It wasn’t a podium finish, but it was just about the next best thing for Alexander Kristoff as he earned fifth place on his UAE Team Emirates’ debut on day one of the Dubai Tour.
Wearing the UAE colours for the first time, the Norwegian was just short of being in on the bunch sprint finish that saw Dylan Groenewegen (Team LottoNL-Jumbo) claim the stage from Skydive Dubai to Palm Jumeirah, with Magnus Cort Nielsen (Astana Pro Team) and Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) and Nathan Van Hooydonck (BMC Racing) also separating Kristoff from the leader.
While the 30-year-old managed to avoid the late crash that sent several riders tumbling to the pavement, he couldn’t capitalise by pushing the pace when it mattered and that was ultimately the difference in making the podium and finishing just off of it.
“I’m happy to have the support of the team in what is my UAE Team Emirates debut. It was a pretty chaotic sprint finish because the race was easy for the majority of the course and it’s always more difficult in the final kilometres when everybody’s fresh,” said the reigning European Road Race champion.
“My teammates led me out well and I managed to avoid the crash, but unfortunately, I had to break in the final hundred metres, when I was focused on pushing forward. But, despite this, I am satisfied with the performance for my first race of 2018.”
“I’m happy to have the support of the team in what is my #UAETeamEmirates debut.” Said @Kristoff87 after finished a respectable fourth place in what was a thrilling sprint finish during stage 1 of the #DubaiTour 🇦🇪.
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamUAEAbuDhabi) February 6, 2018
📝REPORT/REACTION: https://t.co/ccoUBFSUqG
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Asked why he had to brake down the stretch, Kristoff replied: “People were left and right and suddenly you have a clear shot for the finish, you look down and sprint, then you look up and suddenly it’s not clear anymore. There were many times like this.”
Kristoff has now gotten his feet wet with his new team after previously riding for Katusha-Alpecin, a side he jostled with as a foe at the end of the first stage.
Though the crash unfortunately took out one of his co-riders, the UAE’s own Yousif Mirza, the European champion was pleased with the on-course chemistry on display between him and his team-mates.
“I think we worked well together,” Kristoff said. “They got me in position, unfortunately I had to brake a bit, but the position was not so bad. So it’s quite a good start and we’ll continue to work like this.”
Watch highlights from the opening stage of the @dubaitour today #DubaiTour 📺https://t.co/e3TSJUztHL
— Sport360° (@Sport360) February 6, 2018
Mirza helped assist Kristoff for most of the race, but couldn’t escape when a collision caused the crash inside the final 10km.
The four-time reigning UAE national champion entered the season with high hopes after getting professional racing experience under his belt with UAE Team Emirates in 2017, who made him the first Emirati to ride for a UCI WorldTour team after his stint with Al Nasr Pro Cycling Team-Dubai.
However, the opening stage didn’t go Mirza’s way and he had to settle for 107th place out of 110 riders who finished.
“It’s a pity that the Dubai Tour began with a little bit of bad luck for me,” Mirza said. “I was trying to give my support to the team in order to help Kristoff approach the sprint in the best possible position, but the riders in front of me crashed and I could not avoid them.
“Luckily there were no serious injuries and we can look ahead to tomorrow’s stage, where we hope to have more of the amazing support that we witnessed today.”
