Ineos Grenadiers and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale have been among the many groups worst affected after a double crash within the ultimate 5 kilometres on stage 5 of the UAE Tour noticed each of their GC leaders go down and lose time.
Both Carlos Rodríguez for the British group and Felix Gall for Decathlon AG2R hit the deck at excessive pace with 3.5km to go on the strategy to Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, with a number of of their teammates additionally crashing.
With 500 metres to go till the essential 3km rule kicked in, the place any crash or incident sees you obtain the identical time because the winner on a dash stage, they then misplaced vital time on GC.
The Spanish rider misplaced 58 seconds within the frantic chase for residence, with a giant rip on the again of his shorts and plenty of highway rash. Gall misplaced the identical quantity after stable work from two of his teammates to dampen the blow, nevertheless, the pair dropped from eleventh and thirteenth total to twentieth and twenty first on GC, respectively, now greater than 1:40 behind chief Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
Ineos Grenadiers have been all palms on deck at their group van after the end, with Victor Langellotti and Ben Swift sustaining far more critical accidents than Rodríguez, who was in respectable spirits contemplating.
“Three Ineos Grenadiers have been concerned in a crash on the finish of stage 5 on the UAE Tour,” learn a publish from the group. “All three riders have been capable of remount and end the stage. Rodríguez sustained cuts and grazes, whereas Swift and Langellotti have been taken for additional checks. Update to observe.”
Gall’s younger teammate and 18-year-old tremendous expertise Paul Seixas misplaced extra time than his chief, additionally hitting the desk earlier than they reached the very important 3km to go mark. After a stable opening 4 days in his first WorldTour race, Seixas dropped out of the highest 15 and into twenty second.
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“A quick and nervous fifth stage immediately on the UAE Tour was marked by late crashes. Seixas, Felix Gall and Gianluca Pollefliet went down 3.5 km from the end,” mentioned the group on X.
“Felix loses 58″ and Paul 2’22” within the GC, however the race remains to be on! The group stays targeted for the remainder of the race. Medical replace to return.”
The highest-placed GC rider to be affected was Movistar’s Pablo Castrillo, who went down in the identical incident 3.5km from the end after a contact of wheels rippled again via the bunch and brought on the primary crash.
An replace from Movistar confirmed that no fractures have been sustained after Castrillo’s tumble, nevertheless, he did drop from the digital podium locations in third right down to thirteenth after equally shedding slightly below a minute.
Other GC riders like Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto) advised Cyclingnews the “final nook was undoubtedly not tremendous protected however it may at all times occur, these dash phases are at all times tremendous hectic and I’m simply tremendous glad I stayed protected.”
While race chief Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) managed to keep away from any drama after spending over 100km within the day’s break, the World Champion hinted that maybe the 5km rule, which was used on the Tour de France final 12 months, may make days like immediately much less hectic.
“It’s at all times scary within the ultimate 3km. When I skilled the five-kilometre rule I felt a lot safer and extra snug, however the three-kilometre rule is at all times so shut to complete,” mentioned Pogačar in his press convention.
“Everybody is so targeted and nervous, particularly right here so massive speeds, massive roads coming to the nook, every thing will get squeezed, and you could discover your individual means methods to keep protected.
“I’ve good teammates round me, they deal with this and attempt to create a bubble round me in a protected place. After all, the sprinters, yeah, possibly you want some typically to push a bit extra, however simply to remain protected at all times.”
Sprinters come undone in second crash on ultimate nook
As the high-speed finale raged on in entrance, one other crash had its say on how the fifth stage performed out, this time within the ultimate kilometre of the race. The sweeping right-hand bend that led onto the house straight noticed a number of riders go down as soon as once more.
Many riders hoping to contest the ultimate dash with eventual winner Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) have been concerned, notably Fernando Gaviria (Movistar), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla).
Philipsen escaped with “just some scrapes” whereas Gaviria was seen clutching at his left arm after happening. Movistar confirmed there have been no fractures for the Colombian, nevertheless his progress will likely be checked.
Groenewegen equally managed to complete the stage however a social media publish from Jayco AlUla acknowledged that the Dutch champion “will proceed to be monitored in a single day” earlier than a choice is made on his continuation tomorrow morning.
Sprint phases within the UAE are recognized for being hectic, with the huge highways and high quality of dash trains current giving rise to an all-out battle for place at fast speeds. Today was no completely different, with some groups stating that crashes like immediately’s can simply be a by-product of the racing.
“It’s somewhat bit higher with the corners as a result of it simply strings issues out somewhat bit extra nevertheless it’s at all times like this within the UAE,” XDS Astana DS Mark Renshaw advised Cyclingnews on the end.
“It hasn’t modified in 10 to fifteen years and it is not going to as a result of with out wind you do not have a tough stage and everybody has recent legs with so much on the road.”
While Astana had an important day and completed second with Matteo Malucelli simply behind Merlier and forward of Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), they too suffered some misfortune within the duo of crashes.
“In the primary crash 3 to 4km from the end, we misplaced Aaron Gate, who usually would have been positioning Malucelli,” continued the previous lead-out specialist.
“So he is fairly wounded on his hip. I believe he’ll be alright tomorrow to race however if you crash at that pace, it at all times hurts.”
Tomorrow morning will see all the results of the 2 crashes come out within the wash earlier than one other day of fast and chaotic sprinting is taken on from the Abu Dhabi Cycling Club to Abu Dhabi Breakwater.