Tadej Pogacar won the gruelling 162km fifth stage of the UAE Tour to Jebel Hafeet on Thursday.
The 21-year-old completed the race in 3:48:53, beating Astana’s Alexey Lutsenko and Mitchelton–Scott’s Adam Yates to the line.
Englishman Yates leads the General Classification ahead of Friday’s sixth stage from Al Ruwais to Al Mirfa.
Here are three takeaways and observations from day five.
POGACAR STARS
The Slovenian added to his growing status as a future champion after clinching his third win of the season.
On the final mountain stage, after reeling in a number of suffocating attacks, he threw his bike over the line just as Lutsenko stopped pedalling to snatch an important win.
In that final 30-second sprint where he soared from fourth to first, he averaged 56.5 kilometers per hour and put out 1130 watts in power.
While victory will cap off a fine week for the home side, it will not be enough for the 21-year-old to secure the red jersey as he trails Yates by 61 seconds with two sprint stages to go.
Still, we are witnessing a special talent beginning to sparkle.
📺 Relive the final kilometer on the Stage 5 of the @uae_tour 🇦🇪 and @TamauPogi 's superb win! 🥇#UAETeamEmirates #RideTogether #UAETour pic.twitter.com/jwPSEdDwC8
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamUAEAbuDhabi) February 27, 2020
YATES IS THE MAN
Another strong ride by the Bury man to seal third and tighten his grip on the red jersey.
During those final tireless kilometers, it seemed like Yates had many legs left and could have mounted another successful attack similar to Tuesday’s dominant stage three victory.
He controlled his rivals on the second mountain finish and defended his overall lead to perfection.
For the Mitchelton-Scott rider to finish on Pogacar’s tail will be a serious satisfaction, especially now knowing that he has virtually won the UAE Tour with two stages remaining.
#UAETour 🇦🇪 Here's a look at the GC standings after stage 5 with @AdamYates7 holding a 1'01" advantage over today's stage winner Pogacar (UAE) 👍 pic.twitter.com/W05G7SNdr0
— Mitchelton-SCOTT (@MitcheltonSCOTT) February 27, 2020
FROOME WATCH
Another difficult day for Chris Froome who continues to step up his recovery after sustaining career-threatening injuries during a Criterium du Dauphine practice ride last June.
The Briton was unable to keep up with eight kilometers to go and dialled back the pace in an attempt to ascend the brutal 10.6 kilometre climb to Jebel Hafeet.
Earlier in the stage, he animated viewers by driving the speed of the peloton in crosswinds to cause a split in the bunch, and then followed it up with good old-fashioned bidon duty for his team.
Still, whether he finishes first or last in his next few races, it’s amazing to see the four-time Tour de France champion back in action after fracturing his right femur, elbow, neck and ribs only eight months ago.
While many fans have expectations of Froome winning straight away, the UAE Tour is more to help him get used to competitive action again and build up his race fitness.
