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Lennert Van Eetvelt climbs to brilliant third place in stage 3 of UAE Tour

Lennert Van Eetvelt secured a superb third place on Stage 3 of the UAE Tour, finishing on the demanding slopes of Jebel Mobrah. In a stage that traditionally delivers the first real showdown among the general classification contenders, our Belgian climber showed great form. “First time when I followed Del Toro’s move, my legs were feeling really good”, Van Eetvelt says.
Race Team 18 February 2026
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Stage 3, with its summit finish on Jebel Mobrah, once again proved that the prolonged and demanding ascent, featuring average gradients of 12%, required riders to carefully manage their pace and conserve energy in order to avoid premature exhaustion. Van Eetvelt positioned himself perfectly throughout the day thanks to strong teamwork, conserving energy for the final kilometers.

When the decisive attacks came from Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) and Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Van Eetvelt remained calm. Responding to accelerations, Van Eetvelt showed his good legs. Rather than overextending himself, he measured his effort carefully — a decision that ultimately paid off with a prestigious podium place on the stage.

“I knew that it was going to be really tough and that the chance was high to blow up. Tiberi went very early, for which I have a lot of respect. First time when I followed Del Toro’s move, my legs were feeling really good. The second time I didn’t want to take any risks. I am really happy with this third place, especially after the season I had last year and my unlucky start in Australia.”

Van Eetvelt currently moves up to fourth place in the general classification. With several stages still to come in the UAE Tour, Lotto-Intermarché remains fully focused. Tomorrow, a sprint stage is scheduled where the peloton will head towards Fujairah for 182 kilometers.

 

Picture: PhotoNews