Chris Froome comes through return to racing with no alarms in UAE Tour

Chris Froome enjoyed a safe passage through stage one of the UAE Tour on his return to competitive cycling.

The four-time Tour de France winner was back racing for the first time since breaking his leg at the Criterium du Dauphine in June last year.

“It feels good to be a bike racer again,” said Froome, 34, after coming home in the peloton on a day set up for the sprinters.

The 148km opening stage in Dubai was won by German Pascal Ackermann.

The Bora-Hansgrohe rider finished ahead of Caleb Ewan of Australia and Frenchman Rudy Barbier.

“All of the big names are here. I wasn’t sure if my form was good enough but it proved to be,” said Ackermann, the points winner at last year’s Giro d’Italia.

Ackermann claimed a 10-second time bonus for winning and leads Ewan by four seconds overall, with Serbia’s Veljko Stojnic a second further back in third after taking a five-second bonus for winning the intermediate sprint.

UAE Tour – Stage 1 result

1. Pascal Ackermann (Ger/BORA-Hansgrohe) 3hrs 29mins 19secs

2. Caleb Ewan (Aus/Lotto-Soudal) same time

3. Rudy Barbier (Fra/Israel Start-Up Nation)

4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned/Team Jumbo-Visma)

5. Luka Mezgec (Slo/Mitchelton-Scott)

6. Alberto Dainese (Ita/Team Sunweb)

7. Jakub Mareczko (Ita/CCC Team)

8. Max Walscheid (Ger/NTT Pro Cycling Team)

9. Jose Joaquín Rojas (Spa/Movistar Team)

10. Andrea Vendrame (Ita/AG2R La Mondiale)

Overall standings

1. Pascal Ackermann (Ger/Bora-Hansgrohe) 3hrs 29 mins 19 secs

2. Caleb Ewan (Aus/Lotto Soudal) + 4 secs

3. Veljko Stojnic (Ser/Vini Zabu KTM) +5 secs

4. Rudy Barbier (Fra/Israel Start-Up Nation) + 6 secs

5. Leonardo Tortomasi (Ita/Vini Zabu KTM) same time

6. Nikolai Cherkasov (Rus/Gazprom-Rusvelo) +7 secs

7. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned/Team Jumbo-Visma) +10 secs

8. Luka Mezgec (Slo/Mitchelton-Scott) same time

9. Alberto Dainese (Ita/Team Sunweb) same time

10. Jakub Mareczko (Ita/CCC Team) same time