Abu Dhabi Tour: Stage 3

Former World Champion Rui Costa wins stage 3 of Abu Dhabi Tour on the Jebel Hafeet climb and now leads overall after outsprinting breakaway partner Ilnur Zakarin. Tom Dumoulin came in third.

Abu Dhabi Tour: Stage 3

Stage 3 of the Abu Dhabi Tour saw an early break of four riders go clear after 25 kilometres of racing and obtained a maximum advantage of over five minutes. Strong winds were a prominent part of today’s stage, and with 85 kilometres remaining the organisers were forced to neutralise the race for a short period.

The day’s breakaway was eventually reeled in as the teams fought for position in the approach to Jebel Hafeet. The climb saw a few testing attacks before a duo went clear, shortly followed by Tom, who put in a huge effort to remain ahead of the peloton and other chasers.

Rui Costa: “I started the final climb a long way back and I had to put a lot of effort in to reach the front of the peloton. When I got there I realised that my legs were good and I tried to surprise the others with an attack a long way out. That was the right tactic. I was still suffering from the initial effort so I saved myself with Zakarin at the end to recuperate for the sprint.”

“For us it was very important to have a great result here,” he said. “I can’t say I was under pressure but psychologically I knew we had to perform at our best. We won and there couldn’t be a better result. We are extremely happy for this victory here in Abu Dhabi, with a new sponsor and a brand-new jersey. I’m very happy with this victory that will boost my morale for the remainder of the season.”

Ilnur Zakarin “It has been a very nice race. I felt also very good and I am happy with this result as I trained hard at the Teide. This is the fruit of my hard work but I am happy”

Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) : “I’m happy with third place today. The guys were great and I had good support during the day and also at the start of the climb. I was feeling better and better on the climb and its a good early test.”
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Stage
1. Rui Costa, UAE Team Emirates 4:34:08
2. Ilnur Zakarin, Team Katusha – Alpecin
3. Tom Dumoulin, Team Sunweb :10
4. Bauke Mollema, Trek – Segafredo :28
5. Julian Alaphilippe, Quick-Step Floors :46
6. Fabio Aru, Astana Pro Team
7. Rafał Majka, Bora – Hansgrohe
8. George Bennett, Team LottoNL-Jumbo
9. Domenico Pozzovivo, AG2R La Mondiale
10. Nairo Quintana, Movistar Team 0:58
11. Diego Ulissi, UAE Team Emirates
12. Romain Bardet, AG2R La Mondiale
13. Alberto Contador, Trek – Segafredo 1:01

15. Vincenzo Nibali, Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team
23. Robert Gesink, Team LottoNL-Jumbo
28. Tao Geoghegan Hart, Team Sky 1:23
41. Peter Kennaugh, Team Sky
64. Ben Swift, UAE Team Emirates
119. Owain Doull, Team Sky
120. Alex Dowsett, Movistar Team
127. Jack Bauer, Quick-Step Floors
130. Mark Cavendish, Dimension Data
154. Jonathan Dibben, Team Sky

GC
1. Rui Costa, UAE Team Emirates
2. Ilnur Zakarin, Team Katusha – Alpecin 0:04
3. Tom Dumoulin, Team Sunweb 0:16
4. Bauke Mollema, Trek – Segafredo 0:38
5. Rafał Majka, Bora – Hansgrohe 0:56
6. George Bennett, Team LottoNL-Jumbo
7. Fabio Aru, Astana Pro Team
8. Domenico Pozzovivo, AG2R La Mondiale
9. Julian Alaphilippe, Quick-Step Floors
10. Romain Bardet, AG2R La Mondiale 1:08

12. Nairo Quintana, Movistar Team
13. Alberto Contador, Trek – Segafredo 1:11
14. Vincenzo Nibali, Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team 1:15