GALLERY
THE WORLD’S BEST CYCLING PHOTOGRAPHY
Image: Tim de Waele/Getty Images
UAE Tour Stage 1, Abu Dhabi
21 FEBRUARY 2021
The peloton is rent asunder by strong crosswinds on the opening stage of the UAE Tour. With the wind coming from the right, the only shelter from it is to the left of the rider in front, which means that the width of the road limits the number of riders who can enjoy that shelter. The riders in the echelons behind can only hope that the speed drops at the front, otherwise the gap will either grow or at best stay the same. See the isolated riders on the left of the road? They’re all going backwards relative to the group in front - no matter how hard they ride, they won’t match the speed of an echelon. They are riding in the wind, while the rotation of the echelon ensures that the riders skilled or strong enough to make it never spend more than a few seconds in the wind. On this day, the race never came back together, and the splits formed had a definitive effect on the race. Twenty-three riders would finish eight minutes ahead of the rest. The front group included defending champion Adam Yates of Ineos Grenadiers and ‘home team’ rider Tadej Pogačar of UAE Emirates. The pair would fight out the race between them, and with little to separate them on the two summit finishes, the Slovenian’s superior time trial gave him the overall win.