Phil Bauhaus (Team Sunweb) emerged victorious on 133-kilometre third stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour today from Nation Tower to Big Flag for his first win of the season.
On the last opportunity for the sprinters at the race, the German was declared the winner after an incredibly close photo finish. It also marked Team Sunweb’s first win of the season. Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) took second, and Pascal Ackerman (Bora-hansgrohe) finished third.
Marco Maronese (Bardiani CSF), Sergey Firsanov (Gazprom-Rusvelo), Pierre Rolland (EF Education First-Drapac) and Sam Brand (Team Novo Nordisk) formed the break of the day but with 53 kilometres still remaining, all four were caught.
Echelons formed in the race after the catch and Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) crashed at a roundabout. The Norwegian did manage to chase back on though.
The sprinters’ teams kept the pace high in the final hour of racing, ensuring a bunch finish. Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) was the first of the sprinters to make a move but it was Bauhaus who proved fastest. Ewan finished in fifth place with Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) in fourth. Viviani retained the race lead ahead of tomorrow’s fourth stage time-trial at Al Maryah Island.
Speaking of the win, Bauhaus said: “We have a really good team here for the sprint and I’ve been working well at home. My goal here was to go for a podium or take a win, so it’s really nice to be able to achieve that against such a super strong field. It’s always hard to get the first win of the season and get the ball rolling, especially after such an unlucky day here yesterday. I hope we can continue like this into tomorrow and Sunday where we have a lot of cards to play.”
