The UAE Team Emirates – XRG team and its captain Tadej Pogačar did not have everything go according to plan at the end of the 1st stage of the UAE Tour. After a nasty crash, they lost the Colombian sprinter Sebasitana Molana at a crucial moment, and in his absence, Tadej tested himself against the world’s greatest speed masters. He accelerated strongly 300 meters before the finish and then realized that he had started the final action too early. Jonathan Milan (Lidl Trek) made the best use of his slipstream, sprinting to a prestigious victory.
»We were a bit unlucky with Sebas crashing, and it didn’t go as planned in the end in the final. But otherwise, we had good legs, we tried and it was a nice race. It looked like I was still stuck in my leadout idea because I went so early in the wind! If Molano wasn’t unlucky, I think it would have been something super beautiful,« Tadej said about his first day of racing in the 2025 season, in which he finished in 10th place.
Tomorrow he faces an important test in the fight for the overall victory in the seven-day UAE Tour, with a 12.2 km time trial on schedule in the 2nd stage. »I am looking forward to tomorrow, it’s going to be the first real long effort of the season. The feeling is ok, there was a lot of work done in the winter and I hope it pays off tomorrow in the time trial,« added Tadej.