo

SÁNCHEZ Luis León

Bahrain Victorious 

HAIG Jack

POELS Wout

MILAN Jonathan

WRIGHT Fred

BAUHAUS Phil

CARUSO Damiano

MÄDER Gino

Bora-Hansgrohe

ACKERMANN Pascal

BENNEDETTI Cesare

ZWIEHOFF Ben

BUCHMANN Emanuel

KONRAD Patrick

LAAS Martin

SCHWARZMANN Michael

Cofidis 

VIVIANI Elia

SABATINI Fabio

FERNÁNDEZ Rubén

VIVIANI Attilio

ROCHAS Rémy

VANBILSEN Kenneth

HAAS Nathan

Deceuninck - Quick-Step

BENNETT Sam

ALMEIDA João

MØRKØV Michael

KEISSE Iljo

ARCHBOLD Shane

MASNADA Fausto

CATTANEO Mattia

EF Education-Nippo 

HIGUITA Sergio

GUERREIRO Ruben

URÁN Rigoberto

ARROYAVE Daniel

BISSEGGER Stefan

POWLESS Neilson

CRADDOCK Lawson

Groupama-FDJ

BRUNEL Alexys

BONNET William

VALTER Attila

LADAGNOUS Matthieu

ROUX Anthony

BADILATTI Matteo

DELAGE Mickaël

Ineos Grenadiers

YATES Adam

GANNA Filippo

SOSA Iván

ROWE Luke

AMADOR Andrey

MARTÍNEZ Daniel

RIVERA Brandon

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux

TAARAMÄE Rein

MEINTJES Louis

HIRT Jan

PETILLI Simone

VAN MELSEN Kévin

KREDER Wesley

MINALI Riccardo

Israel Start-Up Nation 

FROOME Chris

HERMANS Ben

GREIPEL André

GOLDSTEIN Omer

DOWSETT Alex

ZABEL Rick

BRÄNDLE Matthias

Team Jumbo-Visma

DEKKER David

KUSS Sepp

VINGEGAARD Jonas

BOUWMAN Koen

PFINGSTON Christoph

HARPER Chris

VAN EMDEN Jos

Lotto-Soudal

EWAN Caleb

VAN DER SANDE Tosh

DE GENDT Thomas

KLUGE Roger

DE BUYST Jasper

SWEENY Harry

VANHOUCKE Harm

Team BikeExchange

GROVES Kaden

MEZGEC Luka

GRMAY Tsgabu

COLLEONI Kevin

HEPBURN Michael

BAUER Jack

SCHULTZ Nick

Team DSM 

BOL Cees

DAINESE Alberto

ARNDT Nikias

DONOVAN Mark

ARENSMAN Thyman

KRAGH ANDERSEN Asbjørn

STORK Florian

Team Qhubeka-Assos 

NIZZOLO Giacomo

TANFIELD Harry

HANSEN Lasse Norman

POZZOVIVO Domenico

LINDEMAN Bert-Jan

WALSCHEID Max

PELUCCHI Matteo

Trek-Segafredo

NIBALI Vincenzo

MOSCHETTI Matteo

REIJNEN Kiel

TIBERI Antonio

SKJELMOSE JENSEN Mattias

LIEPINŠ Emīls

DE KORT Koen

Alpecin-Fenix 

VAN DER POEL Mathieu

PHILIPSEN Jasper

SBARAGLI Kristian

VERVAEKE Louis

VERMEERSCH Gianni

VERGAERDE Otto

JANS Roy

Chris Froome makes his debut for Israel Start-Up Nation

At the 2021 UAE Tour (starting on Sunday this week), Chris Froome will do something he hasn’t done since all the way back in 2009 — compete in a bike race for a team other than Ineos.

Froome left Ineos after 11 successful seasons to sign instead for Israel Start-Up Nation, in the hope of reinvigorating his career following the long process of recovery and rehab he’s undergone since the horrific crash of June 2019. The UAE Tour will give us the first glimpse of how well he’s integrating with new team-mates like compatriot Alex Dowsett.

As his first race of the season, it will also provide revealing signs of what we can expect from him for the rest of the season, and whether the 35-year-old is indeed capable of rediscovering, or even partially rediscovering, his old form after such a long time away from the top level.

Froome also began his 2020 season at the UAE Tour, but was well off the pace — understandably seeing as that was his first race in the eight months since the crash. But this performance set the tone for the rest of the season, as he struggled to get up to speed and never found anything like his pre-injury form.

This time, Froome insists he’s in much better shape, and believes that the process of rehab is finally behind him. Whether or not that means he can start competing for victories again is something we should begin to discover next week.

