Last flat stage of the event goes to the escapees.
For the first time since the Middle East’s only World Tour race was created in 2019, a breakaway managed to hold off the peloton, and the most surprising fact is that it did so on a flat stage, which took place on a 180km loop around Dubai, the largest city of the country and the host of the World Expo.
Six men jumped from the bunch immediately after the start and enjoyed a three-minute maximum advantage which looked more than manageable for the bunch, but somehow the breakaway – despite losing a rider in the final hour of racing – held off the chasers by a handful of seconds and battled for the win, which was scored by Mathias Vacek (Gazprom-RusVelo).
Olympic Madison Champion Michael Mørkøv rolled over the line as Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s best placed rider. The race is set to conclude Saturday afternoon, with the summit finish of Jebel Hafeet.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
