Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) - thursday 19 february 2026 - A thrilling finale marked Stage 4 of the UAE Tour, delivering a second consecutive stage win for an Italian rider. Jonathan Milan powered to victory in the sprint, beating Vernon and his brother Matteo, who claimed the first WorldTour podium of his career. The sprint finish was far from a foregone conclusion, as the four-man breakaway - Patrick Gamper, Stefan De Bod, Lorenzo Milesi and Georg Steinhauser - held off the peloton until inside the final kilometre, setting up a dramatic conclusion. On the eve of the Dubai stage, once again suited to the sprinters, there are no changes in the overall standings, with Antonio Tiberi still holding the Red Jersey. PRESS CONFERENCE Speaking seconds after the stage finish, the stage winner Jonathan Milan said: "I have to say the truth, I've had doubts about a bunch sprint finish today. The breakaway was really strong. They were always two or three minutes ahead of us. My guys have been strong to chase them down. Only with 1km to go, I was a bit more relaxed but the last kilometre is always like a washing machine. However my team managed to keep me at the front. They delivered me in the best position. I only had to sprint and I'm really happy with my performance. 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".Speaking in the press conference, the stage winner Jonathan Milan said: "I still feel some pain in my hand but I’m fine after the crash on stage 1. It feels great to win today and even more with my younger brother also in the top 3. I saw him in the last kilometre, that’s the last moment I saw him. After finish, I saw him cheering on me and he came to me to say that he was third. This is his first WorldTour race, let’s don’t put pressure on him please! I’m really proud of what he did today, he’ll have many years to have fun and to enjoy cycling. We’ll see in the future if he gets as fast as me, but let him enjoy cycling first and we’ll figure out what he’ll become". The Red Jersey Antonio Tiberi said: "Today I started to realise a bit what I did yesterday. It’s been a great performance. I’m super happy with it. Today it’s been another good job with the team, we made sure that nobody was dangerous in the breakaway. It’s really nice to put on the red jersey, I like it and I hope to bring it home. Tomorrow, it should be another sprint finish. I know Jebel Hafeet, it’s a pretty good climb for me, I’ll do my best to keep the jersey. I won’t only look at Isaac Del Toro. I consider everyone, some other guys here are in good shape and I believe Remco [Evenepoel] will try something on Saturday".
STATISTICS
Jonathan Milan won his 3rd stage at the UAE Tour after stages 1 and 4 last year.
He joins for wins Sam Bennett and Caleb Ewan. Only Tim Merlier (7) and Tadej Pogacar (6) won more stages here.
This was the 28th pro win for Jonathan Milan, the 3rd this year.
He is on schedule compared to last season, as he also had 3 wins by the 20th of February and ended the year with 9.
With Jonathan winning and Matteo finishing third, the Milans are the first set of brothers who finish together on a stage podium of the UAE Tour.
Ethan Vernon (2nd) posted his 3rd season podium after a 2nd in the Prologue and a win in stage 4 at the Tour Down Under.
2nd leader’s jersey at the UAE Tour for Antonio Tiberi: for the first time he leads a professional race for more than one stage.
TOMORROW'S STAGE
STAGE 5, DUBAI AL MAMZAR PARK-HAMDAN BIN MOHAMMED SMART UNIVERSITY, 168 KM
The route - A stage in Dubai. The race will leave the city in the direction of the desert, passing the classic sites of these stages such as the Al Qudra Cycletrack and the Meydan Racecourse before reaching the finish area. The entire route winds along very wide and essentially straight, roads interspersed with roundabouts that have a very large radius and are well paved.
Final kilometres - The finale is on a wide avenue, with a 700 m straight.
STAGE 4 RESULTS
1° Jonathan Milan (Lidl Trek)
km 182 in 4h03’06" average speed 44.920 km/h
2° Ethan Vernon (Nsn Cycling Team)
3° Matteo Milan (Groupama FDJ United)
4° Gerben Thijssen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
5° Robin Froidevaux (Tudor Pro Cycling Team)
6° Matteo Malucelli (Xds Astana Team)
7° Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto Intermarché)
8° Riley Pickrell (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling)
9° Sam Welsford (Ineos Grenadiers)
10° Emmanuel Houcou (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team)
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1° Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
2° Isaac del Toro (Uae Team Emirates Xg) a 21″
3° Harold Tejada (XdsS Astana Team) a 1’00”
4° Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Intermarché) a 1’07”
5° Luke Plapp (Team Jayco AlUla) a 1’19”
6° Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step) a 1’21”
7° Derek Gee-West (Lidl Trek) a 1’22”
8° Felix Gall (Decathlon Cma Cgm Team) a 1’28”
9° Jørgen Nordhagen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) a 1’30”
10° Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) a 1’43
THE OFFICIAL JERSEYS
Red Jersey, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by Abu Dhabi Ports Group - Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
Green Jersey, leader of the Points Classification, sponsored by Mubadala - Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
White Jersey, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Burjeel Holdings - Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
Black Jersey, leader of the Intermediate Sprint Classification, sponsored by Aldar - Silvan Dillier (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
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