UAE Tour stage 7: Tadej Pogačar sprints to GC victory with Jebel Hafeet stage-win

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates) secured the GC of the 2022 UAE Tour with a sprint finish atop Jebel Hafeet.

Pogačar outkicked Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) in the final of the last stage’s summit finish to retain his title in the Emirati race.

The victory leaves Pogačar with two stage wins to add to the overall title for him and his team. It was a powerful performance by the home squad, with Rafal Majka and João Almeida putting in huge turns for the young Slovenian.

“I’m super happy to take a win at Jebel Hafeet for a third time. It suits me well,” Pogačar said at the finish. “We were riding for the stage win today, Joao [Almeida] tried to attack to steal the win but Adam [Yates] was very strong and covered it. Then we switched focus to the sprint. At one moment I was really suffering but luckily Adam slowed down too.

“Winning the UAE Tour was a really big goal for the team. I’m super proud and very happy, thanks to everyone for their support.”

Yates finished second on the stage as well as taking second step on the GC podium. Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) finished third on the stage to vault up the classification and take the bottom step of the final podium.

Both Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and American talent Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) slid down the rankings after starting the stage second and fifth respectively. Both were distanced when UAE Emirates cranked the pace on Jebel Hafeet.

The final stage of the 2022 UAE Tour began in the town of Al Ain before the riders took on a huge loop out of town to an intermediate sprint at the halfway point.

After that, the riders headed back towards Al Ain for the final intermediate sprint of the race before tackling the extremely tough climb of Jebel Hafeet.

But before then, the breakaway was formed with seven riders going clear from the peloton. Those riders were Joris Nieuwenhuis (DSM), Michael Mørkøv (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), Kaden Groves (BikeExchange-Jayco), Michael Schwarzmann (Lotto-Soudal), Gianni Vermeerch (Alpecin-Fenix), Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech) and Clément Davy (Groupama-FDJ).

Nieuwenhuis dropped back to the peloton with the gap heading out to 3:20 with 40km to go.

Ineos Grenadiers, UAE Team Emirates and Bora-Hansgrohe did almost all the work into the run-in for the climb up the Jebel Hafeet with the break only having 55 seconds at the base with just 11km to go.

Ruben Guerreiro (EF Education-EasyPost) had a mechanical right at the base of the steep gradient with 9km to go. Vermeersch went solo from the break as the rest dropped back.

Second overall, Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) dropped very early in the climb and left his leader Adam Yates to Australian champion Luke Plapp.

Vermeersch was finally caught with 7.5km to go as Austrian champion Patrick Konrad (Bora-Hansgrohe) hammered out the pace with Yates being shadowed by Pogačar in second and fourth wheel.

But it was Majka who launched the first move to test the peloton and force the chase. It was Plapp who quickly dragged the Polish climber back with 6.5km to go.

That move knocked Jan Hirt (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) out of the back. George Bennett (UAE Team Emirates) took over from Majka and Plapp as the peloton continued to be ripped apart.

Majka was joined by Joao Almeida in forcing the infernal pace for Pogačar as Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) and David de la Cruz (Astana) got dropped with 4.3km to go.

Pogačar had a very quick snipe to test the legs of his rivals with 4km to go. That shattered the group with just eight left in the lead group. Majka went back to setting the pace.

Yates kicked with 3.2km to go and Pogačar jumped straight onto his wheel in a carbon copy to the climb in 2021.

The British rider kicked again to try and drop the double Tour de France champion. But Pogačar looked in complete control. Bilbao was with Almeida just behind as Plapp helped Vlasov a few more meters back.

Pogačar happily took turns with Yates as he showed he still had good legs but Bilbao managed to bridge back to Yates and Pogačar. Almeida lost the wheel briefly but Bilbao went straight by the leaders, Almeida then made it back and attacked straight away.

Yates looked for help to chase down the Portuguese rider but Bilbao didn’t have the legs. Yates got to the wheel with 1.8km to go.

Heading under the flamme rouge, Yates tried his best to get away. That dropped Almeida and then Bilbao. Yates put in a huge move with Pogačar having to grit his teeth but Yates could not get a gap.

Pogačar went round Yates in the final 500 meters and from there on it was decided. Pogačar kicked hard and gapped Yates immediately going into the tight left hand hairpin.

Pogačar took the stage with Yates losing a single second in the end to finish second overall. Bilbao managed to hold on for third on the stage, giving him the final podium spot in the general classification