Good team test on Jebel Jais

With two riders in the top 10 of the UAE Tour’s stage six, the UAE Team Emirates once again underlined the overall quality of its roster.

The race debuted the Jebel Jais mountain finish, climbing 16km at a 6% average. Daniel Martin took 4th place and Rui Costa placed in 9th place at the finish at 1458 metres altitude.

Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) won the stage and strengthened his lead in the general classification.

The group took the climb at a high but regular pace that left only 15 riders for the last kilometre. At 300 metres from the finish, Daniel Martin shot forward and Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) replied and then Primoz Roglic with a winning charge.

Dumoulin held on for second and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) took third.

Roglic leads the overall, 1-11 minutes ahead of Martin in seventh, with only one stage left, the Dubai Safari Park-City Walk.

“It was a lively day in a group, but thanks to my team-mates for their wonderful work in supporting me,” Martin said. “The climb was very fast, different from the European ones, so it became quite a tactical game. I think I was more effective today than the stage that ended on Jebel Hafeet, which makes me happy, although I still lack a bit to be able to follow the changes in rhythm in the final. 

Tomorrow, we’ll try to take the chance to help Fernando sprint again.”

Stage 6 results
1 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo Visma  4h15’39”
2 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb s.t.
3 David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama s.t.
4 Daniel Martin (Irl) UAE Team Emirates s.t.
9 Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates s.t.

General classification after stage 6
1 Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team Jumbo Visma 23h09’38”
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar 31″
3 David Gaudu (Fra) Groupama 44″
7 Daniel Martin (Irl) UAE Team Emirates 1’11”