Exhausting: Evenepoel and Adam Yates throw down on Jebel Hafeet for UAE Tour title
Canada's Derek Gee in the top 43 of his first two WorldTour stage races
UAE Tour leader Remco Evenepoel and Adam Yates conducted a pitched battle in the race’s finale on the Jebel Hafeet climb on Sunday, with Evenepoel hanging tough to take the title. Adam Yates won the queen stage, his first victory with new outfit UAE-Emirates. Lone Canadian entrant Derek Gee was 55th on the day and 43rd on the final GC.
Evenepoel went into the last day with a nine second gap on Ineos’ Luke Plapp, 13 seconds clear of Pello Bilbao and carrying a 1:14 gap over Yates.
The Course
Sunday was all about Jebel Hafeet, 10.8 km of 6.6 percent, topping off a 153-km day.
The #UAETour is decided today on the Jebel Hafeet climb. pic.twitter.com/mlx1p7dEKM
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) February 26, 2023
A quintet of escapees consisting of two Germans, an Australian, a Finn and a Lithuanian dashed away and rolled up a maximum gap of 6:00. UAE-Emirates provided the locomotive for the peloton train, with assistance from Soudal-QuickStep, Movistar and Ineos.
We start Jebel Hafeet (10.8km, 6.6%).
Things are looking promising for the #UAETour escapees, who hold a three-minute advantage over the peloton. pic.twitter.com/Ey9r9XAmSI
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) February 26, 2023
Most but not all the fugitives were sopped on the opening slopes of Jebel Hafeet. UAE-Emirates kept turning the screw and whittled the peloton down to nine riders, including a couple of the day’s breakaways.
With 6 km to go, Yates attacked, drawing a counterattack from Evenepoel and Sepp Kuss. With Kuss, Bilbao and Plapp dropped, Yates made another thrust with 3 km to climb and this one stuck. But he was unable to make ground on world champion Evenepoel, simply running out of road. However, the Brit jumped from 10th to third in the GC, beating Bilbao by three seconds.
2023 UAE Tour Stage 7
1) Adam Yates (Great Britain/UAE-Team Emirates) 3:29:42
2) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal-QuickStep) +0:10
3) Geoffrey Bouchard (France/AG2R-Citroën) +0:42
55) Derek Gee (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) 5:59
2023 UAE Tour GC
1) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal-QuickStep) 23:25:26
2) Luke Plapp (Australia/Ineos Grenadiers) +0:59
3) Adam Yates (Great Britain/UAE-Team Emirates) +1:00
43) Derek Gee (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) 10:37
