Australia’s Ewan claims Hatta leg once again
hatta — Australian Caleb Ewan sprinted to victory in the second stage of the UAE Tour on Monday, taking the overall lead in the process.
The 25-year-old, who also won two stages on the Tour Down Under earlier this year, edged out Irishman Sam Bennett on the uphill climb at the finish to take the win at Hatta Dam for a second straight year. Ewan took the lead in the general classification as first-stage winner Pascal Ackermann fell away on the penultimate climb.
Ewan said: “I knew from last year that you can see the finish from the bottom of the climb to Hatta Dam and it doesn’t look so far but it’s very hard and we don’t go so fast up that hill. I made sure that I kept the energy I needed for the last 50 metres.
“After the successful season I had last year I really wanted to start this season well and keep the momentum. This year’s start is better than last year’s.
“Milan-Sanremo is the race I’ve really been aiming for at the start of every season in the past few years. Nothing changes here. It’s my big goal for the first part of 2020. This year we’ll have an even better team than last year and we have a second option with Philippe Gilbert if the race is hard.”
Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, racing for the first time since a horror crash during training at the Criterium du Dauphine last June, was dropped by the leaders eight kilometres from the finish.
UAE Team Emirates brought back the break and worked tirelessly in the final few kilometres to position its riders giving Diego Ulissi a great opportunity on a brutal finish.
Diego Ulissi said “It was mainly a relaxed day in the peloton. Obviously with the steep finish at Hatta Dam it made it more complicated in the closing kilometres. It was a finish that suited the really explosive riders and I think I did well.We were all in a great position coming into the bottom and I jumped from the bottom of the climb and ended up just off the podium. I’m feeling good and it bodes well for the rest of the week.”
The team’s GC man, Tadej Pogacar signalled his intentions for the week by powering through to secure the last bonus second of the first intermediate sprint, firmly establishing his GC credentials and will be looking forward to Tuesday’s first of two Jebel Hafeet finishes. Tuesday’s third stage ends with a challenging final climb of 10.6km, with a seven percent average gradient, at Jebel Hafeet.