Tour winner Tadej Pogačar is favourite for victory

As the first WorldTour race of the season, the UAE Tour will attract a stellar start list, with stars such as Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) and Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) all making their set to start their seasons here.

One rider stands out as the clear headliner, though — Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who will appear in his first race since finishing third at Liège-Bastogne-Liège last October, and his first stage race since his historic overall victory at the Tour de France.

Huge things are expected of the young Slovenian this season following that victory, and we can expect him to start with all guns blazing at the UAE Tour. As the home race of their Emirati sponsors, this is an important race for his team, so Pogačar will have more of an incentive to ride victory than some of the other big names, who may at this early stage of the season be more preoccupied with gradually building their form.

Pogačar was second overall in last year’s edition, winning on the summit finish at Jebel Hafeet (in what turned out to be the final stage before the outbreak of Covid abruptly ended the race), but not taking enough time on Adam Yates to win the race overall. With everything he has achieved since then, he enters this race as clear favourite, and the cycling world waits with bated breath to see what the sport’s new superstar will do next.

Some serious climbing on Jebel Hafeet and Jebel Jais

This part of the world might be more associated with desert landscapes and flat terrain, but the organisers have located and included two significant mountains that should, along with stage two’s 13km individual time trial, make for a compelling GC battle.

Stage three finishes atop Jebel Hafeet, a 10.8km climb first introduced in the now-defunct Abu Dhabi Tour that is characterised by a steady gradient that mostly hovers at around seven per cent. The final showdown of the race will occur two days later on Jebel Jais, a long, 20km climb located on the northern border with Oman and that is the highest point in the country.

These stages will give climbers the chance to gain time and compete for overall honours, including Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), the on-form Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) fresh from his fourth overall at the Tour de la Provence, and Sepp Kuss, who will get a rare chance to ride as leader in the absence of his star Jumbo-Visma team-mates.

The steady natures of the climbs might mean a sizable group remains together at the top for a sprint (as happened in 2019 on Jebel Jais when Primož Roglič was victorious), which could play into the hands of climbers with sharp kicks like Sergio Higuita (EF Education-Nippo), and, if he’s still got the legs, quadragenarian Alejandro Valverde (Movistar).

But it’s the addition of a time trial to this year’s edition at Al Hudayriat Island that looks set to shape the GC race, as it allows strong time triallists a platform to gain a lead to defend on these two mountains. Consequently, 2020 revelation João Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick-Step), along with Pogačar, look like the men to beat for overall victory.

A classy field for the bunch sprints

There’s no middle-ground in their year’s UAE Tour route. When the riders aren’t battling for GC on one of the two mountain top finishes or the time trial, they’ll be preparing for a bunch sprint for the race’s four pan-flat stages.

That won’t suit the likes of Mathieu van der Poel who thrive on small hills and rolling terrain but does give the sprinters multiple chances to open their account for 2021.

Two of the stars of last year, Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) will make their 2021 season bow here, and will be looking to stamp their authority among the sprinters at this early stage of the season; as will Elia Viviani, who will be desperate to reignite his career after a barren first season for Cofidis, and bright young talent Jasper Philipsen, of whom big things are expected at new team Alpecin-Fenix following his stage win at the Vuelta at the end of last season.

Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka-Assos) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) head into the UAE on sterling form having won respectively at last weekend’s Clasica de Almeria and Tour de la Provence, while Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Fernando Gaviria (UAE Emirates) will be looking to find some form having performed underwhelmingly in those races.

It’s hard to pick a winner on what could be some very open bunch sprints, and plenty of drama should therefore be provided in between the GC stages.

New faces and on-form riders at Ineos Grenadiers

While Chris Froome makes his debut for Israel Start-Up Nation, a couple of the riders brought in to replace him will also be making their first appearances for Ineos Grenadiers.

Adam Yates is one, and will enter the race as defending champion having last year triumphed on Jebel Hafeet. Daniel Martínez is the other, as he competes for the first time since his transfer from EF Education-Nippo.

Both riders look like possible overall winners, but may have to cede leadership duty if Iván Sosa continues his current run of form. The Colombian was on flying form at the Tour de la Provence last week, and won the overall classification following a powerful attack on Mont Ventoux. He’ll therefore be one of the favourites for overall victory here, although the time trial may count against him.

One rider who most certainly won't be disappointed by the inclusion of a time trial this year will be Ineos’ Filippo Ganna. The Italian is currently enjoying an extraordinary run of seven consecutive victories in stages against the clock, including last year’s World Championships, and the odds are overwhelmingly in his favour of making it eight.

