Dylan Groenewegen has won the first stage of the Tour of Dubai. The 24-year-old Dutchman was the fastest of the sprint elite in the bunch sprint on Palm Jumeirah. It marked Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s second win of 2018. With his win in Dubai, Groenewegen added number twenty to his tally of victories in the Team LottoNL-Jumbo jersey.

Like his new teammate Danny van Poppel in Valencia, Groenewegen was the best in his first race of this season. And like Van Poppel in January, the Team LottoNL Jumbo rider came from far to push the wheel of his Bianchi Oltre XR4 over the finish line first. This was preceded by a hectic phase, but Groenewegen was strongly supported by his team.

The sprinter was full of praise about his teammates. "They have done a really good job and I owe them many thanks. It was pushy, but I had a good lead-out."

With his teammates Amund Grondahl Jansen and Timo Roosen accompanying him during his last metres to the finish line, Groenewegen squeezed through the bunch. "With two hundred meters to go I had to give it my all, but I won. It was great to beat all the top sprinters here. That felt very good", a delighted Dylan Groenewegen said.

Due to his win in the first stage, Groenewegen leads the general classification, the points classification and the youth classification. He will start in the blue leader's jersey tomorrow.