A superb ride from Giulio Ciccone sees him finish second atop Jebel Hafeet to secure second overall on the General Classification, while Jonathan Milan took maximum points at both intermediate sprints to ensure he took home the final green jersey of the week.
Reaction from Giulio Ciccone
“Second place is not a victory but I’m quite happy. Today was a crazy stage so I can be happy with a second place behind Pogi. I’m happy with my shape, my condition and also about the team because they did a super great job. In general, I’m really happy.
I think [the echelons] was the hardest part of the stage for me. In this moment it’s hard to be in the right place, but I think my teammates did something really special for me today and I need to say thanks to them. I finished on the podium in GC, which is always something good. I’m proud and I think it’s the best way to start the new season and let’s continue like this.”
Reaction from Jonathan Milan
“For us it was important to bring Ciccone in the best spot possible to get through the echelons, and also to bring home this [Green] Jersey. It was pretty close between me and Merlier on the points so I prefer to go in the break and take the first points. When the first group chased us I just kept working with my guys and in the end we always supported Ciccone and he delivered a perfect and beautiful result today.
We came here to win as much as we could, and to win this Green Jersey. We achieved a lot in this UAE Tour and we are really happy about it. We will also learn a lot about this UAE Tour and it’s always important to watch the mistakes we make and learn from this.”
