Feb 21, 2023 Press Conference

Lucas Plapp moves into Red Jersey after Soudal Quick-Step win team time trial

(©Sprint Cycling Agency)

Soudal Quick-Step edge out EF Education – Easypost by just one second to win stage.
Lucas Plapp also claims White and Black Jerseys as Tim Merlier stays in the Green Jersey.
Tomorrow, Stage 3, is 185km from Umbrella Beach Al Fujairah to the summit of Jebel Jais.

Khalifa Port (Abu Dhabi), 21 February 2023 – Ineos Grenadiers rider Lucas Plapp has taken control of the Red Jersey at the UAE Tour despite rival team Soudal Quick-Step winning the AD Ports Group Stage team time trial.

Plapp’s Ineos Grenadiers team finished the stage in third place, three seconds behind the triumphant Soudal Quick-Step team, who claimed a thrilling victory, just one second ahead of EF Education – Easypost.

Soudal Quick-Step maintained an incredible average speed of 56.773km/h as they flew around the 17.3km circuit in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port in a time of 18 minutes and 11 seconds.

Those results ensured that Plapp moved to the top of the General Classification though, despite him sitting on the same overall time as Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), with Nikias Arndt (Bahrain Victorious) three seconds adrift in third place.

As there were no sprint points on offer today, Stage 1 winner Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) remains in the Green (Sprint Classification) Jersey.

(©UAETour)

STAGE RESULT
1 – Soudal Quick-Step, 17.3km in 18’11”, average speed 56.773km/h
2 – EF Education – Easypost at 1.25″
3 – Ineos Grenadiers at 2.92″

Soudal Quick-Step celebrate their stage win alongside Saif AL Mazrouei
Chief Executive Officer – Port Cluster at AD Ports Group, Naser Al Bousaidi –
CE Ports Operating Company at AD Ports Group, Gaetan Fragniere – Tudor Representative, and Ahmed Ibrahim – Director of Marketing at International Holding Company (©Sprint Cycling Agency)

OFFICIAL JERSEYS

Red Jersey, General Classification. Sponsor: International Holding Company
– Lucas Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers)
Green Jersey, Points Classification. Sponsor: BeIT – Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
White Jersey, Young Rider Classification. Sponsor: Nakheel – Lucas Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers)
Black Jersey, Intermediate Sprint Classification. Sponsor: Experience Abu Dhabi – Lucas Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers)As Lucas Plapp will wear the Red Jersey on Stage 3, the White Jersey will be worn by Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma). Nikias Arndt (Bahrain Victorious) will also wear the Black Jersey on behalf of Luke Plapp.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Lucas Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers)
2 – Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) s.t.
3 – Nikias Arndt (Bahrain Victorious) at 3″

Lucas Plapp waves to the crowd after being awarded the White Jersey by Hussain Khansaheb – Director Marine Engineering at Nakheel (©LaPresse)

PRESS CONFERENCE
Red, White and Black Jersey holder Lucas Plapp said in the post-stage press conference: “This is the first leader’s jersey of my career. It’s nice but there’s definitely a long way to go in this race. I’ll try to defend it as long as I can but Remco [Evenepoel] is definitely the favourite. He’s the World Champion for a reason. For me, it’ll just be a matter of holding on and seeing what I can do in the climbs from here.

“As a team we probably didn’t attack the first half of the stage hard enough, that’s where we lost the stage in the end. We finished with four guys, which is always risky. At the end of the day, this is the best event in cycling. The gaps are only minuscule and it more-or-less keeps the GC the same.”

Stage-winning team member of Soudal Quick-Step, Remco Evenepoel said: “It was our goal to ride a good team time trial here but we never dreamed of winning it, so to have done so is incredible. We are really enjoying the UAE Tour so far, especially with Tim Merlier’s sprint victory yesterday as well, and while it is not a must to make it three stage wins from three, it would be nice if we achieved that.

“Tomorrow’s plan is to save as much energy as possible before we hit Jebel Jais, and if I remember it well from the past, it is not the hardest climb.”

Tim Merlier is presented the Green Jersey by Al Nakheera Al Khaili – CEO of Abu Dhabi Cycling Club (©LaPresse)

TOMORROW’S STAGE

Stage 3: Umbrella Beach Al Fujairah – Jebel Jais (185 KM)

The first of two mountain stages of the UAE Tour. The stage is divided into two distinct parts. The first approaches the concluding mountain on undulating roads through the desert, while the last is characterised by approximately 20km of continuous climbing up to the finish. Departing from Fujairah and crossing the desert areas on the edge of the Hajar Mountains, it then heads towards Ras-al-Khaimah, whose capital is not crossed by the ride. The stage then heads directly towards Jebel Jais.

Last kms
The final climb winds through hairpin bends on a very wide road. Gradients are mainly around 4-5% in the first part and 5-7% in the second, with a peak of 9% around 2 km from the finish. The finish is on straight asphalt roads.