A shattered Stephen Clancy (Novo Nordisk) reflects on a great ride off the front of a world class field in Abu Dhabi.
Stephen Clancy and his breakaway companions may have been swept up by the peloton before the final climb at yesterday’s stage of the Tour Abu Dhabi, but the Irishman nonetheless enjoyed a brilliant ride.
Away with him were Simone Andreetta (Bardiani), Pavel Brutt (Gazprom Rusvelo) and Alan Marangoni (Nippo Vini Fantini).
They gain four minutes and though caught by the base of the final Jebel Hafeet climb at the end of the 186km stage Novo Nordisk’s Clancy a happy, if shattered, man.
“In the beginning I thought more teams would want to get into the breakaway,” Clancy said after the stage.
“But obviously they were happy enough to let us four away. The break went pretty early and thankfully for the third day running we had a man in the move.
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“It helped that we had numbers up front covering all the early attacks. Luckily the one I put in stayed away.
“So there was four guys up front and it was a good way out. With the strong winds it was good to be up from and avoid the nervousness.”
Clancy added the group was well matched and rode with long honest turns, though he felt “pretty destroyed” from his efforts.
“I knew the breakaway was doomed so my finish line was the bottom of the climb,” he said of the ascent up to the finish.
“My back just packed in on the climb. I rode up it at a steady pace. It was a hard day out front but pretty pleasing.”
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