Adam Yates' stunning ascent of Jebel Hafeet makes him Rider of the Day on stage 7 of UAE Tour

Remco Evenepoel took the limelight at the end of the UAE Tour, standing atop the final podium in the red jersey as the overall winner, but on the final stage itself it was Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) who stood out above all others. 

There's no one who knows Jebel Hafeet, the iconic mountain of the UAE Tour and previously the Abu Dhabi Tour, better than Yates. He won atop the 10km climb en route to overall victory in 2020 and finished runner-up on the past two visits. 

Having moved to the team of the man who got the better of him on those occasions, Tadej Pogačar, and having assumed leadership of the 'home' team from the absent Slovenian, Yates was the rider to watch on the stage 7 summit finish. 

And he duly took the race into his own hands and stamped his authority all over Jebel Hafeet, making him our final Rider of the Day of the UAE Tour. 

Evenepoel's Soudal-QuickStep team worked on the approach to the climb and on its lower slopes but UAE Team Emirates soon took over, setting a strong tempo to set up Yates' assault. The strong trio of Mikkel Bjerg, Marc Soler and, finally, Brandon McNulty all performed strong turns to shred the bunch, but they didn't have to work for too long, as Yates was in no mood to hang around. 

Having started the day 1:14 down on Evenepoel, he was aware the overall title was likely out of reach, but he gave himself every opportunity, launching his first acceleration some 6.1km from the summit. Evenepoel and Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) were the only two riders able to respond, leaving Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers) and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) - the only two riders within striking distance of Evenepoel on GC - scrambling behind. 

Having found a collaborator in Evenepoel, Yates kept turning the screw and Kuss was forced to relent with 4.7km to go. 1700 metres later, it was the world champion falling away as Yates launched his winning attack. Perhaps aware of the flatter section to come, the Briton used a steep curved section, topping a 10% gradient, to kick clear of the world champion. The contrast was striking; for all Evenepoel's other-worldly strength in the past year or so, here he was head-bowed, legs grinding, as Yates danced clear out of the saddle. 

Having carved open his gap, Yates duly held firm on the flatter section before seeing the job through in the final kilometre. After being mugged by Pogačar on the late dip and subsequent kicker through the final bend, this time he was alone and could savour his victory. 

Evenepoel came home 10 seconds later and collapsed to the baking tarmac in exhaustion, while the other time gaps were further testament to the way Yates demolished Jebel Hafeet; Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R) was third at 42 seconds and Kuss fifth at 47 seconds, before Bilbao and Plapp rolled home at 54 seconds. 

The damage was sufficient to launch Yates onto the final overall podium, a second shy of taking Plapp's runner-up spot behind Evenepoel, but still bumping off Bilbao to finish third overall. 

"We had nothing to lose," Yates said. "We just had to go all-out and see what happened."

Analysis

It had been a disappointing UAE Tour for Yates and for his UAE Team Emirates squad, but with this stage victory and a spot on the final podium, they can look back on their week with pride. 

Part of the reason for Yates' signing was to take the pressure off Pogačar as the leader of the team. Despite his seemingly evergreen strength, there was a sense that the Slovenian had spread himself a little thin in 2022, which perhaps led to his downfall at the Tour de France.

In Yates, the team were getting a proven WorldTour week-long stage race podium finisher and, crucially, someone with a proven track record at the home race that is one of their most important fixtures of the year. 

When the Briton was caught out in the crosswinds on the opening day, losing any realistic shot at a a third straight overall title for the team, it looked like panic stations. Things then worsened with the exit of Tour Down Under winner Jay Vine due to a knee injury. 

However, the recovery began with Juan Sebastián Molano's sprint victory on stage 4, and was finalised by Yates' stunning display on Jebel Hafeet. It might not have been what they came for, but two stages and a spot on the final podium - topped by the world champion - is no disgrace. 

On a personal level for Yates, it was a strong start to life at his new team. The 30-year-old has never quite been able to become the Grand Tour contender promised by his 2016 Tour de France performance, but he is still a force to be reckoned with over one week, and UAE should reap those rewards this year. 

A strong Grand Tour result would be by no means out of the question but, in any case, they have a rider who adds considerable climbing strength to Pogačar's quest to recover the Tour de France crown.