NUMBER FOUR FOR JULIAN WINN IN EMIRATES

Final stage report
Julian Winn rounded off the event in style, comfortably winning the bunch sprint after 10 9km laps in Dubai. The circuit was flat and a furious pace was set by the New Zealand team who were working to prevent any breakaways and protect leader . Many of the weaker riders got spat out of the back, but the Welsh Team made their prescence felt coming in into the finish and setting up the now familiar Welsh 'sprint train' for team leader Julian Winn. Winn powered to the front and comfortable won the stage by half a bike length.

Winn finished 5th overall in the event having been constantly marked by the opposition, and the Welsh team did well to finish 5th in the team standings. None of the other Welsh finished in the top 25 overall, having performed the team role and sacrificed their chances to work for Winn.

Stage 5 (Monday)
Another flat stage which stayed together after the exertions of the mountains the day before. A mistake by the race organisers cost the Welsh Team dearly - the 5km to go banner was placed with 8km to go, hence the team hit the front as Julians 'lead out' train, only to find the finish was some way to go when the last man had done his stint. Hence in the bunch sprint Julian could only manage 4th with Huw 5th.

STAGE 4:New Zealand Hit Back
The hilliest stage of the race when Julian planned to attack early and gain time on the overall race leaders. Unfortunately the move was countered on the days largest climb at 46km when he was joined by 5 New Zealanders in the 10 man breakaway. The NZ's systematically worked Winn over, taking it in turns to attack until they rode away from the field and finished 1,2,3. Julian retained 5th place overall. The other Welsh riders finished with the fragments of the bunch. Anthony Malarczyk had the misfortune to snap a chain but managed to finish the stage.

STAGE 3:
Julian Winn (pictured right in his 2002 British Champions jersey) now has three stage wins and it was a 1-2 for Wales with Huw Pritchard getting 2nd on what was expected to be the toughest stage so far. More as we get them.

"We're having a good race at the moment and we intend continuing in the same vein," Winn told Gulf News from Khor Fakkan. "Three stages out of three is a very good effort from the team. The next stage is the mountainous region and this will be crucial as this is our last chance to have a crack at the title," Winn stated.

Heath Blackgrove gets to wear the yellow jersey for the fourth day on the trot, thanks to the three-second advantage that he has after finishing best at the Individual Time Trial held on the day of the race prologue last week. And Winn is the most serious challenger for the Kiwi rider as he has secured the top spot in the three stages held so far.

"We will have to attack from now on and ensure that Heath is dislodged from his position," Winn disclosed. "There are no time bonuses on the stages and that makes things even more difficult for us. But it will be an engrossing battle."

STAGE 2:
For the second day in a row, Welsh rider Julian Winn has won a stage in the UCI ranked Tour of Arab Emirates. With a tough stage tomorrow, the Welsh riders have been holding back but that hasn't stopped them winning stages in the sprints but even better is expected tomorrow. With no time bonuses so far, the lead is still being held by New Zealand's Heath Blackgrove but fireworks are expected as the riders in red go on the attack.

Friday's stage 2 was over 125 kms of tough mountainous terrain starting from the outskirts of Sharjah. Winn had won Stage One of the Tour d'Emirates which was held at the Knowledge Village in Dubai on Thursday. But it was clearly Winn's stage once again as he lurked among the top riders to keep his eyes on the overall crown. He made his surge towards the end and a sprint on the final stretch saw him finishing ahead of Iranian rider Mohammed Mahmoud and New Zealand's yellow jersey holder Heath Blackgrove. "There was nothing special that we did during the stage," Winn told Gulf News from Ras Al Khaimah. "It has been pretty pleasing to see the team coming together and working for a common goal. They've done well to support me," added the 30-year-old Welshman.

