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Swiss rider Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) was best on Tuesday’s third stage of the UAE Tour, winning the nine kilometre individual time trial at Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. The Swiss rider recorded an average speed of over 55 kilometres per hour to beat world champion Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) by nine seconds.
Irish road race and time trial champion Ryan Mullen was best of the two Irish riders in the race, netting 40th. He was 45 seconds off the winning pace. His Bora-hansgrohe teammate Sam Bennett kept his powder dry in a discipline which doesn’t play to his strengths, conserving energy in placing 105th.
He was second on last Sunday’s opening stage of the race and is hoping for success before the UAE Tour ends on Saturday. Both Wednesday and Saturday’s stages are summit finishes which don’t suit him. In contrast, the stages on Thursday and Friday are likely to end with bunch sprints, which are Bennett’s forte.
He is still building form after missing much of last season with a knee problem, but will be encouraged by his second place on Sunday.
UAE Tour (WorldTour)
Stage 3, Ajman individual time trial: 1 Stefan Bissegger (EF
Education-EasyPost) 9 kilometres in 9’43”, 2 F Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers)
at 7”, 3 T Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) at 14”, 4 T Pogacar (UAE Team
Emirates) at 18”, 5 J Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) at 22”
Irish: 40 R Mullen (Bora-hansgrohe) at 45”, 105 S Bennett
(Bora-hansgrohe) at 1’18”
General classification: 1 Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) at 9
hours 13’2”, 2 F Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) at 7’, 3 J Philipsen
(Alpecin-Fenix) at 12”, 4 T Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) at 14”, 5 T Pogacar
(UAE Team Emirates) at 18”
Irish: 31 R Mullen (Bora-hansgrohe) at 45”, 86 S Bennett
(Bora-hansgrohe) at 1’12”