In the most demanding stage of the Dubai Tour, the riders were challenged by a steep climb in the finish and Enrico Battaglin came away with a nice 11th place.

In the last 50km the peloton climbed several ascent that made a decisive selection. With the early breakaway caught inside the final 35km, a leading group of 30 riders, with the presence of Enrico Battaglin, was all together at the bottom of the decisive uphill. Here John Degenkolb made a super push and took the win, preceding the Spanish duo of Valverde (Movistar) and Lobato (Movistar). Battaglin arrived atop of Hatta Dam in 11th place, crossing the finish line 10 seconds behind the winner. 

In the General Classification, Enrico Battaglin is now ranked in 11th place, with a gap of 17 seconds to the new leader Degenkolb.

”It was a tough stage, for the heat but also for the route, especially in the second part," sports director Roberto Reverberi said. "We climbed several ascents in the last 50km that selected the group and made a decisive difference. Nobody knew how the final uphill was. At the bottom Enrico was in the middle of the leading group, he tried to come back in front but there wasn’t enough space. Anyway I’m quite satisfied with his performance. He raced head to head with some of the best riders in the world and we can’t forget that we’re only at the start of the season. So I’m really confident how he can develop and do better in the next weeks."