Colombian cyclist Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Emirates) won the fourth stage of the fifth edition of the United Arab Emirates Tour, the UAE Tour, a 174-kilometre day with a completely flat profile held this Thursday between Al Shindagha and Dubai Harbor , in which the Belgian world champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) kept the red jersey.
Molano (Paipa, 28 years old), winner of the Madrid stage in the 2022 Vuelta a España, alleviated his team’s adverse streak in the home race, without victories so far and without options in the general, affected by the Loss of the Slovenian and supreme boss Tadej Pogacar.
The Colombian signed his 20th conquest, and the second in a row for Colombia after the one achieved by his compatriot from Movistar Einer Rubio at the top of Jebel Jais.
A tight sprint to the very finish line, where Molano put the wheel in before the 21-year-old Dutchman Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) and the Australian pistard winner of two stages in the Tour of San Juan Sam Welsford (DSM), giving time to a peloton that closed the stage in 3 hours, 50 minutes and 1 second, at an average of 45.3 km/h.
The Frenchman Baudin and the Italians Tonelli and Zoccarato starred in the breakaway of the day, always controlled by the sprinters’ teams, who knew it was a day for them, especially Caleb Ewan’s Lotto, Sam Bennett’s Bora-Hnasgrohe and the Jayco-AlUla by Dylan Groenewegen.
Arriving at the port of Dubai, 2.7 kilometers from the finish line, the escape of the brave trio came to an end, who could do nothing in the face of the unleashed momentum of the peloton. The sprint was sung, and in it the voice of Juan Sebastián Molano, the fastest of all, sounded loud.
On a day of transition, Evenepoel kept the red jersey without any difficulty with a 7-second advantage over Australian Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers) and 11 over Spanish Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious). The three favorites will play the general on Sunday with the ascent to Jebel Hafeet.
The UAE Tour will continue this Friday with the dispute of its fifth stage, of 170 kilometers and which will link Al Marjan Island and Umm al Quwain, propitious for a sprint arrival.
Classification of the 4th stage:
1. Juan Sebastián Molano (COL/UAE Emirates) – 3:50:01
2. Olav Kooij (NED/Jumbo-Visma) – m.t.
3. Sam Welsford (AUS/DSM) – m.t.
4. Arvid de Kleijn (NED/Swiss Racing Academy) – m.t.
5. Dylan Groenewegen (NED/Jayco-AlUla) – m.t.
6. Danny van Poppel (NED/Bora-Hansgrohe) – m.t.
7. Marijn van den Berg (NED/EF-EasyPost) – m.t.
8. Sam Bennett (IRL/Bora-Hansgrohe) – m.t.
9. Tim Merlier (BEL/Soudal-Quick Step) – m.t.
10. Jon Aberasturi (ESP/Trek-Segafredo) – m.t.
General ranking:
1. Remco Evenepoel (BEL/Soudal-Quick Step) – 12:17:23
2. Lucas Plapp (AUS/Ineos Grenadiers) at 0:07
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP/Bahrain-Victorious) at 0:11
4. Stefan de Bod (RSA/EF-EasyPost) at 1:01
5. Wouter Poels (NED/Bahrain-Victorious) at 1:04
6. Harm Vanhoucke (BEL/DSM) at 1:10
7. Andreas Leknessund (NOR/DSM) at 1:10
8. Einer Rubio (COL/Movistar) at 1:11
9. Georg Steinhauser (GER/EF-EasyPost) at 1:11
10. Adam Yates (GBR/UAE Emirates) at 1:12
Source: www.nuestrociclismo.ar