Italian rider Jonathan Milan celebrates after winning Stage 1 of the UAE Tour on February 17, 2025. AFP
Italian rider Jonathan Milan celebrates after winning Stage 1 of the UAE Tour on February 17, 2025. AFP
Italian rider Jonathan Milan celebrates after winning Stage 1 of the UAE Tour on February 17, 2025. AFP
Italian rider Jonathan Milan celebrates after winning Stage 1 of the UAE Tour on February 17, 2025. AFP

Jonathan Milan wins UAE Tour Stage 1 after Tadej Pogacar falls short in sprint finish


Amith Passela
  • English
  • Arabic

Jonathan Milan took opening stage honours at the UAE Tour while Tour de France champion and hot favourite Tadej Pogacar was bang in contention in what was his season debut.

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider, making his first appearance in the race since retaining the title in 2022, launched a sprint 350 metres from the finish only to run out of steam close to home leaving him to settle for 10th place.

Milan, of Lidl-Trek, prevailed in a chaotic scramble for the line ahead of Jasper Philipsen, however the Belgian was demoted to 52nd for hampering Finn Fisher-Black.

The New Zealander inherited second place, with Denmark's Tobias Lund Andresen third.

“I feel brutally tired after this sprint. The warmth and the last 700 metres of the race have made it really tough, more than I was thinking,” said Milan, after claiming victory in 138-kilometre route from Shams Solar Power Station Madinat Zayed to Liwa in Abu Dhabi.

“I must thank my guys. They controlled, supported me, and led me to the final stretch. I’m super happy with this victory, it was so hard.”

There was a blow for UAE Team Emirates-XRG when sprint hope Juan Sebastian Molano clipped the wheel of Pogacar while taking a drink and was sent flying off the road on to some rocks.

The Colombian escaped with superficial lacerations and bruises over his back, arm and ankle but was to undergo further checks at hospital to determine if there are any further injuries.

Despite falling short with his attack for the line, Pogacar showed enough quality to suggest he will be the man to beat come Sunday's time-trial conclusion.

Tuesday's Stage 2 consists of a 12.2km time trial around Al Hudayriyat Island.

Stage 1 results:

1. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) 3 hrs 31 min 34 sec

2. Finn Fisher-Black (RedBull – Bora – Hansgrohe) same time

3. Tobias Lund Andresen (Team Picnic PostNL) same time.

General Classification:

1. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) 3 hrs 31 min 24 sec

2. Finn Fisher-Black (RedBull – Bora – Hansgrohe) + four seconds

3. Tobias Lund Andresen (Team Picnic PostNL) + six seconds

Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5

HOW TO WATCH

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The biog:

From: Wimbledon, London, UK

Education: Medical doctor

Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures 

Favourite animals: All of them 

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
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  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
Essentials

The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.

The Little Things

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Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8

Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm

Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km

Price: Dh380,000

On sale: now 

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The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

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The National photo project

Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).

While you're here
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Updated: February 18, 2025, 8:56 AM`