Giant-Alpecin rider beats Valverde to victory at Hatta Dam
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John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) wins stage 3 on Hatta Dam at Dubai Tour(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
John Degenkolb speaks to German television (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
John Degenkolb’s race winning effort on the penultimate stage of the Dubai Tour left the Giant-Alpecin rider lying on the ground after the finish line. The 17 per cent gradient over the final 300 metres had the riders almost grinding to a halt, and the rest of the pack struggled to catch the German. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) came closest but his attack with 100 metres to go was too late to close the gap.
“It was a really tough sprint and I sprinted with all I had,” Degenkolb said after the stage.
Degenkolb’s victory puts him into the race leader’s jersey, four seconds ahead of Mark Cavendish at the top of the general classification. It’s not all over for Cavendish with a 10-second bonus available for the winner of the final stage on Saturday.
Watch the video below to see Degenkolb’s victory at the Hatta Dam and click here to subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel.
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