Tim Merlier makes it four days in a row that Soudal Quick-Step finishes in the top 10.
Remco Evenepoel enjoyed his first day in the overall lead of the Middle East’s only World Tour race, arriving home in the same time as the winner after 174 kilometers and almost four hours in the saddle.
Stage 4 was a rather quiet one, with a three-man breakaway in the spotlight with five kilometers to go, when the peloton made the catch. The wide roads in Dubai, where the race concluded, made for quite a chaotic finale, as every team tried to take the front of the bunch and bring its sprinter in the perfect position. Guided by Bert Van Lerberghe, Belgian Champion Tim Merlier was also there and kicked out 200 meters from the line, but he was boxed in for a split second and lost the momentum. In the end, the stage 1 winner finished in ninth place, as Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) took the victory.
Evenepoel was again in the spotlight after the stage, taking to the podium to receive the red jersey and the white one, as the 23-year-old World Champion also leads the youth classification, ahead of Friday’s journey to Umm al Quwain.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
