The opening of the 2021 WorldTour season took the riders today from Al Dharfa to Al Mirfa at stage one of the UAE Tour. A pancake flat profile offered a great opportunity for the sprinters, but heavy crosswinds made it a difficult race. Right from the gun the peloton split and after a first regrouping, 26 riders went clear from the bunch with about 100 kilometers to go. There was a hard chase, but it was impossible to close the gap to the front group. M. Van der Poel took the win in the end while all BORA – hansgrohe riders finished the stage in the second group.
Results
UAE Tour – Stage 1 :
1.M. Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)
2.D. Dekker (Jumbo) +0″
3.M. Morkov (Deceuninck) +0″
50. S. Petilli (IWG) +8’29”
61. L. Meintjes (IWG) +8’29”
62. R. Minali (IWG) +8’29”
63. R. Taaramaë (IWG) +8’29”
95. K. Kreder (IWG) +8’29”
96. K. Van Melsen (IWG) +8’29”
121. J. Hirt (IWG) +8’29”
Overall Classification:
1.M. Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)
2.D. Dekker (Jumbo) +4″
3.M. Morkov (Deceuninck) +6″
50. S. Petilli (IWG) +8’39”
61. L. Meintjes (IWG) +8’39”
62. R. Minali (IWG) +8’39”
63. R. Taaramaë (IWG) +8’39”
95. K. Kreder (IWG) +8’39”
96. K. Van Melsen (IWG) +8’39”
121. J. Hirt (IWG) +8’39”
From the Finish Line
“It was a very dynamic and fast start to the race. When everything regrouped in the first headwind section, we didn’t expect another early move. But the group formed at the intermediate sprint and at that time we simply have been out of position because we didn’t go for the seconds. It is disappointing to have no rider in such a big group, but actually I cannot blame the guys for that, because at that stage was still headwind and we didn’t expect an attack. We tried everything to chase them down afterwards, but the group in front was too big and worked well together. As a result, we had to accept that there was nothing we could do anymore today.” – Enrico Poitschke, Sports Director
