Derek Gee-West climbed his way to a strong seventh place on Stage 3 - and the first mountaintop finish - of this year's UAE Tour.
On the brutally steep slopes of the Jebel Mobrah, Gee-West made a strong impression competing with the race favourites as the tension built towards the first of two ramps up to the finish line, which acted as a launchpad for several attacks.
The first three days racing with the Team have been great! Really great! I am quickly getting used to the Team and we have had a nice mix of a very stressful sprint day, a time trial, and then this so covering all the bases pretty quickly. Hopefully a few relaxed days are coming up now. We've got some good days for Jonny next and then another chance to what I can do.
The final climb – with it’s average gradient of 11.8 percent, and pitches of 16 percent in places – loomed over the riders on the short descent between the day’s two key challenges and was ultimately where the stage victory was decided.
In the end, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) managed to take a solo stage win despite being chased down quickly in the closing kilometers with Derek leaving it all out there as he sprint to cross the line seventh, a result which, combined with yesterday’s solid time trial, strengthens his position in the General Classification.
Live from the finish line…
“Ridiculously hard!” 🤪
Initial reaction from the finish line here at #UAETour 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/jc8ACEoA1l
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) February 18, 2026
The remainder of the UAE Tour will contain more bunch sprint opportunities for Jonathan Milan and an interesting sixth stage for the General Classification contenders.
