UAE Team Emirates had a disappointing time at the one-day classic Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday as Alexander Kristoff could only cross the line in 25th place.
The reigning European champion looked primed for a top-10 finish before being left behind on Kemmelberg hill with 35km remaining, where Peter Sagan and Elia Viviani pulled away.
Sagan cleverly clinched a bunch sprint to win the race, attacking to perfection with 200m of the 251km race remaining and only Frenchman Arnaud Demare could go with him until Viviani launched a desperate but thrilling late attack.
But it was too late as Sagan maintained his own powerful burst for the line to claim a record-equalling third win in Belgium.
Kristoff, who has been UAE Team Emirates’ stand-out rider this season, said: “For sure I’m a little bit disappointed about the result because I expected more from myself.
“I was not so far away from the first group. Maybe if I was two positions more in front entering in the Kemmelberg, but this is life.
“I need to be in position, and I didn’t really manage to get it.”
Meanwhile, Filippo Ganna who finished 43rd, said: “It was a good experience today. I need to learn more about these kind of races and to stay in the heart of it.”
In the Volta a Catalunya, UAE Team Emirates’ Dan Martin had to settle for 100th place finish after crashing six kilometers from the end of the seventh stage in Barcelona.
Spain’s Alejandro Valverde sealed his third title in Catalonia despite Britain’s Simon Yates winning the final stage after a late breakaway.
Martin said: “Today I would have liked to be aggressive, I was waiting for the final lap for a strong attack, but we crashed.
“I t seems we had a lot of bad luck here so far It seems I’m not so badly hurt, Met helmet did a very good job.
The Irishman was unhappy with his overall performance in Spain – where he claimed 74th place in the general classification – and he now turns his attention to the Ardennes Classic from April 12-23.
The 31-year-old added: “Obviously, it didn’t really go to plan here, also because I missed four days of training sessions after Paris-Nice, but I appreciated that we’re making progress in the relationship with my new team.
“We’ll concentrate now on the Ardennes”.
