Unfortunately, Matteo Milan didn’t enjoy the same fortune two days in a row. After claiming his first WorldTour podium, the young Italian sprinter suffered a crash with 700 metres to go during Stage 5 of the UAE Tour. While he was able to get back on his bike without serious injury, his lead-out man Axel Huens secured a solid top-10 finish (8th) on the line.
On this second consecutive day suited to the sprinters at the UAE Tour, the peloton had no intention of gambling with a breakaway. After narrowly being caught out on Thursday—catching the fugitives with just 250 metres remaining—the start of Stage 5 was far more controlled. “All the sprinters’ teams had the same goal: to make sure only two or three riders went up the road so it would be easier to control, because yesterday’s scenario once again showed how complicated it can be,” explained Stéphane Goubert. “That’s exactly what happened despite several attacks, and then some teams worked throughout the day.” Three riders animated the stage, but their advantage rarely exceeded two minutes. On the long, straight roads of the final fifteen kilometres, the peloton constantly kept them within reach before finally catching them with three kilometers to go, just as Groupama-FDJ United was moving to the front positions.
“It’s frustrating” – Stéphane Goubert
“We had decided to wait until the very end to launch our effort, which the boys did,” Stéphane commented. “From the car, it seemed like they might have gone a bit early, but they felt the timing was right.” Still surrounded by three teammates with two kilometres to go, Matteo Milan was slightly boxed in in the corner before the flamme rouge but then reconnected with Axel Huens. “Unfortunately, Matteo was involved in an incident in the final right-hand bend with 700 metres to go, while he was in a good position with Axel,” Stéphane added. After crashing, the Italian was ruled out of the sprint, and his lead-out man continued the effort to take eighth place on the line. “When you see what Axel managed to do after already working earlier, you think we could have achieved a big result again today,” Stéphane said. “It’s frustrating, but we’ll just hope Matteo isn’t too badly hurt and that he can recover for Sunday’s sprint.”
The Italian did finish the stage, albeit with a few scrapes, and is therefore expected to start Stage 6 to Jebel Hafeet on Saturday. “If there’s a fast start, it could be an opportunity for the boys to try to get in the break, enjoy some time off the front and do some work,” Stéphane concluded. “We’ll also need to put David in the best possible position on a climb he knows well, with slightly gentler gradients than Wednesday. He’s now far back overall, so he can take the chance to enjoy the climb and aim for the best result possible.”
