With no changes to the top of the GC standings at #UAETour 🇦🇪today, @TamauPogi hold onto the red leader's jersey for another stage! 🔴👏 #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE
Tadej Pogacar extends lead at UAE Tour despite nearly loosing time with late puncture
CyclingThursday, 24 February 2022 at 21:00
It was a roller-coaster day for race leader Tadej Pogacar as he came very close to loosing his race lead due to a very badly timed mechanical. However, the Slovenian came out of the fifth stage of the UAE Tour with his lead extended.
“We didn’t panic when I punctured, I believed in the guys and they brought me back safe to the bunch. It was a perfect team job," Pogacar said in a post-race interview. The Slovenian had a strong day out where he was in the front echelons both times the race split, albeit with no direct gain from them. In the intermediate sprint at Umm al Quwan he then went on to take two seconds to extend his lead over Filippo Ganna and his other rivals.
"Alpecin were attacking during the whole stage and we managed to be present in every attack. We arrived to the bonus sprint with about 35 riders and I saw the opportunity to go for it. And to get a few bonus seconds but Jasper is just that bit faster! We had some echelons but here its wide roads so you can move up a bit easier. But you still have to be careful," he added.
With six kilometers to go alarm bells rang as Pogacar was seen drifting off the back of the peloton as the camera focused on his rear wheel. Despite a slow bike change, with the help of his teammates, Mikkel Bjerg mainly, and the race convoy where he managed to draft, he returned to the peloton two kilometers later.
Tomorrow should not have high wind action, but Pogacar has proven to always be ready if it does happen. At Jebel Hafeet he will have to defend his lead but if he keeps on the run of form he's showing, it will be a very complicated task to defeat him.
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- A champion turning into a sore loser. Or is he on coke again?
UltimateOpportunist23-12-2024 - If you look at the major races they’ve both been in, van der Poel had the early edge as lately Pogacar has had the advantage. It’s all on procyclingstats.RidesHills23-12-2024
- I wouldn’t assume Tadej can’t win at cross. He did a cross race, not a World Cup, a few years ago and crushed the field. It was a minor race. But he can win anywhere.mij23-12-2024
- I wonder what would happen if Pogacar attacked on the Cipressa instead of the Poggio in San Remo? Would MvdPoel still be able to follow?Ride197423-12-2024
- Debatable?Ride197423-12-2024
- The point is obvious: MVDP can beat Tadej on CX/Road and Tadej cannot. What is so hard to understand???averagecyclist22-12-2024
- Funny... one doper enabler backing the doper he enabled ! Who would have guessed.frieders322-12-2024
- Wouldn’t be here if I wasn’tMistermaumau22-12-2024
- So you're bored, got itvappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- Does everything need to have a point? If so, 99% of the internet should be wiped away. In relation to recent articles with quotes from other riders, my statement points to the ever more obvious reason why they are asked to comment on the effect of his return.Mistermaumau22-12-2024