Tadej Pogacar powered to victory on the summit of Jebel Jais on Wednesday as the Slovenian secured his first stage win of 2025 at the UAE Tour.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider, watched on by his parents, triumphed in a sprint finish on Stage 3 after a 20-kilometre climb, crossing the line ahead of Oscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL) and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), with reigning champion Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto) fourth.
It was the Slovenian’s 89th career win and his seventh at the UAE Tour, which saw him take the overall lead as Stage 2 time-trial winner Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) dropped from the lead group inside the final kilometre.
Pogacar is now in prime position to win his third UAE Tour title after establishing an 18-second advantage on overnight leader Tarling, with Pablo Castrillo (Movistar) a further five seconds back in third.
“We finally have a victory after three days and we are super happy,” said the three-time Tour de France champion after the 181km ride from Ras Al-Khaimah to Jebel Jais.
“We did perfect, it was a hard day for the guys to control the race because it's long. We had no help whatsoever until the final climb and we executed it really good. Everybody deserves a victory today from our team, so I'm super happy.”
Pogacar's teammates set him up perfectly for the stage honours, injecting ideal pace for their rainbow-jersey wearing leader to pounce.
“We asked Ineos if they wanted to pay the honours to the jersey from the start, but we were left alone,” added Pogacar
“Rune [Herregodts] was really good pulling all day and then Lotto helped us a bit and then in the climb we just tried to do our own pace.
“It’s really good to win in the rainbow jersey. Part of me hoped that Tarling would hold on to the bunch and he would keep the jersey, but I will be more than happy to have the leader’s jersey tomorrow instead of the rainbows.”
Despite the team's dominance on Stage 3, Pogacar played down the idea that a third title was safely in the bag.
“It's not finished yet,” he insisted. “Now three stages of flat. You never know what happens here. You can lose it really quickly. So, nothing is won yet.
“Tomorrow is the middle point of the race. So, yeah, still more than halfway to go.”
Pogacar finished 10th in the opening stage and followed up with a third-place finish in the Stage 2 time trial before the impressive win at Jebel Jais.
Thursday’s Stage 4 is another 181km route flat stage from Fujairah Qidfa Beach to Umm Al Quwain.
Stage 3 results:
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 4 hrs 36 min 04 sec
2. Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) + 00
3. Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) + 00
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates – XRG)
2. Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) at 18″
3. Pablo Castrillo (Movistar Team) at 23″
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
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THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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