Kristoff secures 4th as European champion edges closer to a podium finish

UAE Team Emirates’ Alexander Kristoff showed why the team secured his services for this season, as the rider once again featured in the top five during stage four on the Dubai Tour. Kristoff battled against the attacking peloton as they frantically tried to reign in the sole break away rider in the final kilometres. Coming into the final 300 metres, the drawn out, blue-jersey bunch, tackled a steep ascent with Kristoff driving forward to cross the line narrowly missing out on a third place podium finish.

The race had seen an early attack test the resilience of the peloton for over 100km and it looked like one of the breakaway riders, McNulty, could secure a victory, in what would have been a first for the Dubai Tour. But with just 25 meters to go, the lone rider was caught by the sprinters and the race was eventually won in dramatic fashion by Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida Pro Cycling Team).

Reflecting on the penultimate race and another top five finish, Alexander Kristoff (photo Bettini) commented; “I’m pretty satisfied with fourth place. Whilst a podium position would have been a great way to end a great race, I prefer to focus my attention on the fact that I’m producing consistent performances in the top 10. My team mates were fantastic leading me to the approach of Hatta Dam, especially Sven Erik Bystrøm and Matteo Bono who both did a really impressive job. My legs were fairly good, but maybe the final few meters were too heavy for me”.

Commenting on his team-mates performance, UAE National Champion Yousif Mirza said; “The team is really proud of Alexander, who fought so hard on a very steep hill against riders who were much lighter than him. He missed out on the podium but I feel he demonstrated that he’s a class rider and I’d love for him to get the result he deserves in the final stage tomorrow”.

With honours still to play for, the tour will go down to tomorrow’s final stage – a 129km sprint that will see riders depart from SkyDive Dubai heading for a finish at City Walk. Fans will be able to catch a glimpse of their favourite UAE Team Emirates’ riders as they go past Meydan Racecourse and Mushrif Park, before heading back towards the coast for a sprint along Jumeirah Road and a finish overlooking the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

Stage 4 results
1 Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) 3h40’50”
2 Magnus Cort Nielsen (Astana) s.t.
3 Timo Roosen (LottoNL-Jumbo) s.t.
4 Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.

General classification after stage 4
1 Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) 16h00’28”
2 Magnus Cort Nielsen (Astana) 2″
3 Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) 4″
8 Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) 14″