Tadej Pogacar claimed a maiden victory in the fourth edition of the 2022 UAE Tour, taking the win on Stage 4, the Burjeel Medical City Stage, organised by Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Pogacar finished first atop Jebel Jais after his team UAE Team Emirates smashed the remains of the bunch in the uphill finish, leaving Pogacar to outsprint Adam Yates and Alexandr Vlasov, two of his main challengers. Tom Dumoulin, who started Stage 4 with an advantage of four seconds over the Slovenian ace, was unable to hold the pace but runner up on GC Filippo Ganna amazingly finished just behind the main group that crossed the line three seconds after Pogacar. Pogacar moved into the lead with three stages to go including the grand finale that will take place on his favourite climb Jebel Hafeet. Ganna remains in second place with a deficit of only two seconds.
Pogacar said: “I always want to win, like all the riders on the start line of a bike race. This was a good race for me and for our team. We tried multiple times to split the group with Rafa [Majka] and Joao [Almeida]. If the climb was any harder today, I’d have put my money on Rafa for the stage win. He was one of the strongest riders. When we saw that it was coming down to a sprint, Rafa and Joao did a great lead out for me. I’m so happy to take the win. It pays off for the hard work we’ve done during the off season. I was emotional at the end because of the team’s hard work”.
H.E. Aref Al Awani, General Secretary Abu Dhabi Sports Council, H.E. Abdullah Al Abdooli CEO of Majan, Ahmed Ibrahim, International Holding Company Head of Corporate Communication and Media and Mr John Sunil Regional CEO Burjeel Hospital Al Ain and Abu Dhabi awarded the Red Jersey to Tadej Pogacar.
2022 UAE Tour: Stage 4 Brief Results
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), 181km in 4h49’24”, average speed 37.525km/h
- Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) s.t.
- Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA – hansgrohe) s.t.
General Classification After Stage 4:
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
- Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) at 2″
- Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA – hansgrohe) at 13″
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), worn by Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates)
Black Jersey, Intermediate Sprint Classification. Sponsor: Abu Dhabi Aviation – Dmitrii Strakhov (Gazprom-Rusvelo)
Tomorrow’s Stage: Ras al Khaimah Corniche – Al Marjan Island (182km)
The stage starts in Ras-al-Khaimah to cross the desert after the departure. At the foot of Jebel Jais it then heads to Umm al Quwain and north across the desert again to almost reach Ras al Khaimah before heading to Marjan Island for the final sprint. The entire route takes place on wide, well-paved and essentially straight roads through the desert where wind and sometimes sand can affect the peloton.
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