Where do we begin!!?? What an awesome finale at #UAETour. @AdamYates7 takes second place on the climb, just behind Pogacar. We also saw 𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 rides from @GannaFilippo and @LucasPlapp 👏
Adam Yates: "It was the best we could do but we gave it a crack"
CyclingWednesday, 23 February 2022 at 20:00
INEOS Grenadiers had a strong day at the UAE Tour today but came up short with both second place at the stage and in the updated overall classification. Nevertheless, team leader Adam Yates showed great form and will be targeting the race lead in the final day of the race which will see a harder summit finish at Jebel Hafeet.
"Ganna in second! A top ten of climbers and then the big fella. We did a really good race. But to be honest on this climb, it’s pretty hard to get it right. With a 5% average the whole way and the wind plays a factor so we tried to be conservative today. Plappy did a great job closing moves and then his attack was impressive in the final trying to chip off for the win. And the big fella was still there! So it’s been a good day," Yates said after the finish.
"I was with Pogacar but he’s pretty quick on this type of finish hey? It was the best we could do but we gave it a crack. Like we've said all along, Saturday will be the critical climb," he completed. Adam Yates rode a defensive climb so as to save his legs for the final sprint, but had no match when Tadej Pogacar launched his move to the line. The Briton nevertheless finished second and is now fourth placed in the overall classification, 15 seconds off Pogacar.
The team pulled off a very strong collective performance though, with Filippo Ganna benefiting from the constant gradients of the climb to survive the whole way until the finish, where he missed the race lead by a matter of two seconds. Much of this was owed to Luke Plapp, who for several times paced the peloton when attacks flew off the front, and then still had the legs to put in an attack in the final kilometer.
The Australian national champion spoke in a post-race interview: "It was… I don’t have the words! It was good fun. I thought we controlled it pretty well. But it was too easy to ride tempo up that climb I think. Once you had a gap it was too easy for the group to ride it back. But we gave it a crack and Adam got second so it keeps us in the fight for the final day and anything can happen there.
When being asked about the team's ambitions for the race win, he said :We’re still in the hunt. I had some pretty good legs today. For the first time I didn’t know where that would sit in the WorldTour, so I was pretty happy with that. But ride of the day - Pippo. It was awesome to see him do that and so nearly take the jersey."
Arguably Adam Yates will be the only rider able to threaten the lead of Tadej Pogacar, but he will have the opportunity to do so in Jebel Hafeet this saturday, a climb that he has shown in the past to be very well suited to his characteristics.
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