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Thursday, February 20, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
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Current racing:
- February 17 - 23: UAE Tour
- February 19 - 23: Volta ao Algarve
Upcoming racing:
- February 22 - 23: Tour des Alpes-Maritimes
- February 26 - March 2: O Gran Camiño
- March 1: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Latest completed racing:
- February 14 - 16: Tour de la Provence
- February 16: Clásica de Almeria
- February 15: Vuelta Ciclista a la Region de Murcia
- February 8 - 12: Tour of Oman
- February 5 - 9 Etoile de Bessèges/Tour du Gard
- February 5 - 9: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- February 7: Muscat Classic
- February 1 & 2: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- February 2: GP La Marseillaise
- January 29 - February 2: Challenge Vuelta a Mallorca
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates:
With a show of strength in the final few hundred metres of stage 3, Tadej Pogačar won atop the Jebel Jais mountain in the UAE Tour for the second time of his career. It was a day decided in a sprint finish amongst the race’s best climbers, from which Pogačar made the winning acceleration and in doing so, takes the race lead for UAE Team Emirates-XRG heading into Thursday.
Tadej Pogacar wins the stage and takes the GC lead.
Following his teammates’ excellent work to set a hard pace from the foot of the nigh on 21km-long climb, Pogačar made the most of Jay Vine’s late pull to round the Australian and make his dash for the line within the final couple of hundred metres. Standing up out of the saddle, the Slovenian punched his way towards the summit and would not be stopped before the line.
Ultimately, the two-time winner of this race could celebrate before the finish, knowing that his burst of pace had delivered him a stage win atop this renowned climb for the second time. Just as in 2022, Pogačar’s companions on the day’s podium – Oscar Onley (Team Picnic-PostNL) and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) – finished with the same time, and once again, it was the Slovenian who used the United Arab Emirates’ highest peak to take hold of the race lead.
Held by Ineos Grenadiers’ Josh Tarling before the stage, the British time trial specialist put up a valiant fight to stay in the red jersey, but he now sits second overall, 18 seconds adrift of Pogačar.
As well as taking Pogačar into the race lead, stage 3 also marked an important moment for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, as the victory became the first taken aboard Colnago’s new flagship Y1Rs bike. Designed to be the most aerodynamic bike in the WorldTour peloton, the Y1Rs came into its own on a climb that saw the peloton attack Jebel Jais with plenty of speed. Throughout the final slopes, Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates set a searing tempo to tee up the stage-winning attack, and the Slovenian was full of praise after the stage.
Pogačar: “It feels amazing to finally be back racing and to have a victory after three days. We did a perfect job, it was a hard day for the guys to control the race because it was long and we had no help whatsoever until the final climb. We executed it really well and everybody deserves the victory today from our team.
“Rune [Herregodts] was really good at pulling all day, then Lotto helped us a bit and in the final we just tried to go at our pace. It [feels] really good to win in the rainbow jersey.”
As mentioned by Pogačar, the bulk of the work throughout the stage fell on the shoulders of Herregodts, who more than stood up to the task and led the peloton into the one and only climb of the day. On Jebel Jais, Mikkel Bjerg moved to the front and his face would become synonymous with the day, such was the strength of his pull.
At first exchanging turns with teammate Florian Vermeersch, Bjerg continued to graft alone from 13.2km to go, and his face told a story of how hard he was working on behalf of Pogačar. With each kilometre that passed, Bjerg’s pace remained incessant as riders dropped by the dozen behind. It was a display that will long be remembered and set UAE Team Emirates-XRG up for the final few kilometres of the day.
With 4.3km to go, the Dane’s monstrous turn finally came to an end, at which point teammate Domen Novak stepped up to the mark and further ramped up the speed. As the Slovenian pulled to the side inside the final 2km, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale looked to take over proceedings but their dalliance at the front would not last long. As the final 1.5km came into view, Vine stomped on the pedals and guided Pogačar to the head of proceedings.
It was with a couple of hundred metres to go that Vine took his leave and opened the space for Pogačar to finish the stage in style. The world champion’s first victory of the season was a just reward for the tremendous efforts of all his teammates on stage 3, with the race leader’s jersey proving a welcome bonus for UAE Team Emirates-XRG on Wednesday afternoon.
Here's the UAE Tour report from second-place Oscar Onley's Team Picnic-PostNL:
The first mountain-top finish of the UAE Tour awaited the peloton on Wednesday afternoon, where they would take on the wide roads and steady gradients of the Jebel Jais climb . Team Picnic PostNL set out to keep GC finisher Oscar Onley safe and do that they did, with the squad keeping him out of the wind and looked after throughout the stage.
