21St — 27Th February 2021
21ST — 27TH FEBRUARY 2021 ADNOC 1 STAGE SUN, FEBRUARY 21ST 2021 TOP SPONSORS OFFICIAL CAR theuaetour.com 21st February 2021 THE STAGE REPORT Stage 1 – ADNOC Stage – km 176 START: Al Dhafra Castle – 139 riders are underway as the flag is dropped at 12:33 pm. The brisk pace and the crosswinds splinter the peloton into four echelons. Less than 10 km into the race, 17 riders are up front, with two chasing pelotons behind them. Shortly after, Ganna leads the first chasing group to merge at the front. At km 13 of racing, the gap is 45”. At km 20 of racing, the gap is down to 23”. The runner-up of last year’s edition, Pogacar, is safely in the front group (approx. 60 riders). The peloton bunches up at km 27, and just eleven riders are left behind (1’ gap). The chasers eventually bridge across to the main peloton with 140 kilometres out. Forty-five kilometres into the race, the compact peloton is riding hard. Average speed after one hour of racing: 51.900 km/h. At the -120 km marker, the peloton is toiling against the side winds and is stringing out. With three kilometres remaining to the intermediate sprint, there is no sign of an early break. Within sight of the IS marker, Deceuninck Quickstep are in prime position. Intermediate Sprint (Habshan Camp – km 64.4) Almeida claims the stage ahead of Goldstein, Cattaneo and Mørkøv. Seventy kilometres into the race, the peloton has splintered again under the strong crosswinds, with two distinct chasing groups separated by 25” and 50”, respectively.
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