Dylan Groenewegen won the 173km fourth stage of the UAE Tour to Dubai City Walk on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old completed the race in 4:16:13, beating UAE Team Emirates’ Fernando Gaviria and Bora–Hansgrohe’s Pascal Ackermann to the line.
Englishman Adam Yates leads the General Classification ahead of Thursday’s fifth stage from Al Ain to Jebel Hafeet.
Here are three takeaways and observations from a windy day four.
GROENEWEGEN SPARKLES
The flying Dutchman clinched his third victory of the season having won two stages at the Tour of Valencia earlier this month.
Deceuninck-Quick Step took the reins of the group late on, however, it was Team Jumbo-Vismo who left Groenewegen well placed after the final corner.
With a long and sustained sprint and all the top players positioned on the wide road, the Amsterdam man asserted his power to edge Gaviria.
With two sprint stages remaining, Groenewegen will no doubt be targeting further victories before Saturday’s finale.
Huge final effort by @GroenewegenD to take the win on stage 4 of @UAE_Tour!
— Velon CC (@VelonCC) February 26, 2020
⏱️Time: 8 sec
🚴♂️Avg Speed: 71.3 km/h
💨Max Speed: 72.5 km/h
⚡️Avg Power: 1300 W
💥Max Power: 1520 W
🌪️Avg Cadence: 113 rpm
_______________
🇦🇪 #UAETour pic.twitter.com/yAHWSrujP5
UNLUCKY BENNETT
With five kilometers to go, Sam Bennett was in a strong position for stage honours.
Of course, it is difficult to call any winner on a sprint stage from that far out, however, his powerful Deceuninck-Quick Step lead-out train was well positioned.
Second at Hatta Dam on stage two, the Irishman pushed to his maximum but was unable to match the fast pace of Groenewegen in a pure bunch sprint finish.
With sprints remaining on stages six and seven, it is hoped the Belgian side can bring their star man into the same, clinical position in a bid to add to his two triumphs so far this campaign.
Fourth place for @Sammmy_Be after another #UAETour chaotic bunch gallop. pic.twitter.com/WIxxnLTp3S
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) February 26, 2020
BIG BATTLE AHEAD
The second of the UAE Tour’s mountain stages will effectively determine the winner of the GC as two sprint stages lie ahead after Thursday’s brutal climb to Jebel Hafeet.
With Yates leading Tadej Pogacar by 1 minute 07 seconds, the Mitchelton–Scott rider will be aiming for another sizzling display to tighten his grip on the red jersey.
The route around Al Ain on Thursday will take in many local landmarks, including the Al Ain Zoo, Al Qattara, Al Hili and Al Ain Oasis.
It then goes up to Green Mubazzarah where the gruelling final climb of Jebel Hafeet begins, with its 10km and slopes mainly around 8-9 per cent gradient.
Could we see another dominant finish by Yates?
Here's where we stand after Stage Four:
— UAE Tour Official (@uae_tour) February 26, 2020
- Red Jersey (GC by time): Adam Yates
- Green Jersey (GC by points): Caleb Ewan
- White Jersey (Best Young Rider): Tadej Pogacar
- Black Jersey (Intermediate Sprint): Veljko Stojnic pic.twitter.com/u3pzhvEtmg