UAE Team Emirates’ duo claim top ten finish in Abu Dhabi Tour finale

It was another dramatic finish to the Abu Dhabi Tour as UAE Team Emirates’ Diego Ulissi and the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour winner, Rui Costa secured top 10 stage finishes and a UAE Team Emirates double in the overall General Classification (GC). The pair battled hard as they looked to close the gap on the race leaders, with the riders crossing the line in 8th and 9th place respectively. The final stage result improved both rider’s standings in the GC, with Ulissi finishing 7th and Costa 8th. The race wrapped up a successful tour for the team, in which Alexander Kristoff won the opening stage in Madinat Zayed.

Rain and strong winds proved testing throughout Stage 5, not least when riders passed the 190km mark to begin their ascent of Jebel Hafeet. As the climb began, the early break-away group were reigned in and with just 2km to go, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) made his move, producing a thrilling ride to secure the stage and with it the overall GC win.

Commenting on his finish, Diego Ulissi said: “I had a better day. The final climb was really hard, as we knew. I haven’t raced since Australia and I only managed a short training camp before Abu Dhabi. Maybe, in comparison to some other riders, I missed some rhythm. But I am quite satisfied, especially to get a top ten finish in the final stage and in the overall GC.”

Commenting on his second year in the top 10, UAE Team Emirates’ Rui Costa said: “We knew it would be a really challenging stage at Jebel Hafeet, but we saw it as an opportunity to benchmark my condition against the other riders. We put in a lot of effort in the first part of the climb, and in the final part we pushed it to the limit to secure a top 10 place. It was great to ride again in Abu Dhabi, see the support of our home fans and we look forward to a long and successful season with the team.”

Commenting on his first outing for his new team, Fabio Aru, 13th in GC, said: “It has been my first race of year and for me I missed the race rhythm. But that’s has been an important test and I’m quite satisfied about it.”

Stage Five Results

1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 4:38:47
2 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team
3 Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors +15’’
8 Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates +55’’
9 Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates +55’’
16 Fabio Aru (Ita) UAE Team Emirates +55’’

Final general classification

1 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 16:00:01
2 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb +17’’
3 Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team +29’’
7 Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates +1’18’’
8 Rui Costa (Por) UAE Team Emirates +1’28’’
13 Fabio Aru (Ita) UAE Team Emirates +1’42’’