Merlier wins final sprint stage UAE Tour with considerable advantage, Philipsen nearly knocks De Kleijn over
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Follow us on GoogleTim Merlier has overwhelmingly won the sixth stage of the UAE Tour. Like on Friday, Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG gave it his all, but it was a classic stage on a flat course. In the fourth bunch sprint of the week, Merlier proved to be the strongest, with an unprecedented lead over the other top riders. Jasper Philipsen could not keep up and may have to fear relegation after a beating from Arvid de Kleijn.
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In the morning, the peloton, which had been considerably depleted by crashes, set off on a 165-kilometer ride from Abu Dhabi Cycling Club to Abu Dhabi Breakwater. A stage without any elevation and the last chance for the sprinters to sprint for the win. Four men were given leeway: Djordje Djuric, Carlos Samudio, Kristian Sbaragli (all Vini Fantini), and Manuele Tarozzi of Bardiani.
There were no big names this time in the counter-attack, although the UAE did try to disrupt things at one point. He failed, causing Pogacar to start his recovery ride. A boring spectacle, although the intermediate sprint was still enjoyable. Djuric ensured he could hang on to the black intermediate sprint jersey with a strong sprint.
Read more below the photo.
One more sprint for the top sprinters in UAE Tour
After the UAE attack, which had 72 kilometers to go, the breakaway's lead was reduced to 30 seconds, but the gap increased again in the following phase. Sprinters Alpecin-Deceuninck (Jasper Philipsen), Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe (Sam Welsford), and Souda played games with each other.
We entered the final ten kilometers with a 30-second lead over the four leaders. They finally admitted defeat, leaving us to prepare for one last royal sprint for the top sprinters. Lidl-Trek and Picnic-PostNL showed the most initiative, but Tudor put the wheels in motion with perfect timing. Arvid de Kleijn seemed able to sprint just as well, but when Merlier took off, Philipsen hit the Dutch rider hard. Merlier created an impressive advantage and was solo ahead of the rest. Philipsen came in second, Milan third.
Results stage 6 UAE Tour 2025
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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- Why would a mountain time trial be different from a normal one? Is it just that the riders have to climb the whole course?samanthak03-11-2026
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