Juan Sebastián Molano has 20 victories in his record, a remarkable resume for the 28-year-old Colombian sprinter, but of all those, the last two were the most important. Last September he reigned in the Madrid stage, which ended La Vuelta, surprising even his team, since in theory the German Ackermann (he finished third) was the main asset. Now, he added a new success (the second World Tour of his career) by conquering the fourth stage of the UAE Tour ahead of a great cast of sprinters like Groenewegen, Merlier, Weldsford, Ewan… and with Cavendish, although the Briton was far, like Gaviria, from Movistar, who tried to surprise 100 meters from the end but was overwhelmed by the rest of the volata.
The Italians Alessandro Tonelli and Samuele Zoccarat, from Bardiani, and the French Baudin, from Ag2r, were the members of the escape that was neutralized by the large peloton and in the final stretch of the race. The Jumbo assumed the responsibility of leading the group facing the sprint, supported in certain sections by the Lotto and the Bora, but the outcome in Dubai Harbor, after 174 km, was somewhat chaotic. In those finals Molano is one of the most astute riders, and despite the fact that he waited for confirmation at the finish line that he had won, since it was a very tight sprint, his boss Matxin already hugged him a few meters after the white line.
“It’s a good win for me and for the team. I’m very happy”, Molano said at the finish line, highlighting the importance of the UAE winning in their ‘country’, against the team’s top leaders and more so in an edition that could seem more complicated due to the absence of Pogacar. “The sponsor is very relevant and thanks to them we are here”, added the Colombian. For his part, Remco Evenepoel maintained the lead on a day without too many surprises in which his team, Quick Step, sought the stage victory with Merlier: “We wanted to win with him and we couldn’t. Being a leader he could not take too many risks either ”, declared the Belgian. This Friday, another day for sprinters with 170 km between Al Marjan Island and Umm al Quwain. The general will be decided on Sunday with the ascent to Jebel Hafeet.
Classification of the 4th stage
1º Juan Sebastián Molano (COL/UAE) 3h 50:01
2nd Olav Kooijv (PBA/Jumbo) mt
3rd Sam Welsford (AUS/Sunweb) mt
10º Jon Aberasturi (Trek) mt
General
1st Remco Evenepoel (BÉL/Quick Step) 12h 17:23
2nd Luke Plapp (AUS/Ineos) to 7
3º Pello Bilbao (Bahrain) at 11