John Degenkolb wins chaotic Dubai Tour stage 3

John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) out-sprinted Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (Dimension Data) and Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Merida) on the third stage of the Dubai Tour.

“I am very happy with this victory,” gushed Degenkolb soon after the finish. “I really wanted to get this win for the teammates, for the whole team. They did such a tremendous job, and they really deserve the win.”

“It was pretty hard the last two kilometers,” he continued. “We had to come from pretty far back, but we as a team kept really calm and waited for the moment. It was most important we stayed together and helped each other and in the end. We had a super good leadout, and I could jump on Kiel’s (Reijnen) wheel and then luckily I could overtake in the last few meters. It was just perfect; the timing was right.”

The wind finally reared its head in the 200-kilometer stage three, first as a blistering tailwind, then in a crazy sand-blown crosswind that caused echelons and splits in the peloton. In one moment, John Degenkolb was caught in the second group with Marcel Kittel (Quick Step-Floors), but eventually, the two groups rejoined.

“It was truly amazing, crazy, an epic stage I think,” said Degenkolb. “I was at the limit all day. In the crosswinds, I wasn’t immediately in the first group, but I fought hard to rejoin them. During the stage, I thought that we are crazy to do this! We spoke to the officials to find a solution we all could be happy with, but by the time we did this, it was clear it would be better in a few moments.

“Races like these are also mental games. It is great to get such great support from your teammates. For me, that’s crucial because these races you also win them in the head. The team kept believing in me even if I didn’t feel super great after the sandstorm.”

Dubai Tour 2017 – stage 3 results (Dubai – Al Aqah):

General classification after stage 3: