When Nairo Quintana (Movistar) emerged from his saddle and accelerated just over a kilometre into the Jebel Hafeet climb, it seemed like the hotly anticipated showdown between the stellar array of GC riders at the Abu Dhabi Tour would indeed be served up.
In the end it, simmered but never quite came to the boil as Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates) and Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) – high-calibre riders but perhaps a rung below Grand Tour winners Quintana, Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo), Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Fabio Aru (Astana) – stole away and spent half the climb out in front on their own.
Others set off in pursuit, but the very biggest names seemed more concerned with watching and marking each other than with what was going on up ahead. In the end, it resembled a fight for Quintana's wheel more than a fight for victory.
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"I was there to always control Quintana and Contador," Nibali told reporters at the summit, while AG2R's Romain Bardet – as if they'd rehearsed it together – added: "I was just supposed to follow Quintana and Contador."
Contador himself explained that he was marking Quintana and riding in the interests of his Trek teammate Bauke Mollema, who ended up fourth. "I knew that Nairo was the most dangerous rider, and I knew that if I managed to control things for Bauke, it would be best way for us to make an impact," said the Spaniard.
Quintana put in a few digs, driving particularly hard with just over 6km remaining, but Contador was on his wheel faster than you could say 'attack', with Nibali in tow. Quintana then eased up, accelerated again – with the same outcome – and then eased up again, looking round at his rivals.
Takeaways from the GC men
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