Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) has secured his first victory of 2025 after a powerful sprint to the summit of Jebel Jais, claiming stage three of the UAE Tour. The world champion now leads the race by 18 seconds over Josh Tarling.
After three days of racing, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finally clinched his first win of the year, dominating the mountaintop finish on stage three of the UAE Tour. The Slovenian cyclist surged ahead in the final 500 meters of the climb, leaving Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) trailing behind.
Pogačar’s victory was so commanding that he had time to glance over his shoulder, sit up in the saddle, and take a second look before crossing the line. His celebration followed shortly after, with Pogačar receiving congratulations from his family as the sun set over the limestone mountains of Jebel Jais.
“Finally back racing, finally a victory after three days. We’re super happy,” Pogačar said in his post-race interview.
UAE Team Emirates had control of the stage from the start, managing the peloton throughout the flat terrain and pacing through the 21km ascent of Jebel Jais. Pogačar praised the team’s efforts, saying, “We had no help whatsoever until the final climb. We executed it really well. Everybody deserves the victory today from our team.”
He also mentioned that his squad had asked Ineos Grenadiers for assistance early in the race, but the request was declined, forcing UAE Team Emirates to handle the pace on their own. “Rune [Herregodts] was really good pulling all day, and Lotto helped us a bit, but on the climb, we just focused on our own pace,” Pogačar added.
With the win, Pogačar has taken the race lead, now 18 seconds ahead of Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), who had claimed the victory in stage two’s time trial.
“It’s really good to win in the rainbow jersey,” Pogačar remarked. “Part of me hoped that Tarling would hold onto the bunch and keep the jersey, but I will be more than happy to have the leader’s jersey tomorrow instead of the rainbows.”
Looking ahead, Pogačar remains focused on the remainder of the race. “Nothing’s won yet. Tomorrow’s the middle point of the race, so we still have more than halfway to go,” he said.
The UAE Tour continues on Thursday with a flat finish to Umm al Quwain, with the seven-day race concluding on Sunday at the summit of Jebel Hafeet— a climb where Pogačar has triumphed three times in his career.
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