UAE Tour 2023: Sprint triumph Groenewegen, Evenepoel still leader

Results 5th stage 2023 UAE Tour

1. Dylan Groenewegen (nld)
2. Fernando Gaviria (col) s.t.
3. Sam Bennett (irl) s.t.
4. Emils Liepins s.t.
5. Tim Merlier (bel) s.t.
6. Sam Welsford (aus) s.t.
7. Sebastián Molano (col) v
8. Mark Cavendish (gbr) s.t.
9. Olav Kooij (nld) s.t.
10. Arnaud Démare (fra) s.t.

GC after stage 5
1. Remco Evenepoel
2. Luke Plapp (aus) + 0.09
3. Pello Bilbao (spa) + 0.13
4. Stefan de Bod (rsa) + 1.03
5. Wout Poels (nld) + 1.06
6. Harm Vanhoucke (bel) + 1.12
7. Andreas Leknessund (nor) s.t.
8. Einer Rubio (col) + 1.13
9. Georg Steinhauser (ger) s.t.
10. Adam Yates (gbr) + 1.14

Race report
In slow opening Lennard Hofstede and Jan Maas give it a go at kilometre 10. The next attack hapens at kilometre 50. Thomas De Gendt goes with Josef Cerny, Louis Vervaeke and Geoffrey Bouchard, but he pushes on alone after the first intermediate sprint. He races to a lead of almost 3 minutes.

Evenepoel pockets 2 bonus seconds in the second intermediate sprint, while De Gendt’s solo is history with 20 kilometres left to race.

The peloton splits moments later. For a moment leader Evenepoel wins up on the wrong side of the split, but he manages to get back in. Same story for runner-up Plapp.

Groenwegen powers to triumph on the long and flat home straight, besting Gaviria and Bennett. Evenepoel extends his GC lead with 2 bonus seconds, while Plapp and Bilbao still sit in second and third.

Another interesting read: route 5th stage 2023 UAE Tour.

UAE Tour 2023 – stage 5: route, profile, tweets

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