Adam Yates marks end of UAE Tour 2023 with stage victory for home team

UAE Team Emirates rider Adam Yates won the seventh and final stage while world champion Remco Evenepoel of Soudal-QuickStep sealed overall victory in the UAE Tour at Jebel Hafeet on Sunday.

Stage 7:1. Adam Yates (GBR) UAE Team Emirates – 3hrs 29min 42ses2. Remco Evenepoel (BEL) Soudal Quick-Step – 10sec3. Geoffrey Bouchard (FRA) AG2R Citroen Team – 42secGeneral Classification:1. Remco Evenepoel (BEL) Soudal Quick-Step2. Lucas Plapp (AUS) Ineos Grenaders – 59se3. Adam Yates (GBR) UAE Team Emirates –60secRed Jersey (General Classification): Remco Evenepoel (BEL) Soudal Quick-StepGreen Jersey (Points Classification): Tim Merlier (BEL) Soudal Quick-StepWhite Jersey (Young Rider Classification): Remco Evenepoel (BEL) Soudal Quick-StepBlack Jersey (Intermediate Sprint Classification): Edward Planckaert (FRA) Alpecin-Deceuninck

Yates began his onslaught at the six-kilometre marker, pursued by Evenepoel and Jumbo-Visma’s Sepp Kuss.

Soudal-QuickStep's Belgian rider picked up the pace to cut down a 15-second lead by five seconds to take second spot behind Yates and clinch the fifth edition of the UAE Tour, the only World Tour race in the Middle East.

Pello Bilbao of Bahrain Victorious and Ineos Grenaders rider Luke Plapp crossed the line 54 seconds behind.

That was enough for Plapp to hold on to second spot overall, 59 seconds behind Evenepoel. Yates's stage win with the bonus points moved him above Bilbao to third place.

“The tactic was to go full gas at the bottom,” Yates said. "We had nothing to lose. I was so far down on the GC after the crosswind stage, we just had to go all out from the bottom and see what happened.

“The guys did an amazing job. I attacked quite early but I knew I had to push really hard to drop the guys.