Crafty Slovenian gains precious seconds on exciting stage
Thursday 24 February, 2022
Tadej Pogačar put in a strong but calm display on Stage 5 of the UAE Tour, defying bad luck while extending his lead in the general classification by a further 2 seconds.
Pogačar played his cards well on the flat but windy day from Ras al Khaimah Corniche to Al Marjan Island (182km), taking second behind the flying Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) in an intermediate sprint to extend his lead to 4’’ over second place in the GC, Filippo Ganna (Ineos-Grenadiers). Philipsen would go on to win the stage which had a dramatic finish in store for Pogacar and UAE.
The 23-year old once again had to call upon his teammates when at -6.4km from the finish he suffered an untimely puncture. Mikkel Bjerg was first to come back to help, with the rest of the UAE Team Emirates squad dropping back to safely deliver their leader back to the peloton before the finish.
Pogačar : “We didn’t panic when I punctured, I believe in the guys and they brought me back safe to the bunch. It was a perfect team job.
Alpecin were attacking during the whole stage and we managed to be present in every attack. We arrived to the bonus sprint with about 35 riders and I saw the opportunity to go for it. And to get a few bonus seconds but Jasper is just that bit faster! We had some echelons but here its wide roads so you can move up a bit easier. But you still have to be careful. ”
Tomorrow, stage 6, will be a big day for the race as the Expo 2020 Dubai takes centre stage with the start and finish of the flat 180km day held at the global event.
Stage 5 results
- Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) 4:17:05
2.Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) s.t
3.Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) s.t
General classification after Stage 5
- Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) 18:19:37
2.Filippo Ganna (Ineos) +4’’
3.Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora Hansgrohe) +14’’
6.Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +30’’
