ProTeam Caleb Ewan close second after photo finish in UAE Tour opening stage

An exciting opening stage at the UAE Tour ended in a millimetre sprint between Lotto Dstny leader Caleb Ewan and Tim Merlier. That sprint concluded a day of battling in the echelons with a select group also including Ewan’s teammate Jarrad Drizners fighting it out for victory. After a long wait for the photo finish verdict, Merlier was eventually declared as the stage winner with Caleb Ewan having to settle for second place.

“It was a very tough day out with the echelons happening straight away from the start. Only one or two kilometres in, I punctured and was forced to go for a wheel change, right when all the action started and splits occurred. I was way at the back but eventually my teammates helped me in making my way through the groups and getting back to the first chasing group”, starts Caleb Ewan.

After a chase of almost 100 kilometres, the chasing group made contact with the front of the race, which would eventually be whittled down some more and sprint for the stage win in Al Mirfa.

“Eventually I made it to the front group after an entire day of full gas racing, where I found my teammate Jarrad. Just when we thought it would all come back together we managed to split the group again and be up front. Of course Jarrad Drizners was a big help out front and made sure I could get to the sprint. But what can I say about it…? I wouldn’t do anything different, really. I was almost fast enough but apparently not quite enough. Obviously, it’s disappointing to miss out on the stage win with such a narrow margin. But the main thing to take away is the fact that I was up there, which shows the good form I’m in and it’s only promising for the next sprint stages this week”, concludes Ewan.

Images: Photo News.