The peloton was always in control and the break of the day was reeled in as they hit the lower slopes of the climb. From there, the pace ramped up and after being supported by well by the team, Onley was dropped off in a good position inside the last five kilometres. As the remaining kilometres ticked down, the pace increased even further and things were strung out going under the flamme rouge. Onley headed around the final corner in fourth wheel when the stinging uphill sprint opened up. Kicking hard, Onley came around two others and kept pushing all the way to the line to finish in a strong second place on the day, just behind stage-winner Pogacar.
Oscar Onley can be seen just behind and to the side of winner Pogacar.
Onley expressed: “The guys did a good job looking after me throughout the stage and keeping morale high on what was a long day. I banked on my sprint in the final and managed to pick up second place. I’m feeling good and hopefully can make up some GC time on Sunday.”
Team Picnic PostNL coach Roy Curvers added: “The guys kept Oscar safe the whole day so he could give it a shot on the last climb. With a lot of control in the peloton it came down to a sprint from quite a big group. Oscar did a really nice effort and was able to grab second place, which is a nice reward. Of course, you always want to win but when it needs the best rider in the world to keep you from winning, then you have to be satisfied with second place as well.”
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Here's the UAE Tour report from third-place Felix Gall's Team Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale:
UAE Tour: Felix Gall on the podium at Jebel Jais
Felix Gall:
"I'm very happy with my form. I knew I was in good shape after the high-altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada, but it's always good to confirm it in a race. Today's climb wasn't the most difficult of the week, so we weren't expecting any big gaps. We managed well, the team was very involved and there's a nice dynamic. I tried to attack with 1,500 m to go, but the slope wasn't steep enough. I went for the sprint and took third place. I'm looking forward to Sunday, as this climb suits me better."
Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale riders work on getting up the hill. Getty photo
The news:
Paul Seixas in the top 10
After working up front to launch Felix Gall's attack, Paul moved back to the back of the pack and finished with the favourites at the summit of Jebel Jais. A fine performance which enabled him to take tenth place on the day's stage, a WorldTour first.
The number: 5
Like Clément Berthet's place on the first stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta del Sol. The finale of this steep stage saw a group of three riders break away at the front. Thanks to a great team effort, we were able to limit the gap to around thirty seconds, enabling Clément to take fifth place.
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Fourth-place Lennert Van Eetvelt's Team Lotto posted this report:
Lennert Van Eetvelt (23) secured an impressive fourth place in the third stage of the UAE Tour. On the first summit finish, he had to acknowledge the superiority of the world champion. "He basically gave me a lead-out, but I didn't have the legs to do anything with it," Van Eetvelt says.
Lennert Van Eetvelt finishes fourth, just ahead of Lidl-Trek's Giulio Ciccone.
Last year, Van Eetvelt finished third on Jebel Jais and had marked this stage again for this year. The final climb of nineteen kilometers at an average gradient of 5.6% suits Van Eetvelt perfectly, though this time, he had to settle for fourth place. "Actually, the scenario was perfect for me," Van Eetvelt said afterward. Teammates Reuben Thompson and Lars Craps did a lot of hard work on the climb, and Van Eetvelt was able to follow Pogacar’s wheel. "The world champion basically gave me a lead-out with his final acceleration, but I just didn’t have the legs to take advantage of it. But I’m enjoying the race. I don’t have the highest expectations, and I’m happy to achieve a strong result at the same time."
With his fourth-place finish, Van Eetvelt moves up from 15th to 10th place in the general classification. There are still opportunities later this week, as the final stage to Jebel Hafeet—where Van Eetvelt won last year—is yet to come.
Junior Lecerf's Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this UAE Tour report:
The UAE Tour continued on Wednesday with the 181km stage to Jebel Jais, the 19km climb averaging 5.6% that came with the promise of reshuffling the overall standings. Jebel Jais was not just the first summit finish of the race, but also the longest climb since the start of the season, one on which many riders suffered due to the heat and the high pace pushed by some of the GC favourites’ teams at the front of the peloton, who started this ascent as one after bringing back the original breakaway of the day.
The peloton races across the desert in stage three.
As more and more riders got dispatched, a group of 30 entered the final three kilometers, where a more important selection was made on the steepest gradient of the whole climb. Junior Lecerf was there for Soudal Quick-Step, producing a solid effort despite the stinging ramps and riding under the flamme rouge together with the rainbow jersey group. The young Belgian left everything out there as attacks started flying left and right in the last 200 meters, concluding just seven seconds behind Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), who took the win.
This result allowed the 22-year-old to make a significant leap in the general classification, which should remain unchanged until Sunday – if the crosswinds won’t decide to spice up the race in the meantime – when the bunch will tackle the slopes of the race’s other tough climb, Jebel Hafeet.
