Behind the smiling Pogacar finishing his training, two happy riders make their mark on the UAE podium

How can you beat Tadej Pogacar? That was the question many GC contenders asked themselves before the UAE Tour. The answer was clear after Sunday's final stage: you can't beat him. The Slovenian won the final stage to Jebel Hafeet with ease and superiority after a fast stage in which echelons played a role. And so, the two places of honor next to the Slovenians felt like a partial victory for Giulio Ciccone and Pello Bilbao.

Ciccone finished 2024 by finishing third behind Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel in the Tour of Lombardy. In his first race of 2025, the 30-year-old Italian from Lidl-Trek continued this trend. Ciccone had already surprised on day two with an excellent time trial and finished fifth on day three to Jebel Jais. On the final day to Jebel Hafeet, he was the second best rider of the day after Pogacar. Jonathan Milan also defended his green points jersey.

"Second place doesn't feel like a victory, but I'm happy with it," Cicco said, reflecting on his second place in the daily results and the GC. "I'm happy I finished behind Pogacar, but I'm pleased with my condition and team. A podium place in the GC is the best way to start the new year. I hope to continue like this."

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Bilbao accepts Pogacar's superiority

Bilbao finished third in the UAE Tour, and the Spaniard from Bahrain Victorious was also very pleased with that result. "Tadej is used to this place on the podium, but for me, it's a great feeling to stand next to him. It's been hard work this week, so I felt the pressure today. I have been on the podium here before, but given the list of participants, the competition was more challenging this time. We used our experience to achieve the best possible result."

Bilbao calls his strategy on Sunday 'being patient.' Because when Pogacar broke away with Ciccone and Oscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL), Bilbao seemed to be left with nothing. "In the past, I sometimes got nervous and started too early. Now we had the experience, and we waited. The situation was perfect, and I was convinced that if I went full throttle one time, I could make it to the podium. We are heading to Strade Bianche, one of my favorite races of the year."

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Pogacar speaks with a smile about a great day of training

And what did the winner have to say? Pogacar had it all under control: "There were a lot of guys who had a last chance to do something, to train a little," he said in the flash interview. "There were echelons, so it was a good opportunity to create chaos in the group. As GC riders, we had to be very attentive. The peloton broke apart, and it worked like a miracle. I didn't think they wanted to work together, but we made it to the finish line."

"For me, it was a perfect day," the Slovenian continued, with a sense of understatement. "I could have lived with us riding calmly to the finish to cool myself down a bit," the world champion laughed. "But it was good with Florian (Vermeersch, ed.) and Rune (Herregodts, ed.) up front; they kept me well refreshed with water. That made it not too difficult today, actually ideal."

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With 8 kilometers to go, Pogacar went solo

Pogacar's Belgian domestiques worked like crazy for their team leader. On the first slopes of Jebel Hafeet, they reduced the group of favorites to ten men. Then, the Slovenian went solo. "That was when Rune was worn out. I had only non-climbers left, and they did what they could. I decided to continue solo because I didn't want to be surprised. It was better to ride at my own pace to the top."

Despite a strong headwind, he came dangerously close to Adam Yates' climbing record. However, he slowed down in the final kilometer. The superstar's dominance was expected, but can we expect the same for the rest of the season? "We'll see. I will not ride any more stage races until the Dauphiné to focus on the one-day races. We will make the best of it and try to enjoy ourselves. We hope our legs stay strong."

Pogacar will also be at the start of the Strade Bianche on March 8, his next race this season.

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