Pogacar wins his second UAE Tour atop Jebel Hafeet

Slovenian takes a hat trick of Jebel Hafeet stages and bags another GC victory
Today’s stage video highlights are available to download below (digital media only / NO broadcast)

Jebel Hafeet, 26 February 2022 – Tadej Pogacar won the iconic Jebel Hafeet stage for the third year in a row and the UAE Tour, organised by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, for the second time running. Already the race leader before Stage 7, the Mubadala Stage, he kept rival Adam Yates (second overall) on a leash and took the command in the final kilometer to sprint to victory, making him the undisputed winner of the fourth edition of the race. Third on the line, Spain’s Pello Bilbao also moved onto to the final podium while Jasper Philipsen claimed the Green Jersey of the points competition and Dmitrii Strakhov took the Black Jersey of the intermediate sprints at the end of a great week of racing throughout the United Arab Emirates.

(Photo Credits Yasser Abras)

DOWNLOAD

• Final Results
• Photo Gallery
• Stage 7 Video with commentary (digital media only / NO broadcast)
  Stage 7 Video without commentary (digital media only / NO broadcast)
• Press Conference Video

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
2 – Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) at 22″
3 – Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) at 48″
STAGE RESULT
1 – Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), 148km in 3h20’24”, average speed 44.311km/h
2 – Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) at 1″
3 – Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) at 5″

OFFICIAL JERSEYS

• Red Jersey, General Classification. Sponsor: International Holding Company – Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
• Green Jersey, Points Classification. Sponsor: Italian Trade Agency (ICE) – Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix)
• White Jersey, Young Rider Classification. Sponsor: Nakheel – Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
• Black Jersey, Intermediate Sprint Classification. Sponsor: Abu Dhabi Aviation – Dmitrii Strakhov (Gazprom-Rusvelo)

H.E. Aref Al Awani, General Secretary Abu Dhabi Sports Council, H.H. Sheik Sultan bin Tahnoon al Nahyan, Chairman of Board of Frontline Heroes Office, Major General Maktoum Ali Al Asharifi, Director-General, Abu Dhabi Police and Peter Abraham Chief Strategy Officer International Holding Company with the final podium of the UAE Tour
PRESS CONFERENCE

The Red Jersey Tadej Pogacar, winner of the 4th edition of the UAE Tour, said: “It’s always a pleasure to win at Jebel Hafeet, especially after such hard work from the team. Firstly, Rafal [Majka] tried to attack. I would have been happy to let him go for the stage win but it was not possible from a long distance so we re-established ourselves. All my teammates pulled very hard. At some point, Adam [Yates] went on the attack and it was one of the hardest attacks I’ve ever experienced. It was really hard. I waited for Joao Almeida and Rafal to come back. Joao counter-attacked to take his chance for the stage win but he was brought back and we focused on the sprint for the win. It worked out well. The UAE Tour is the first goal of the season for us. It’s our home race. It’s important for our sponsors, so we don’t waste our time in the winter and we try to be ready for this race. From now on I’ll try to be in good shape for as long as possible.”

Runner up Adam Yates said: “Big thanks to all the guys. Today was the last mountain stage and we put a lot of effort into it. We’ve been working hard and well as a team all week, not just for GC but for the sprints too. I’ve really enjoyed being a part of it. Today we came up short but not through any lack of effort. On the first attack I went full gas until I couldn’t go any more. I had a look behind and was hoping [Pogacar] wasn’t there – but it’s pretty hard to drop a double Tour de France winner. I tried again right at the end and I still couldn’t get rid of him. On a finish like this he’s pretty quick in a sprint. All in all I think we can be happy with how we’ve raced – there’s plenty to build on. Luke (Plapp) is a young guy but you can see how strong he is. He’s got real potential and you can see how motivated he is. I’m sure he’s got a big future ahead of him.”

Third in the GC Pello Bilbao said: “It’s a great pleasure to make the podium of the UAE Tour with those two greats of cycling. It was a surprise for me to come here. I was told to come, just one week beforehand. I had done it twice previously but not at my best. The third time has been the good one. I’ve been here with very young teammates and the way they rode for me today was like they had been doing it for ages. I’m super proud of this team.”

Green Jersey winner Jasper Philipsen said: “We got a teammate in the breakaway so it was the best situation for us in the defence of the green jersey. Then for me it was all about finishing well and doing some extra kilometres of training for the next part of the season that will include Paris-Nice and the classics. We can be very happy with two stage wins and the green jersey. We’ve had a great week of racing here in the UAE.”

Data collected by Velon’s devices on the riders’ bikes tells a detailed story of the stage. An infographic about today’s stage can be downloaded here.

UAE TOUR PRESS ROOM
The media can download high resolution pictures of the race from the official online pressroom. In order to download the pictures, just go to http://pressroom.rcssport.it/ (username: press / password: press), select “Media”, then “Cycling”, then UAE Tour. The photos are free of charge for editorial use, as long as both the UAE Tour and the photographer’s name are credited.

Photo Credit: LaPresse