BEN O'CONNOR WINS STAGE 3 OF THE UAE TOUR

Jebel Jais, 21 February 2024 - Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) has won Stage 3, the Ras Al Khaimah Stage, of the sixth edition of the UAE Tour, ahead of Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) and Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Dstny).

PROVISIONAL STAGE RESULTS

1 - Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), 176km in 4h16'21", av. speed 41.194 km/h

2 - Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) at 5"

3 - Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Dstny) s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1 - Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates)

2 - Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) at 11"

3 - Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) at 13"

THE OFFICIAL JERSEYS

The leader jerseys of the UAE Tour are provided by ALÉ

• Red Jersey, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by International Holding Company - Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates)
• Green Jersey, leader of the Points Classification - Mark Stewart (Team Corratec - Vini Fantini)
• White Jersey, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Nakheel - Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step)
• Black Jersey, leader of the Intermediate Sprint Classification, sponsored by Bin Hamoodah Auto - Mark Stewart (Team Corratec - Vini Fantini)

Speaking seconds after the stage finish, the stage winner Ben O'Connor said: "It's been a while since I last won a mountain top. It was amazing. The boys were super good today. Second win of the year it's pretty cool. I was not confident in my sprint at the end so we decided to go full before the 1km to go mark. Valentin Paret-Peintre almost dropped me off but we managed to get a gap and I kept going till the end. I felt super good all day, even in the crosswind. It was sad to see Adam Yates go down. But as soon as you one GC rider on the ground it's an opportunity to take. It was one less guy to worry about. It's sweet to be in the mix for the overall win before Jebel Hafeet".

Press conference interviews and further details to follow.