European Champion Tim Merlier gave his best on the demanding kick to the line.
A rather short – just 138 kilometers in length – opening stage awaited the peloton Monday, when the fifth edition of the UAE Tour got underway with a trek from Madinat Zayed Shams Solar Park to Liwa Palace. Three men jumped right after the start, forming a breakaway that was kept in check by several riders, including Soudal Quick-Step’s Ayco Bastiaens – the Belgian working tirelessly behind this small group.
On paper, it should have been a day for the pure sprinters and a good opportunity for them to take the first red jersey of the race, but long before the final kilometer, they all knew the long uphill drag there – which featured gradients of 8% – could complicate matters.
As a result, unlike the previous editions, this wasn’t the straightforward bunch sprint everybody was hoping for, as the uphill ramp to the finish brought into contention also the puncheurs and even the general classification men. Tim Merlier tried to give his best out there, but the gradients were a bit too much for the Belgian, who will now look to the other opportunities the fast men will have this week, the first of which comes on Thursday.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
