In Croatia, UAE Team Emirates Gen Z came out on top at the Croatian one-day race, UMAG Classic. Winning the bunch sprint in Umag, Matthias Schwarzbacher continued his fine start to life in UAE Team Emirates colors, picking up his first win for the Gen Z squad.
With recent outings for the WorldTour squad yielding eighth place at Trofeo Ses Salines and 15th in the Clásica Jaén, the Slovakian rider was full of confidence heading into the Croatian test.
Back alongside his UAE Team Emirates Gen Z teammates, Schwarzbacher saw his team control a breakaway of just two riders towards the front of the peloton, with a bunch finish to be expected at the end of the race. In turn, Schwarzbacher maintained a smart position alongside Davide Stella as the flamme rouge beckoned, with Stella a recent winner at the Tour of Sharjah.
With Stella in the wheel of Schwarzbacher, the pair looked well set inside the final kilometre, and it was the latter who emerged triumphant. Produding a long sprint that could not be matched by his rivals, Schwarzbacher roared to victory at the end of the 142.3km-long race.
UMAG Classic results
- Matthias Schwarzbacher (UAE Team Emirates Gen Z) 3:03:58
- Filippo Fortin (Team Solution Tech-Vini Fantini) s.t
- Tobiasz Pawlak (Voster ATS Team) s.t
