Lotto-Dstny inspires Van Eetvelt's quest for stage win and general classification victory: "I thought my power meter was broken!"

Primoz Roglic, Tadej Pogacar, and Remco Evenepoel have all won before, but on Sunday, Lennert Van Eetvelt added his name to the prestigious list of UAE Tour overall winners. In a dramatic final stage to Jebel Hafeet, the young Belgian from Lotto-Dstny managed to secure a slim two-second margin over Ben O'Connor.

Entering the day in ninth place in the general classification, 37 seconds behind Jay Vine, Van Eetvelt was met with encouragement. "This morning, everyone was telling me to go all out, to aim for the overall win as well. I told them to keep their feet on the ground, considering I was still quite far behind competitors like Vine. But, executing the plan I had in my mind and succeeding is something I still can't wrap my head around."

Van Eetvelt played all or nothing

"Incredible, I can't believe it", Van Eetvelt stammers in the flash interview, just after he hears he won both the stage and the general classification. With the wind full against them on Jebel Hafeet, things turned out differently than expected. "I expected the race to be harder towards the final climb. The wind was not easy, but we were still in a pretty large group. Two kilometers below the summit, I went all-in, all or nothing. On Wednesday at Jebel Jais, I was disappointed I hadn't done that, so I wanted to go for it. I am so fucking happy."

"I hope this is the beginning of more," he responds to the question of whether this double victory heralds more to come. "I knew I had made significant progress this winter, but I thought my power meter was broken when I attacked," he jokes. That turned out not to be the case...

O'Connor disappointed over missed opportunity

Where one celebrates, another mourns. Representing Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, O'Connor found himself in a virtual lead after Jay Vine of UAE-Team Emirates fell back. All he had to do was prevent anyone from breaking away. According to him, however, there was nothing to be done about Van Eetvelt. "I'm a bit disappointed, as the overall victory would have been a fantastic moment for me. I did win a stage, performed well in the time trial, and I finish second in the general classification. You want to win, but this UAE Tour is still a success."

Pello Bilbao, the third-place finisher in the general classification, was also satisfied. He moved up two spots on the final day. "It was a strange day, with intense racing. I might have been a bit too eager on the final climb, but I felt strong and wanted to go for the win. I wanted to win for my birthday and for the team, who saved me in the echelons and brought me back. I raced with my heart, but couldn't follow the best. Afterwards, I focused and rode for the bonus seconds and the podium."