Juan Ayuso capped off a strong day for UAE Team Emirates winning in a four-man sprint to the line to take the victory at the Faun-Ardèche Classic.

The young Spaniard was part of a late-race breakaway which formed over the penultimate ascent, Saint-Romain-de-Lerps, and maintained the advantage on the run-in to the finish in Guilherand-Granges.

The four riders held a comfortable gap in the closing kilometres with Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) opening up the sprint but Ayuso proving too strong. Grégoire hung on for second while Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) was third and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) fourth.

Ayuso : “The race went really well. It was quite a hard one and the team did a great job with Bax pulling the buch all day and then Novak getting me in position for the climb. Arrieta covered well in the group behind also. I didn’t want to start the sprint from the front but I was hearing in the radio that they were coming from behind so I opened it up early. The guys came past me initially but thankfully I managed to haul them back and take the win. We’ll aim to go for another good result tomorrow.”

Meanwhile in Belgium Nils Politt took a major result in the first big classic of the Belgian campaign with 2nd place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

The German teamed up with Tim Wellens to make moves off the front of the bunch before entering the decisive one together with Jan Tratnik (Visma LAB) inside the final -15km.

The duo built a maximum gap of 20” but would hold it steady to the chasing peloton, with Tratnik proving the strongest ahead of Politt in the final.

Politt: “I knew there was some strong sprinters in the group so I was happy to be out front and take 2nd place. Our plan was that Wellens would do something on the Muur and I would cover behind and the plan worked pretty well.

In the sprint I went from the front and was already quite empty but it was better to take 2nd than nothing from today so I’m happy. Then when his group came back I followed Tratnik and went with him. It’s nice to start the season like this in the first big race for me of the year. “

On home soil at the UAE Tour Jay Vine continued his tenure in the red leaders jersey ahead of tomorrow’s decisive stage to Jebel Hafeet. The Australian goes in with a 11” cushion over Ben O’ Connor (Decathlon Ag2r) in what will be an exciting finale.

Faun Ardeche results

1.Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) 4:23:34

2.Romain Gregoire (Groupama FDJ) s.t

3.Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl Trek) s.t

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

1.Jan Tratnik (Visma-LAB) 4:31:28

2.Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) +3”

3.Wout Van Aert (Visma-LAB) +8”

UAE Tour GC results after stage 6

1.Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) 18:52:23

2.Ben O’ Connor (Decathlon Ag2r) +11”

3.Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) 13”