Feb 24, 2023 Press Conference

Groenewegen wins Stage 5 of the UAE Tour as Evenepoel defends the Red Jersey

(©LaPresse)

Umm al Quwain (Umm al Quwain), 24 February 2023 – Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco Alula) has won Stage 5, the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority Stage of the 2023 UAE Tour, ahead of Fernando Gaviria (Movistar Team) and Sam Bennett (Bora – Hansgrohe).

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) meanwhile, has extended his General Classification lead and remains in the Red Jersey.

PROVISIONAL STAGE RESULT
1 – Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco Alula), 170km in 3h57’07”, average speed 43.016km/h
2 – Fernando Gaviria (Movistar Team) s.t.
3 – Sam Bennett (Bora – Hansgrohe) s.t.

PROVISIONAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
2 – Lucas Plapp (Ineos Grenaders) at 9″
3 – Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) at 13″

OFFICIAL JERSEYS

Red Jersey, General Classification. Sponsor: International Holding Company
– Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
Green Jersey, Points Classification. Sponsor: BeIT – Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
White Jersey, Young Rider Classification. Sponsor: Nakheel – Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
Black Jersey, Intermediate Sprint Classification. Sponsor: Experience Abu Dhabi – Edward Planckaert (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Speaking seconds after the finish, stage winner Dylan Groenewegen said: “That was a really hard sprint and I needed to have good timing. I knew my legs were good and my team put me in a really good position at the end, so this is a great victory. It’s important for me to get these wins and nice that I now have one in each of the two races I’ve ridden so far this season.”

Red Jersey holder Remco Evenepoel said: “We were in a good position in the last 20km and that was good for us, especially when [Lucas] Plapp was temporarily dropped. The rest of the stage was pretty easy but it showed that you have to stay focused. In the end everything came back together and we managed it well. It was nice to extend my lead by two seconds as well as this race could come down to very small time gaps.”