Stage 4 of the UAE Tour: Jonathan Milan Doubles Up, Pogacar Retains Lead
Jonathan Milan of the Lidl-Trek team emerged victorious in the fourth stage of the UAE Tour, securing his second stage win in the race. The Italian sprinter narrowly edged out Belgians Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen in a thrilling photo finish in Umm al Quwain.
Milan, who had already triumphed in the opening stage on Monday, solidified his status as one of the world’s top sprinters. His performance bodes well for his ambitions in the upcoming Milan-San Remo classic on March 22nd.
"These types of races are very important in the lead-up to the classics," said Milan, the reigning points classification winner of the Giro d’Italia. "There was wind and echelons, which require good positioning and nerves of steel. It’s a great way to gain experience."
The final stretch of the stage proved particularly challenging, with gusty winds creating chaos in the peloton. Under sustained attacks from Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates, echelons formed 15 kilometers from the finish line, trapping several riders with GC aspirations.
Defending champion Leenert Van Eetvelt (10th overall) and other top-10 contenders, including Spaniards Ivan Romeo (4th), Pello Bilbao (8th), and Australians Finn Fisher-Black (5th) and Jay Vine (6th), were briefly caught out. However, with just four kilometers remaining, they managed to bridge the gap to the lead group, which was being paced by Pogacar.
Pogacar attempted to eliminate some of his main rivals, but ultimately failed. The overall classification remained unchanged, with the world champion maintaining an 18-second lead over Joshua Tarling of Great Britain and a 23-second advantage over Spain’s Pablo Castrillo.
Stage 5 on Friday is expected to favor sprinters once again, offering a flat 160-kilometer route from the American University of Dubai to the Hamdan Bin Mohammed University. Milan will be aiming for his third stage win of the week.
Stage 4 Results:
- Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
- Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step)
- Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
- Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty)
- Sacha Modolo (Arkéa-Samsic)
- Tom Van Asbroeck (Israel-Premier Tech)
- Axel Laurance (B&B Hotels-KTM)
- Simone Consonni (Cofidis)
- Giacomo Nizzolo (Israel-Premier Tech)
- Leenert Van Eetvelt (TotalEnergies)
Overall Classification After Stage 4:
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
- Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) at 18 seconds
- Pablo Castrillo (Burgos-BH) at 23 seconds
- Ivan Romeo (Burgos-BH) at 25 seconds
- Finn Fisher-Black (Astana Qazaqstan) at 27 seconds
- Pello Bilbao (Astana Qazaqstan) at 29 seconds
- Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) at 31 seconds
- Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) at 33 seconds
- George Bennett (UAE Team Emirates) at 37 seconds
- Leenert Van Eetvelt (TotalEnergies) at 42 seconds