The Wales team stuck to a strategy of slipping in a rider at every move to counter any possible threat from the opponents. But there have been far too many of these vying for the top honours when the race ends on Tuesday. "The Slovaks are strong and so too are the Iranians and the riders from New Zealand. We've got to be weary about all of them," Winn stated. However, running a tactical race was New Zealand rider Heath Blackgrove as he kept his hold on the yellow jersey for the third day running. "He's been riding well and we will have to see what best we can do to dislodge him from the top," Winn said. Yesterday, riders were supposed to start off from the Al Manar Centre in Ras Al Khaimah and tackle the more arduous region between Dhaid and Khor Fakkan over a distance of 151 kms. "It's a completely different thing for the third stage and we will know how best to tackle it as it's a bit longer," Winn promised.

STAGE 1:
News just in that Julian Winn, has won stage 1 in the Arab Tour of Emirates. Prior to the event, his manager John Murray predicted Julian would do well and after a good showing in the prologue, Julian with the aid of a lead from Paul Shephard was too quick for the rest.

The stage was a pan flat 120km road race where Welsh rider Huw Pritchard 'had a go' but got pulled back by the peloton. The Sardinian team then had a go and managed to get away in a good break but Wales was having none of that and they reeled them in setting Julian up for the finish.

"I owe the top position to my team as it was a joint effort," beamed Winn. In fact as the race progressed over 10 laps of 12kms each on the parallel road between Le Meridien Mina Seyahi and Madinat Jumeirah Hotel, there was no sign prominently of the riders from Wales. "That was deliberate and part of our team strategy," Wales coach, John Murray smiled. "We knew that there were some good riders from Slovakia, Iran and New Zealand and we had planned to tackle them one by one". "The circuit was flat and fast. So the idea was to save the legs and keep the best for the last," Winn stated.

Coach Murray was pleased with the team for their show. "When you have a team like this, there's not much of work to be done by the coach. We had a plan today and the team went about fulfiling it in a composed manner," Murray stated. "We will sit back after dinner and decide what our course is going to be while dealing with Stage Two," Murray added. But despite his first place, New Zealand's Heath Blackgrove managed to retain the yellow jersey after finishing among the front pack yesterday. "Things are going pretty as per our plans. There are a lot of strong riders and I guess we will have to take each day as it comes," said the rider from New Zealand. Today's Stage Two will be held over 124kms and will stop at the Al Manar Centre in Ras Al Khaimah.

THIRD IN PROLOGUE FOR WALES HUW PRITCHARD

New Zealands's Heath Blackgrove, who spent time based in Buckinghamshire with Team Synergy a few years ago before being struck down with illness (glandular fever) forcing him to take a lengthy break, is finding great success with the New Zealand endurance team. The latest triumph is taking the yellow jersey in the Tour of Abrab Emirates at the end of the seven kilometre prologue in Dubai yesterday. Blackgrove rode the course in a time of 6 minutes, 49 seconds, a mere four seconds ahead of Slovakia's Martin Velits. Third for Wales, was Huw Pitchard with a time of 6:56.

Understandably, the rather shy Blackgrove who in the days when I trained with him was known more as a climber than a prologue specialist, was thrilled in the winning yellow jersey, which was handed over to him by Dato' Seri G. Darshan Singh, president, Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) in the presence of Sheikh Faisal bin Humaid Al Qasimi, president, UAE Cycling Federation and other officials. "It's always good to get the initial part of the race out of the way right in front," he said but the race has been a shock to the system having travelled there from Moscow where New Zealand competed in the World Track Cup there. Blackgrove has not had the best of preparations before arriving in the UAE as he was away in Moscow– participating in a World Cup track event.

"It's not been the best to come from a track meet for a demanding road race," admitted the cyclist from South Island, which is a two-hour drive from Christchurch."The main test will be when the actual first stage starts tomorrow," he added. Now in pole position, the New Zealand team was eyeing to build up on retaining their top position in the race. "We have a pretty good team and we will have to work on team strategy when we meet later tonight," Blackgrove said.

Standings
1. Heath Blackgrove (New Zealand) 6 minutes, 49 seconds;
2. Martin Velits (Slovakia) 6:53;
3. Huw Pitchard (Wales) 6:56;
7. Paul Sheppard
8. Julian Winn

Team: 3rd. Wales

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