Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) won the first stage of the Tour of the Emirates in a sprint. He was ahead of Cabel Ewan (Lotto Soudal) and Veliko Stojnic (Lotto Soudal) while the first Frenchman, Rudy Barbier (Israel Start Up Nation) finished fourth. This stage also marked the return to competition of Christopher Froome, who was injured in June on the Dauphiné. “It feels good to participate in races again” reacted the British at the end of a stage he spent in the peloton.
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