And here’s the UAE Tour report from Bart Lemmen’s Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Bart Lemmen put up a strong fight for Team Visma | Lease a Bike in the third stage of the UAE Tour. In his first race of the season, Lemmen managed to stay with the front group on the slopes of Jebel Jais for a long time, but the Dutchman eventually had to let go just over a kilometer from the finish.
The struggling Team Visma | Lease a Bike, which lost its leader after Olav Kooij withdrew due to illness, had both Lemmen and Thomas Gloag in the peloton when the road started to climb. When Gloag could no longer keep up, it became clear that Lemmen had to step up for the Dutch squad.
The 29-year-old remained well-positioned for most of the climb, but when several teams pushed the pace in the final kilometers, Lemmen could no longer hold the wheels of his rivals. He then paced himself to the finish, crossing the line in 30th place. Tadej Pogačar took the stage victory.
Tadej Pogacar attacks the peloton on the Jebel Jais climb.
“I have mixed feelings about today”, Lemmen said afterward. “I didn’t really know what to expect beforehand. Looking back, I might have hoped for a little more. I was in a good position for a while, but in the final part, the pace increased significantly. I lost the wheel of the rider in front of me, and once that happens on this climb, you’re not coming back. At that point, I was also at my limit. I gave it my all today. It wasn’t a bad performance, but I just wasn’t strong enough to stay with the very best. In that sense, it was a fair race.”
Lemmen is already looking ahead to the coming days. “The final stage will be another chance to test the legs. The next three days will be about finding opportunities. Losing Olav means we’re missing a key rider for the sprint stages, but we won’t just give up. We’ll make a plan and see what’s possible”, the Dutchman concluded.
Sports director Jesper Mørkøv also shared his thoughts. “Bart and Thomas were our key riders today, and they gave everything they had. Unfortunately, Bart had to let go in the final kilometers after being well-positioned for most of the climb. Now, we shift our focus to tomorrow. We’ll try to put our fast riders in the mix again.”
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Here’s the team’s news:
With the UAE Tour and Volta ao Algarve already underway this week, Bahrain Victorious are set to make a first appearance at two recently renewed French races: Classic Var (1.1) on Friday, February 21, and the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes (2.1), a two-day race on February 22nd & 23rd. Both events take place in the départment of Var in the South of France.
The Classic Var will kick off in Le Luc – Circuit du Var and conclude after 163 km in Fayence, featuring a revamped course. The first half consists of rolling terrain, while the second half becomes increasingly demanding, culminating in a brutal 1 km uphill finish which averages 11.2%, but has a maximum gradient of 20%.
The one-day race will be especially significant as the line-up includes Lenny Martinez, who claimed victory on Mont Faron in the first edition of the event last year.
Lenny Martinez won a close one on Mont Faron in 2024.
“I’m really happy to return to this race, this time with Bahrain Victorious. Last year, I won with a different jersey, and therefore now I’m excited to be part of the team’s debut here. Although the parcours has changed—it’s now a 5-minute final climb instead of 20 when I took the victory—but we have a strong squad. Santiago [Buitrago] and I, along with other teammates, have good cards to play. We’ll do our best and aim for a great result.”
Bahrain Victorious Sports Director Roman Kreuziger believes this will be a good challenge for Martinez, and is confident in the potential opportunities for the team:
“It’s Lenny’s first race on home soil with his new team, and I know he’s eager to perform well. The final is completely different from last year, and it may actually suit someone like Buitrago better. Fortunately, we have both Lenny and Santiago racing together, which gives us great options. We’re also bringing a young but competitive squad, led on the road by the experience Jack Haig as captain. Our two rookies, [Roman] Ermakov and [Oli] Stockwell, showed promising form in Provence, while [Edoardo] Zambanini displayed excellent teamwork in Valenciana. [Finlay] Pickering, after his season debut at GP Castellon, is also eager to race. With last year’s winner in our lineup, we know the peloton will keep a close eye on us.”
While Classic Var features a redesigned route, the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes retains a similar parcours to last year. On Stage 1 (Contes – Gourdon, 162.4 km) riders will face a mountain-top finish, with key ascents including Col Saint-Roch, Lucéram, and Col de Châteauneuf – totaling 3.308m of altitude gain.
Stage 2 (Villefranche-sur-Mer – Vence, 131.8 km) is shorter but intense, starting with the Col d’Eze, followed by Col de Châteauneuf. The winner could be decided in a reduced bunch sprint after a late battle on the ascents of la Sine.
Kreuziger sees the race as an important test ahead of key dates to come:
“The parcours is tough, especially stage 1 that is particularly demanding. However, it really suits our riders’ characteristics. The second stage, though shorter and with less altitude, remains tricky. We won’t just control the race – we’ll have to be active and shape it to our advantage. This is a crucial step in our season, and we aim to perform at our best.”
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