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“It would be a shame if the stage ended with a bunch of sprints,” was Pelo BilbaoInitiate an explanation of the eventual success First Echelon Attack of UAE Tour And get some serious time on the GC.
Thanks to the attack, Athletic, with Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuckStep) and Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers) ahead of last year’s third-ranked Bilbao ahead of Tuesday’s tense team time trial and Wednesday’s first summit race Baño had an almost one-minute lead over all other contenders.
Team time trials will obviously make more difference in GC, but after two years of solid dominance by the Emirates at home, the 13-man attack in Stage 1 was an eye-opener. With Tuesday’s team time trial in mind, Bilbao will be encouraged by the moves of his three Bahrain victory teammates.
Evenepoel has benefited the most of the GC contenders, but Bilbao are a clear threat given his solid track record on the UAE tour in previous years and his strong start to the season, which includes 3rd place overall and the Segment Champions Tour.
Athletic Bilbao responded to Luke Prappe’s comments after the game, saying Victory Bahrain were alerted to strong winds on Monday given how the same UAE Tour stage in 2021 had performed in crosswinds Similar deserts were expected to occur.
“That’s what we expected, the last time they started from that castle, the same thing happened, the echelon came out of the cannon, and today we knew what was going to happen,” said Bilbao after finishing ninth. Tell Bike News.
“We’ve been waiting for that moment to take the initiative from the beginning. We’re ready.”
After nearly 90 kilometers away from the front line, Bahrain Victory played a big role in the game, and Bilbao said he and his team-mates saw things come together again, “We think it’s a pity that it may eventually reunite. Get up, we’re going to miss an opportunity.”
Cue the second part of the operation, as narrated by Bilbao. “So we decided to go all out and see if we could break it all up again, and it worked out pretty well.”
According to Bilbao, the cooperation between the frontline GC teams is very solid. “Remco is pulling out all the stops, I’m doing what I can, and Ineos is working well. Let’s say we’ve cleaned up the overall assortment a little bit, and we have a good edge right now.”
Any advantage over an opponent through a surprise attack is always a morale boost, as much as time earned. “Despite all the efforts of the team, always taking the initiative and being so brave, it would be a shame if we just reached the finish line as one big group,” said Bilbao.
“We know people are tired so we try again and we push them hard… tomorrow [Tuesday] There’s another team time trial,” he concludes with a laugh. But with Bahrain Victorious, Ineos Grenadiers and Soudal-QuickStep gaining an advantage in the GC battle, Bilbao will roll off the start ramp at Khalifa Port , and already has a significant time buffer in his favor.
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