Cycling news - Caleb Ewan takes first Lotto-Soudal victory on top of Hatta Dam
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ByEurosport
Updated 27/02/2019 at 13:29 GMT
Australian Caleb Ewan secured his first victory in Lotto-Soudal colours as he outlasted Matteo Moschetti to win on top of Hatta Dam in Stage Four of the UAE Tour.
Caleb Ewan of Australia and Team Lotto Soudal / during the 5th UAE Tour 2019, Stage 2 a 184km stage from Yas Mall to Abu Dhabi / #UAETour / on February 25, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Image credit: Getty Images
The finale of the stage was dominated by a big crash with 6.8km to go that left a lot of riders down and threatened a potential shake-up of the GC standings.
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Ewan battles to first win for Lotto Soudal on Stage 4
GC leader Primoz Roglic was unaffected in the end as he stayed in the leader’s jersey and finished third to take more bonus seconds and cement his position.
He was only narrowly beaten in the end by Ewan and Moschetti as the Australian timed his run perfectly.
"I knew coming in this uphill finish might be the best chance of a win with all the fast sprinters here this week." Ewan said.
"It's always hard to get the first win of the year and with the change of teams and everything, it's good to get the first one in the bag.
Hopefully this gets the ball rolling for the year.
World champion Alejandro Valverde had to battle back to recover and ensure he didn’t lose time but he did so admirably, as did Fernando Gaviria.
However there was worse news for the Young Riders leader David Gaudu as he struggled to get back after the crash and was eventually dropped from the peloton amidst suggestions of a mechanical.
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Ewan: I knew this might be my best chance of a win
This was later confirmed as a mechanical and he kept the same time, which keeps him in third in the GC.
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