Chris Froome is poised to kickstart the next step in his career, as he makes his Israel Start-Up Nation debut in the Middle East.  

The British Grand Tour star will be racing the UAE Tour, the first WorldTour race of the season, from Sunday (February 21) until February 27.

Froome has parted ways with Ineos Grenadiers (formerly Team Sky) after a decade of dominance in the biggest races, as he tries to re-find his old form after is career-threatening crash in 2019. 

Israel Start-Up Nation have now revealed the team that will be joining Froome in the UAE, including veteran sprinter Andre Greipel and British time trial specialist Alex Dowsett. 

Froome said: “It is with much anticipation that I will be kicking off my 2021 season in Dubai at the UAE Tour. 

“It will be my first race with Israel Start-Up Nation and the start of a new an exciting adventure for me. I look forward to racing with my new team-mates and testing out my legs after a productive winter.” 

Along with Froome, Greipel and Dowsett, the Israel WorldTour team will be taking Ben Hermans, Omer Goldstein, Rick Zabel and Matthias Brändle to the week-long stage race. 

The team’s sports manager Rik Verbrugghe said:  “We aim for the highest results, but it is hard to put a number on that. We want to show that [Andre] Greipel is still in the highest ranks amongst sprinters, and that [Ben] Hermans and [Chris] Froome are strong climbers.”  

Kjell Carlstrom, the team manager at ISN, said: “Being as it’s Chris’s first race following a good and successful period of training and rehab, we expect him to use the UAE Tour as a building block to further develop his shape towards the bigger objectives that are waiting down the line.” 

Froome spent his winter training in California in the United States, as he underwent  further rehabilitation for his serious leg break, suffered in the 2019 Criterium du Dauphine.

The 35-year-old had been trying to address a power imbalance between his two legs after the injury, as he chases his goal of winning a fifth Tour de France title. 

ISN’s performance manager Paulo Saldanha said: “The UAE Tour will be a great opportunity to get Chris back to his race rhythm and speed. Above and beyond helping and supporting his team through the race, the race will be a good test of his newly balanced musculature.”

Dowsett said: “I am a looking forward to racing with Chris Froome. Last time Chris and I rode together was in 2011, when we were both on the Team Sky C-team, so this is surely going to be lots of fun.” 

The Israeli squad competing in the UAE is also a symbolic gesture for the team, owing to the previous tensions between the two nations. 

>>> Tao Geoghegan Hart takes a knee and reveals he will sponsor a rider to improve diversity in cycling  

Team owner, Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams said: “Last year I noted that our Israeli team was warmly welcomed in the UAE.

“Emiratis stood in line to get our riders’ autographs and souvenir bidons with the word ‘Israel’ emblazoned on them,” 

“I truly believe that sports interactions, such as ISN’s racing in the UAE Tour, were building blocks, bridging these new, very warm relations with our neighbours. Happy to be back.”  

Israel Start-Up Nation squad for the UAE Tour 2021

Chris Froome (GBr)

Alex Dowsett (GBr)

Andre Greipel (Ger)

Ben Hermans (Bel)

Omer Goldstein (Isr)

Rick Zabel (Ger)

Matthias Brändle (Aut)

Tadej Pogačar will make his 2021 debut at the UAE Tour, leading his UAE Team Emirates squad.

The Slovenian will start his season at the first men’s WorldTour race of the year, having challenged for the victory and won a stage in the Middle East stage race last year.

Pogačar, winner of the 2020 Tour de France, is confident of his form after a successful winter training campaign and says he would like to win his team’s home race.

The 22-year-old said: “It’s my first race of the season so I’m excited to get started and get back competing again. My preparation has gone really well. We’ve been on Mount Teide training at altitude over the past few weeks with a good group and done a quality block of training with a great atmosphere.

“I was thrilled to get the stage win here last year. Obviously it will be a bit of a different atmosphere this year but we are all really motivated to race and give our all in the UAE colours.

“Between holidays and training camps I have spent a lot of time in the UAE lately and I can say that the UAE Tour is a race I would really love to win someday. If it can be this year then that would be great.”

UAE Team Emirates will also take Fernando Gaviria for the sprints, along with Mikkel Bjerg, Davide Formolo, Rafał Majka, Jan Polanc and Maximiliano Richeze.

Pogačar finished the 2020 UAE Tour in second-place overall, having won the second summit finish on Jabel Hafeet.

Adam Yates (then Mitchelton-Scott), came away with the overall victory as the race was cut short due to a coronavirus outbreak.

This year’s UAE Tour will be the first men’s WorldTour event of the year after the cancellation of the Tour Down Under due to the global pandemic.

