Antonio Tiberi flew to his first ever WorldTour win on stage three of the UAE Tour on Wednesday, as race leader Remco Evenepoel lost over two minutes on the steep climb of Jebel Mobrah.
As a result, Bahrain Victorious's Tiberi climbed into the red leader's jersey. Stage one winner Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished second, but couldn't challenge Tiberi after he attacked with just over four kilometres to go.
After being out of position when the attack happened, Del Toro finished 15 seconds behind the victor, with former UAE Tour winner Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Intermarché) finishing third, a further 14 seconds back.
As well as Tiberi's first ever WorldTour win, it was also the first glory for Bahrain Victorious in 2026. Evenepoel, meanwhile, showed weakness for the first time this season.
"This is amazing," Tiberi said post-stage. "It's a dream come true. I've been dreaming to this kind of victory since I turned pro. It finally arrived after the beginning of the season was already good from the first race. I was waiting for this day. Only in the last 300 metres I felt the victory coming. But from the bottom of the climb, I was feeling very good.
"When I realised Remco [Evenepoel] was in trouble and Isaac Del Toro wasn't up there either. I wasn't sure if it was a good day for me or if they were waiting for the final. But I tried to do my race. I attacked and I managed to push as hard as possible till the finish. I was hearing that Del Toro was coming back really fast. In the last kilometre, I used all the energy that was remaining in my body and I went full gas till the finish."
"At the foot of the climb, I already had cramps coming on. Something I haven't experienced often. Maybe from yesterday's effort, which I hadn't fully digested," Evenepoel told Het Nieuwsblad after the race.
"When I had to drop, I had a really bad kilometre, but after that, I managed to get through it somewhat. I often have that at the start of the season on climbs like this, where I have a bit of a rough patch. But I didn't feel good in my legs today anyway."
"I definitely kept drinking, so [the heat] can't be the cause. I don't think I digested yesterday's exertion at all. I didn't have the best night either; I woke up from the heat. But ultimately, I can't make excuses."
