Pogacar beats Yates in final stage and wins UAE Tour for 2nd time

Pogacar beats Yates in final stage

Tadej Pogacar has won the Tour of the United Arab Emirates for the second year in a row on Saturday. The Slovenian closed the WorldTour race in style by winning the final stage of 148 kilometers with an uphill finish.

Adam Yates attacked the final climb 3 kilometers before the finish in a last-ditch effort to keep leader Pogacar from taking the overall victory. However, the leader of UAE Team Emirates was able to follow easily, shook off Yates in the final meters and crossed the finish line cheering after the 10.8 kilometer long final climb.

Last year, the battle for the overall victory in the Emirates was also between 23-year-old Pogacar and six years older Yates. The INEOS Grenadiers rider, who did win the final in 2020, then finished second in the standings, 35 seconds behind the Slovenian. 

The margin is now 22 counts.

Yates crossed the finish line a second behind Pogacar in the seventh and final stage. The podium was completed by Spaniard Pello Bilbao, who finished five seconds behind the Slovenian overall winner. He is also in third place in the final standings.

Pogacar beats Yates in final stage

Dumoulin has to unload, Arensman best Dutchman

Tom Dumoulin was unable to keep up with the favorites in the final stage and had to release early. He crossed the line 4 minutes and 41 seconds later than Pogacar (43rd). The best Dutchman was Team DSM rider Thymen Arensman, who finished in thirteenth place just over a minute from Pogacar.

With his victory in the final stage, Pogacar ends the Tour of the United Arab Emirates with two stage wins. The two-time Tour de France winner also won the only other mountain stage on Wednesday.

The Tour of the United Arab Emirates was the first World Tour race of 2022. The one-day races Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne are also on the program in Belgium this weekend.

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