DUBAI: Italian cyclist Sonny Colbrelli, who rides for Bahrein Merida, won the “queen” stage of the 2018 Dubai Tour that stretched across the Hatta Dam climb in a frenzied finish on Friday. Magnus Cort Nielsen, who had finished third during Stage 2, emerged second-best whereas Timo Roosen of Team Lotto NL secured the third position.
Colbrelli, made his Grand Tour debut at the 2012 Giro d’Italia, where he was earmarked as a lead-out man for the team’s sprinter, was behind Cort Nielsen moments to go before the finish line, but a last-minute acceleration saw him zoom past his Astana Pro team’s compatriot and register his first stage win of the season. In all this excitement, the jersey that matters the most, Blue, was retained by Elia Viviani, who finishes sixth and remains ahead of Cort Nielsen by two minutes, followed by Colbrelli at third.
Colbrelli, acknowledging his team’s role, said it was about time he rewarded them for their effort. “I really wanted to win today because the team has been working for me since day one. I was close yesterday. Today, again, Bahrain-Merida has done a great job,” he said after the win. “I launched the sprint from very far out because I had a mechanical and I was stuck on the 53. I couldn’t wait for this race to end. The last 50 metres looked like infinity to me. This victory means a lot for my team and is very important for my morale. Even without being the favourites, we raced as a team like leaders.”
“Vincenzo Nibali has had a decisive role in the finale today. It’s great to have him along. He’s the first who’s ready to disrupt the plans of the pure sprinters and I hope the work he’s doing here will help him reach his goals this year. Four seconds deficit on Elia Viviani aren’t much but he’s a faster sprinter than me. However, I’ll try to win again tomorrow.”
The win lands him in four minutes behind overall leader in the General Classification Viviani, who seems most likely to lift the trophy, although he is ready to win for the final stage. The Italian cyclist has been the rock behind Quick-Steps Floors and has a wonderful bunch of guys backing him in the peloton.