Alejandro Valverde, left, wins Stage 3 of the UAE Tour from Primoz Roglic. AFP
Alejandro Valverde, left, wins Stage 3 of the UAE Tour from Primoz Roglic. AFP
Alejandro Valverde, left, wins Stage 3 of the UAE Tour from Primoz Roglic. AFP
Alejandro Valverde, left, wins Stage 3 of the UAE Tour from Primoz Roglic. AFP

UAE Tour 2019: Two wins in a row for Alejandro Valverde on Jebel Hafeet as Primoz Roglic maintains lead


Amith Passela
  • English
  • Arabic

Alejandro Valverde acknowledged it was a case of thriving on familiar turf as he won a stage on top of Jebel Hafeet for the second successive year on Tuesday.

Twelve months ago the Spaniard had perfected his climb to triumph in the mountain stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour, with the result giving him overall victory in the event as well.

Moving forward to Tuesday, with the route now serving as Stage 3 of the UAE Tour, the 38-year-old said using the same approach to the challenging ascent had paid off as he came out on top to win again, with the result moving him up to second place in the standings.

"I felt good and I had the advantage of knowing the climb very well so I could choose my pace," he said. "I knew I had to repeat the exact same tactics as year."

The Movistar Team rider came out on top of a fierce duel in the closing stages with Primoz Roglic and David Gaudu.

The trio were all credited with a time of 4 hours, 44 minutes and 50 seconds, but it was Valverde who crossed the line first.

For Valverde the result was also sweet as it was also the first time he had been victorious since winning the UCI Road World Championships in September.

“I really wanted to get my first win of the year,” Valverde said. “My priority was to win a stage. If I can add the GC [general classification], it's great. If not, it doesn't matter after what I achieved today with the help of my team.”

Despite having to settle for second best on Tuesday, it is still Roglic who holds the leaders' red jersey, as he has done since the event began on Sunday.

He leads by 14 seconds from Valverde and the Slovenian was upbeat over his day's work and his prospects for holding on to the lead until the completion of the race on Saturday in Dubai.

“It's true that I've tried to win the stage as well as defending the jersey," the Jumbo-Visma rider said. "It was my first time here so I didn't know the finish but most importantly we've showed today with the guys that we are a super strong team.”

The riders had raced close together until they began the climb to Jebel Hafeet. The first two riders to breakaway with a strong pace were Patrick Bevin of CCC Team and Diego Ulissi of the UAE Team Emirates.

They were joined by Robert Power of Sunweb with only a little more than seven kilometres to go, but they only held 12 seconds advantage on the main group led by Roglic.

Dan Martin of UAE Team Emirates pushed to the front with 4km left and briefly set the pace ahead of a small group behind him.

Valverde then took over and he and the pair of Roglic and Gaudu pulled away to fight at the front, with Martin eventually coming in fifth, 12 seconds behind the lead trio.

Martin is sixth in the overall standings, 54 seconds behind Roglic, and he said: “It’s not what I wanted, but I am still happy with my performance. My guys did an incredible job for me and it showed the real spirit of the team.

“Fernando [Gaviria] won yesterday and then he’s riding in the wind for us today, which proves that we are all here together and trying to get the best results possible.

“As for the GC, there are still a few complicated stages to go – especially with the wind – so we are going to take it day by day.”

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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
Profile

Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

Price: From Dh59,700 

 

On sale: now  

 
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21

  1. Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
  2. Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
  3. Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
  4. Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
  5. Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
  6. Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
  7. Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
  8. Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
If you go

The flights

Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes. 

The car

Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.

The hotels

Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes. 

More info

To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest. 

 

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End of free parking

- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18

- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued

- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket

- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200. 

- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200

- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300

THE%20SPECS
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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

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Andor
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