Sawt Falasteen - Merlier takes UAE Tour opener in photo finish

The two riders finished shoulder to shoulder prompting a 10-minute delay as the race organisers pored over the photo finish in a bid to split them.

They opted against calling it a dead heat and gave Merlier, 30, the win by the slimmest of margins.

“I was not sure,” Merlier said afterwards.

“I know I did a good jump in the end, and I knew when I started my sprint that it was a good sprint.

"But Caleb was coming from the wheel and you know he’s a dangerous guy if he is in the wheel. In the end it was really close."

Astana Qazaqstan Team's Mark Cavendish was third after a windy ride of 151km on the United Arab Emirates' northern coast.

Merlier's team-mate and compatriot Remco Evenepoel, who won last year's Vuelta a Espana, is eighth overall and is among the favourites for the general classification.

UAE Team Emirates' double Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar is sitting out his team's home event. The 24-year-old Slovenian chose instead to start his season by winning the Vuelta a Andalucia at the weekend.

Tuesday's second of seven stages is a team time trial over 17.2km up the coast in Khalifa Port.

I.Yassin--SF-PST