UAE Team Emirates star Tadej Pogacar wins final stage to retain UAE Tour crown

UAE Team Emirates' star rider Tadej Pogacar won the seventh and final stage of the UAE Tour atop Jebel Hafeet to retain his crown in the only WorldTour race in the Middle East on Saturday.

The final stage of the UAE Tour 2022 was almost a repeat of the race 12 months ago with Pogacar overcoming a gritty challenge from Ineos Grenadiers rider Adam Yates.

The Briton made a valiant effort in the final five kilometres of the steep mountain climb but Pogacar had enough left in the tank to produce a final burst of speed and flash past the finish line first, sealing the overall honours.

Yates finished second while Pello Bilbao of Bahrain-Victorious was third just a handful of seconds behind the leading pair.

Pogacar won the first of the two mountain stages at the summit of Jebel Jais and never looked back, retaining the overall leader’s red jersey in the fourth edition of the UAE Tour.

Stage seven

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s

3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s

General Classification

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s

3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s

The two-time Tour de France winner won the overall race by 22 seconds ahead of Yates, while Bilbao finished third 48 seconds back.

“It’s really important, a really big goal for us as a team,” Pogacar said after the win.

“It’s the first race of the season but for us it’s one of the most important races so I’m super proud and happy.”

It was the third year that Pogacar won the stage at Jebel Hafeet, but he had to withstand a blistering attack by Yates inside the final kilometre.