The race will feature a selection of star riders, including Adam Yates making his Ineos Grenadiers debut and Chris Froome starting with Israel Start-Up Nation.

>>> UAE Tour start list: Chris Froome, Tadej Pogačar and Caleb Ewan all down to race in 2021 

UAE Team Emirates manager Joxean Matxin Fernandez said: “Our aim will be to pick up where we left the race last year: with a victory. Whether it’s the GC or a stage or both, we are searching for that first win of 2021 and to achieve it on home soil would be fantastic.

"We’re on home territory and we know that all eyes will be on us but it’s something we’ll use as further motivation. Pogačar will be our leader but the reality is it’s a squad that can adapt to any situation and we will have different cards to play, especially on the climbs.

"Gaviria has a good track record here also and will be our main man for the sprint finishes.”

UAE Team Emirates squad for the UAE Tour 2021

Tadej Pogačar (Slo)

Davide Formolo (Ita)

Jan Polanc (Slo)

Mikkel Bjerg (Den)

Rafał Majka (Pol)

Fernando Gaviria (Col)

Maximiliano Richeze (Arg)

Ineos Grenadiers have announced their lineup for the upcoming UAE Tour and, as to be expected, it is stacked with talent.

The team has put all their focus on the general classification and a potential time trial stage win as well, completely ignoring the sprint stages, as you would expect considering they don't really have a sprinter in their roster.

The out-and-out leader is likely to be defending champion, Adam Yates, who is down to make his long-awaited debut for the British super-team. Yates was in commanding form at the race last year, taking a stage win as well as the overall ahead of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) who also returns.

>>> UAE Tour start list: Chris Froome, Tadej Pogačar and Caleb Ewan all down to race in 2021

A potential second option, fresh off the back of overall victory at the Tour de la Provence, is Iván Sosa, he will likely be in a supporting role, but also a very useful tactical play should they need him, much like at Provence.

Favourite for stage two victory is time trial world champion, Filippo Ganna, with the 13km pan flat individual time trial possibly the most ideal route for the Italian.

Another potential general classification rider could be 2020 Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de France stage winner, Daniel Martínez, who is also making his debut for the team. This new influx of GC talent may work perfectly or cause yet more conundrums for the team that has a vast array of GC riders already.

The final three riders are three very important ones, Andrey Amador will be there to set up the climbs for the leader, whoever that is.

Luke Rowe will help guide the team's main man in the potential crosswinds on the flat stages in the wide open spaces of the UAE desert.

Brandon Rivera is the last man on the list, likely to be the first man on the front of the peloton, setting the pace before hitting the final climb where he will likely peel off. He will also hope to have a good ride in the ITT.

The UAE Tour starts this coming Sunday (February 21) and has attracted a plethora of talent due to several other big races being cancelled, this means the first WorldTour race of the season has been inundated with some of the biggest names in the sport.

Ineos Grenadiers UAE Tour lineup

YATES Adam

SOSA Iván

GANNA Filippo

MARTÍNEZ Daniel

AMADOR Andrey

ROWE Luke

RIVERA Brandon

Chris Froome has posted his final training ride in California on Strava, before heading out to make his Israel Start-Up Nation debut at the UAE Tour.

The seven-time Grand Tour winner set over 20 new personal bests on his final ride near Los Angeles on Sunday (February 14), as well as several top-10s on some of the climbs in the area with Australian pro rider, Cameron Wurf (Ineos Grenadiers) and Michele Lisi from Subaru Santa Monica Racing.

>>> Nacer Bouhanni said he would have won Tour de la Provence sprint if he wasn’t pushed into barriers by Ballerini

Froome went on a 147.35km ride that took just under five hours and had 2,578 metres of elevation, as the British Grand Tour specialist tested his legs.

His ride started off flat as they rode along the coast out of Santa Monica, through Malibu and out before turning back and starting the climbs on in the second half of the ride.

The climbs they took on were the Yerba Buena, where Froome posted the sixth fastest time as well as the Piuma Road climb, which was taken at a much easier pace.

Froome has been training in southern California and spending time at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Santa Monica, where he has been working hard to overcome his 20 per cent deficit in his right quad after his horrific crash in 2019.

In a recent piece by Red Bull, Froome said that he is confident that has moved on from rehab and can now focus on building towards another hit at a record-equaling fifth Tour de France title.

Froome is set to start his season at the first WorldTour race of the season, the UAE Tour, where he will go up against the likes of Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), defending UAE Tour champion Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) and a whole host of big names as he hopes to put on a good showing.

He's also expected to ride the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and the Critérium du Dauphiné before heading to the Tour and his main goal of a fifth yellow jersey in Paris.