Although Peter Sagan came flying from behind on the final meters, his sprint for the victory on stage 4 of Abu Dhabi Tour fell just half of a wheel-length short behind Elia Viviani. Peter Sagan had to settle for 2nd, Tinkoff-Saxo’s third podium place during the four-day race, after a strong lead-out from teammate Daniele Bennati. The final stage unfolded in novel and spectacular surroundings, as a lit Yas Marina Circuit set the stage for fast action.

After crossing the finish line and putting an end to the season, Peter Sagan told that he wanted to win but had fun on the circuit.

“I'm happy to see this long and hard season come to a conclusion at Abu Dhabi Tour. It could have been with a victory at the Yas Marina Circuit but I'm satisfied with our performance at the race, although I really wanted to win here. We wanted to please the crowds and TV spectators and carried out a bike change in a true Formula One style. It was a true pit-lane change and it's nice from time to time to offer something new in cycling. The lit finale of the circuit was also something I liked and racing on an F1 circuit is a novelty for all of us. It was really fun to take the corners at speed, I enjoyed that. It's time now to rest and recover before next season”, comments Peter Sagan.

"Second is not first. But the season is finished and I'm happy for that. The pit stop is nice. We tried to do like Formula One. It was fun for fans. Riding on the circuit was very special and different: very cool, very fast. It is built for cars but is good, the final lap was very very fast, big turns. But it was good."

The easily recognizable Formula 1 Yas Marina Circuit set the stage for speedy racing. With a total of 110km, the riders took on the 5.5km circuit 20 times. Rapidly approaching the finishing stretch, Daniele Bennati spearheaded the field to position his team captain Peter Sagan, who launched his sprint behind Elia Viviani. Tinkoff-Saxo sports director Tristan Hoffman explains:

“We were very close to the win today with Peter, he came fast from behind and just needed around a wheel length to grab the win. Daniele Bennati did a strong lead-out in the finale and he stayed very attentive checking Peter’s position several times to know, when to launch the lead-out. Peter was ultimately on the wheel of Viviani and Guardini, he came fast but missed just a few meters more to get the win in these quite spectacular surroundings”, says Tristan Hoffman before finishing:

“That’s the sport of cycling, we’ve had two 2nd places and one 3rd place in just four days. But overall the guys did a great job this late in the season. They helped each other and rode with motivation. It was a new and interesting experience to ride Abu Dhabi Tour and we now face some months of recovery, preparation and training ahead of the new season”.