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UAE Tour stage 6 – Live coverage

UAE Tour stage 6

(Image credit: RCS Sport)

Race preview: UAE Tour 2021

How to watch the 2021 UAE Tour – live TV and streaming

UAE Tour: Vingegaard wins stage 5


Chris Froome: I'm feeling better and better at the UAE Tour

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Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the penultimate stage of the UAE Tour

The peloton are already underway on the pan-flat 165-kilometre stage, and the attacks have started.

155km to go

Tony Gallopin (AG2R Citroën), Alexey Lutsenko, Luis León Sánchez (Astana-Premier Tech), Matthieu Ladagnous, Attila Valter (Groupama-FDJ), and Iñigo Elosegui (Movistar) are off the front.

Yesterday's stage 5 to the summit finish at Jebel Jais saw Jumbo-Visma's Jonas Vingegaard take victory as race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) defended his lead with a second-placed finish.

The breakaway are three minutes up the road already.

At 11:49 down on Pogačar, Sánchez is the best-placed rider on GC in the break.

140km to go

Thomas De Gendt, who wears the black intermediate sprints jersey, is also on the frotn of the peloton. His teammate Caleb Ewan is another favourite on today's stage.

There likely won't be too much drama on today's stage, which sees the riders head through Dubai, take on an out-and-back ride to the desert, and then turn back to the coast for the finish on the man-made island of Palm Jumeirah. The stage is totally pan-flat but the wind could be an obstacle.

One of the men who should be in contention at the finish is Jumbo-Visma man David Dekker. The neo-pro wears the points jersey today as he's second in the rankings behind race leader Pogačar. He's twice finished a runner-up so far in the race.

125km to go

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Here's what Sam Bennett, who won stage 4, had to say at the stage start.

Chris Froome: I'm feeling better and better at the UAE Tour

105km to go

Elia Viviani also spoke before the stage start. He's aiming for his first win with Cofidis today. 

95km to go

Florian Stork (Team DSM) has abandoned the race after being caught up in a crash caused by a traffic island. He was lying 12th overall.

Matteo Moschetti (Trek-Segafredo) has also been caught in a crash. He's back up and running but has road rash on his left hip.

88km to go

There's little to report back in the peloton as the riders head along a wide highway out of the city. They'll hit the second intermediate sprint in 16 kilometres.

72km to go

A sizeable group of riders has been tailed off the back, though we can't see if any big GC or sprint names are there. Fillippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) is among them, though.

67km to go

It looks like there are around 30 riders in the chasing group. Deceuninck-QuickStep keep pushing on at the front of the peloton.

Bora-Hansgrohe and ISN are also up front.

It's hard to gauge exactly how strong the wind is here. There aren't many trees around in the desert...

61km to go

After the attempts to create splits and make time in the wind, the peloton has now dragged the break back to within a minute. Both peloton and chase group are back together now.

48km to go

Things have calmed down now. 50 seconds between break and peloton. The riders will be focussed on making the catch at the right time and then  getting organised for the sprint finish.

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35km to go

After his efforts today, AG2R man Tony Gallopin will take over the black intermediate sprints jersey from his ex-teammate Thomas De Gendt.

29km to go

Jumbo, Bora, Ineos, QuickStep and Lotto are all represented at the front of the peloton.

25km to go

Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) is still doing a job on the front.

20km to go

Lotto Soudal is right at the back of the peloton here. There's still some time to move up for the finish. 

13km to go

Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates), Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Elia Viviani (Cofidis), Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-QuickStep), David Dekker (Jumbo-Visma), Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal), Luka Mezgec (Team BikeExchange), Cees Bol (Team DSM), Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka Assos) are among the favourites to contest the finish today.

10km to go

The peloton head down a wide road in the city. Bahrain, Astana, QuickStep and Ineos are among the teams present at the front.

8km to go

Bahrain are to the right-hand side of the road, leading a smaller group including Lotto, while the bulk of the peloton is on the left with Bora and Ineos leading the way.

6km to go

Viviani's lead out man Fabio Sabatini went down in that crash. Not great for the Cofidis sprinter.

4km to go

Filippo Ganna put in a big turn on the front.

3km to go

Lots of jostling for position around a hairpin turn. Ineos still lead.

2km to go

BikeExchange take charge of the right-hand side of the road out of the wind. Qhubeka and ISN move some riders up there, too.

1km to go

Green jersey David Dekker barges Caleb Ewan for position. Bennett is in prime position though.

Mørkøv hits the front at the perfect time with Bennett in his wheel. Dekker, Ackermann, Viviani behind.

Bennett starts the sprint. Head to head against Dekker.

Viviani moves up in the final metres but it's all Bennett. The Irishman wins stage 6!

A Bora-Hansgrohe rider handed a perfect wheel to Mørkøv in that lead out. The Dane moved up with Bennett in perfect position and the sprinter just had to finish it off. He won by a bike length ahead of Viviani as Dekker faded to the line.

Ackermann took third behind Bennett and Viviani.

Here's what Bennett had to say after the finish.

Tadej Pogačar leads the GC by 45 seconds ahead of Adam Yates. João Almeida remains in third at 1:12. The overall standings should remain the same on tomorrow's final sprint stage, barring disaster.

See more

Here's the victory shot. Bennett ahead of Viviani.

Our brief report is up now, with a photo gallery and brief results. Check back soon for the full stage 6 report.

Dekker looks set to hang on to his green points jersey tomorrow if he can finish high up. For Bennett, it'll be all about adding victory number three, while Ackermann, Ewan and the rest of the sprinters will be looking to beat the Irishman.

Bennett celebrates his win on the podium

That's all for us today. Be sure to check back tomorrow for live coverage of stage 7.

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