Drama at the UAE Tour: Modern Adventure narrowly misses maiden victory and a front tire blowout causes high-speed crash involving Jakobsen and others.
Milan celebrates victory in a wild stage marked by crashes and a last-minute catch. (Photo: Getty Images/UAE Tour feed)
Updated February 19, 2026 10:25AM
Modern Adventure Pro Cycling lit up the UAE Tour with a long, 174m breakaway Thursday that was caught within sight of the finish line in a crash-marred stage as the new American cycling team continues to chase its first win.
Stefan De Bod was part of a five-rider break that pulled clear in the rolling stage 4 only to be reeled in by the sprinter teams just a few hundred meters short of the tape.
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) powered to victory ahead of his younger brother, Matteo Milan at Groupama-FDJ, who crossed the line third in the frenetic bunch sprint after the catch was made.
Modern Adventure’s Riley Pickrell kicked to eighth to give the team its second top 10 in a WorldTour race in what’s been an action-packed debut season for the U.S.-backed squad.
“I had my doubts about the sprint because the breakaway was really strong. They were always two or three minutes ahead of us. My guys have been strong to chase them down,” Milan said after his third win of 2026. “Only with 1km to go, I was a bit more relaxed but the last kilometer is always like a washing machine.
“I’m also very happy for my younger brother Matteo who also makes the top 3. This is our first race together. I’m glad he didn’t beat me today but maybe one day he will.”
Another brutal crash in the bunch
De Bod leads the way in the breakaway that went to the red kite. (Photo: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Behind the bunch kick, the peloton’s unluckiest rider Fabio Jakobsen was caught up in a high-speed crash with about 30km to go.
Several other riders went down as well, including Daan Hoole (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step). Robbe Ghys (Decathlon CMA CGM) was forced to abandon.
Jakobsen, 29, finished the race with his jersey completely in tatters. It’s the latest high-speed crash to mar early-season races in the Middle East, including the brutal 100kph-plus crash at the Tour of Oman.
Images of the aftermath of the crash revealed that Jakobsen’s foam insert and front tire had completely blown off his front wheel and were tangled up in his fork.
“I rode over something, and my front tire blew. I went straight down,” he said to Dutch TV.
It was unclear what had provoked the crash, and there were no other details immediately after the stage.
Wheel manufacturer Ursus released this statement to Cyclingnews: “It was clarified that Fabio Jakobsen hit a rock while riding at speed, which impacted on both the tire and the rim. This caused the tire’s coming off the rim.”
The Dutch sprinter at Picnic-PostNL has seen his career repeatedly derailed by violent crashes, most dramatically at his near-fatal 2020 Tour de Pologne finish line horror show.
Last season was marked by double surgery to correct iliac artery endofibrosis in both legs, only to fracture a collarbone in his comeback races late last year in a winless season.
Jakobsen finished the stage and there were no major shakeups in the GC after Remco Evenepoel, who lost time in Wednesday’s brutal climb, finished safely in the main bunch.
Another bunch kick is expected Friday, with Saturday’s summit finale to likely crown the winner ahead of Sunday’s finale.