Italian rider Jonathan Milan prevailed in a chaotic scramble for the line to claim first stage honours in the UAE Tour on Monday.
Tour de France champion and hot favourite Tadej Pogacar was bang in contention on his season debut.
The Slovenian, resplendent in his world champion's rainbow jersey, launched the sprint 350 metres from the finish only to run out of steam close to home and had to settle for 10th.
Milan was followed home by Jasper Philipsen, however the Belgian was demoted to 52nd for hampering Finn Fisher-Black.
Average 1070w for 45sec 🚀@LidlTrek's @MilanJonathan_ produced a staggering power output to win Stage 1 of the @uae_tour.
— Velon CC (@VelonCC) February 17, 2025
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🇦🇪 #UAETour pic.twitter.com/jYzFZ81AGS
The New Zealander inherited second place, with Denmark's Tobias Lund Andresen third.
Pogacar proved he embarks on the 2025 season in good shape, displaying plenty of verve throughout the 138km ride from Madinat Zayed to Liwa to suggest he will be the man to beat come Sunday's time-trial conclusion.
Pogacar is aiming for a third win in the race after 2021 and 2022.
Milan meanwhile was enjoying his moment in the sunshine after a tough day in the saddle.
"I feel brutally tired after this sprint. The warmth and the last 700 metres of the race have made it really tough, more than I was thinking. It was a pretty intense day," said Milan.
"I must thank my guys. They controlled, supported me and led me to the final stretch. I'm super happy with this victory, it was so hard!" added the 24-year-old who is with the Lidl-Trek team.
Talk about leaving it late! ⏱️🔥
— UAE Tour Official (@uae_tour) February 17, 2025
Jonathan Milan times it to perfection with a last-gasp sprint for the @shamspowerco Stage 1 victory! 🚀🏆
Leader’s jersey secured. Game on. 😤 #UAETour@AbuDhabiSC @ihc__official @Mubadala @NakheelOfficial @aldar pic.twitter.com/LarM6yoc15
Tuesday's second stage is a 12km race against the clock on the Al Hudayriyat Island.