With the exciting stage 3 of Abu Dhabi Tour finishing atop the 11km Jabel Hafeet ascent of 7.5%, Tinkoff-Saxo attempted to save as much energy as possible in the absence of a team GC rider. The stage was won by Esteban Chaves, while Bruno Pires’ ambitions were hampered by a puncture on the lower slopes of the final climb. Tinkoff-Saxo returns to the center of the action, as the outfit’s final stage of the season Sunday brings out the sprinters once again.

Stage 3 reached its conclusion after 140km of hot inland action with a mountain summit finish. While Esteban Chaves took the stage win, the majority of Tinkoff-Saxo’s squad had their eyes fixed on Sunday’s stage.

“It was very hot and there was a discussion at the start about the heat. In the end it wasn’t too bad and we had temperatures in the thirties. Right now, in the late afternoon, we have around 32 degrees. The final climb was pretty tough and we don’t have a rider for the mountains or GC here so we did not expect to take a top result from today’s action”, tells Tristan Hoffman.

Bruno Pires, the squad’s best card for the final climb, unfortunately suffered a flat tire after 2km of climbing. After changing wheels, Daniele Bennati brought Pires back into the main group, but the additional effort had taken its toll. Tristan Hoffman adds about the final stage of Tinkoff-Saxo’s season marked by a spectacular fast stage on the Yas Island Circuit.

“Instead of an all-out effort today, we focused on saving as much energy as possible for tomorrow’s fast stage. It’s another day for the sprinters and I hope we are ready for it after today. It’s the last stage of the year for us and it effectively marks the end of the season for us”, finishes Tristan Hoffman.