Israel team rider Rudy Barbier takes third in first stage of 2020 UAE Tour
Barbier has been on quite a hot streak lately. A gifted sprinter, he earned Israel Start-Up Nation one of their first stage wins of the season at the 2020 Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina.
By ZACHARY KEYSERIsrael Start-Up Nation competes in the 2020 UAE Tour. Rudy Barbier second to left.(photo credit: BETTINI PHOTO)
Israel Start-Up Nation team rider Rudy Barbier took third place in opening leg of the 2020 UAE Tour Sunday - Pascal Ackermann of Bora-Hansgrohe won the tenuous sprint to take the first stage for his own.Israel Start-Up Nation team rider Rudy Barbier competes in 2020 UAE Tour.The first stage was fairly flat, starting from Abu Dhabi’s The Pointe finishing at Silicon Oasis. Ackermann and Barbier jumped out of the general pack with about three kilometers to go, embarking on the final all-out sprint - using their strengths to earn first and third respectively.Barbier has been on quite a hot streak lately. A gifted sprinter, he earned Israel Start-Up Nation one of their first stage wins of the season with a stellar performance at the 2020 Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina.Many of the riders think Barbier has what it takes to have a repeat performance in the UAE. If he stays stagnant in the position he’s at or better yet improves along the seven stages of the tour, he will give Israel Start-Up Nation a prominent chance to podium in the general classification.“Our goal is to help Rudy win,” said 23-year-old Israeli team rider Omer Goldstein. “I believe that we have a realistic chance, even though this is a race at the very highest level, and we will be facing some of the top sprinters in the world.”Israel Start-Up Nation is one of the 19 professional teams participating in this year's competition - the Middle East’s largest professional cycling event, being the only one that takes place in the region as a part of the World Tour.Israel Start-Up Nation team rider Rudy Barbier competes in 2020 UAE Tour.
