The Extreme Conditions On The UAE World Tour Will Give You Serious Admiration For The Riders
The one and only World Tour race in the Middle East culminated in an exciting finish in Dubai yesterday with Irish pro-cyclist Sam Bennett taking home the number one spot.
But it wasn’t an easy ride. The cyclists on the tour, which travelled through Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dubai and RAK, battled extreme weather conditions and poor visibility on notoriously difficult stretches of ride, including the Jebel Jais climb.
This is what the riders faced
?? #UAETour
A crash in the bunch sees Bernie Eisel go down with his left leg taking the brunt of the impact. He’s back up and riding.
This is what the road up to Jebel Jais looks like ahead. pic.twitter.com/ZTyQAnJrhN
— Team Dimension Data (@TeamDiData) March 1, 2019
The Jebel Jais climb
We’re inside 40km to go now! Jebel Jais climb is approaching ??#UAETOUR @RAKTourism pic.twitter.com/z4dDgTZ5Ki
— UAE Tour Official (@uae_tour) March 1, 2019
Stage 5 saw heavy winds
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Winds really kicking up on Stage 5 of the @uae_tour. #sandblasted pic.twitter.com/Hk2syocdoo
— Team Novo Nordisk (@teamnovonordisk) February 28, 2019
Riders faced tricky conditions
#UAETour The strength of the crosswinds is making conditions difficult with sand blowing across the road. pic.twitter.com/4ns1JFqtNx
— CCC Team (@CCCProTeam) February 27, 2019
They raced through Hatta Dam
Irish pro cyclist Sam Bennett took home his first title of the season
The final stage, which kicked off at Dubai Safari Park and ended in City Walk saw Bennett, part of WorldTeam Bora–Hansgrohe, beat out some of the fastest sprinters in the world to take home the trophy.
Citywalk was a buzz of activity with hundreds out to support the finishers
HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of DIMC, awarding the winner of the first edition of #UAETour, along with the top 3 riders @AbuDhabiSC @SharjahSports @uae_tour pic.twitter.com/ILhqwgT2bA
— Dubai Sports Council (@DubaiSC) March 2, 2019
Sam Bennett – WINNER
The final result
It’s a close ? second place in the sprint for @FndoGaviria on the final stage at @uae_tour ??, while @Kristoff87 finishes 4th.#UAETeamEmirates #UAETour pic.twitter.com/0ye2jqIsFX
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamUAEAbuDhabi) March 2, 2019
