Merlier wins final sprint stage UAE Tour with considerable advantage, Philipsen nearly knocks De Kleijn over
Cycling
Tim Merlier has overwhelmingly won the sixth stage of the UAE Tour. Like on Friday, Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG gave it his all, but it was a classic stage on a flat course. In the fourth bunch sprint of the week, Merlier proved to be the strongest, with an unprecedented lead over the other top riders. Jasper Philipsen could not keep up and may have to fear relegation after a beating from Arvid de Kleijn.
In the morning, the peloton, which had been considerably depleted by crashes, set off on a 165-kilometer ride from Abu Dhabi Cycling Club to Abu Dhabi Breakwater. A stage without any elevation and the last chance for the sprinters to sprint for the win. Four men were given leeway: Djordje Djuric, Carlos Samudio, Kristian Sbaragli (all Vini Fantini), and Manuele Tarozzi of Bardiani.
There were no big names this time in the counter-attack, although the UAE did try to disrupt things at one point. He failed, causing Pogacar to start his recovery ride. A boring spectacle, although the intermediate sprint was still enjoyable. Djuric ensured he could hang on to the black intermediate sprint jersey with a strong sprint.
Read more below the photo.
One more sprint for the top sprinters in UAE Tour
After the UAE attack, which had 72 kilometers to go, the breakaway's lead was reduced to 30 seconds, but the gap increased again in the following phase. Sprinters Alpecin-Deceuninck (Jasper Philipsen), Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe (Sam Welsford), and Souda played games with each other.
We entered the final ten kilometers with a 30-second lead over the four leaders. They finally admitted defeat, leaving us to prepare for one last royal sprint for the top sprinters. Lidl-Trek and Picnic-PostNL showed the most initiative, but Tudor put the wheels in motion with perfect timing. Arvid de Kleijn seemed able to sprint just as well, but when Merlier took off, Philipsen hit the Dutch rider hard. Merlier created an impressive advantage and was solo ahead of the rest. Philipsen came in second, Milan third.
Results stage 6 UAE Tour 2025
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Latest Comments
- Remco is still very young. And injuries can absolutely keep you from overdoing it and getting worse. The recent Remco accident didn't keep him from being able to ride a recumbent inside. Wout's knee is a different story thoughVeganpotter23-01-2025
- Van der Poel style is winning by a half a lap and leading the race from the end of the second lap.
Barnes127420-01-2025 - If she thinks talent alone will put her there she will not see many podium finishes much less a GC finish.....work as a team utilizing tactics to consistently be at the top.Germanrazor10-01-2025
- This was very informative! Luiz Antonio Duarte Ferreiraluizantonioduarteferreira02-01-2025
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024