Jasper Philipsen takes home victory in the first stage of UAE Tour, more disappointment for Mark Cavendish

Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Fenix took home the victory in the first stage of the UAE Tour, after a pulsating finish to the race. Philipsen finished with a time of four hours, 42 minutes and 34 seconds to claim the red jersey, while Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) took second and Elia Viviani (Ineos Grenadiers) third.

Ad/> There was more frustration for Mark Cavendish, who was racing alongside Philipsen, but had nowhere to go after all of his routes were blocked off. UAE TourGaviria ruled out of UAE Tour after testing positive for Covid-19 for a third time17/02/2022 AT 11:42 As for Philipsen, his tactical move at the finish reaped dividends, as he went to the right alongside the barriers to close off Dylan Groenewegen and claim the first stage win.

This first stage of the race was a 184 kilometre ride on a straight out and back course, which went into the desert south of Madinat Zayed. There was an intriguing backdrop to this first WorldTour race of the year, with many sprinters having already opened their accounts for the campaign.

Vuelta a España: Stage 2 highlights as Jasper Philipsen sprints victory 'Biggest cycling event ever' — Scotland will host new World Championships next August Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) came into this Tour having already won his battle against Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) in Oman, while Viviani achieved success for the Ineos Grenadiers in Provence, and Groenewegen came out on top for BikeExchange-Jayco at the sprints in Saudi Arabia. It was the first major gathering of sprinters, with much expected of Bennett and Philipsen in particular; both of whom made their first starts in stage one of this race, while Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ), Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) and