Few, if any, of the riders at the UAE Tour Women could claim to know the country better than Kim de Baat. For many, the new four-day event brought a first taste of racing in the Middle East. Not for De Baat, though.  

Just two years ago, the Belgian national champion left her life in Europe and moved to the sky-scraping city of Dubai to join Police Cycling Team. When the opportunity came to return earlier this month, she was eager to take it. 

“I was really happy when they said I could start my season here,” the 31-year-old tells Cycling Weekly on the race's final day in Abu Dhabi. “It’s really nice because I’ve seen a lot of people from when I was here.” 

When De Baat moved to the Middle East at the start of 2021, it was an unusual career move. For decades, budding riders have turned to her native Belgium to kickstart their careers, but De Baat chose to go the opposite way. 

“I was, at that time, maybe a bit sick of all the races in Europe,” she says. “I came here to the Dubai Women’s Tour in 2020 and I reached third place in one stage. I kept in contact with them [the race organisers] and they wanted to make a women’s team to develop women’s cycling here. I really wanted to help.”

In Belgium the year before, De Baat had been working part-time alongside her racing, first in a kitchen, then as a personal trainer. Moving to Dubai seemed the perfect opportunity to get her career back on track. “I could ride my bike full-time again,” she says with a smile. 

So off she went. In 2021, De Baat signed a one-year contract with the Dubai Police Cycling Team and began her season with local races in the UAE. That summer, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in the city, she travelled to Europe to compete with her national team, before flying back out to the UAE to close out the season. 

Asked how she found her time in Dubai, De Baat's review is mixed. Life away from racing was “a bit boring," the Fenix-Deceuninck rider says, but chooses not to go into details. “It’s better not to say too much about that.” 

The standard of racing, too, left a lot to be desired. “You cannot compare it with Europe,” she says, “but it is what it is. It was a bit frustrating and, honestly, I was sometimes a bit ashamed to be better and race against the girls here. They were years behind with their education of riding a bike.” 

Still, De Baat's keen to stress, she looks back fondly on her year in the UAE. “Without it, I probably wouldn’t have reached this level again.” 

At the start of the 2022 road season, De Baat returned to Belgium, joining Plantur-Pura (now Fenix-Deceuninck) as the team’s road captain. 

Suddenly, her calendar looked very different. She swapped the desert dunes for the cobbles of Flanders and, come June, she had earned herself a new jersey - the Belgian tricolour - having taken the biggest victory of her career in her national road race. 

Now, with the new UAE Tour Women, De Baat hopes more Emirati women will be inspired to pursue a similar path to hers. 

“I think it will have an impact, for sure,” she says when asked about the race. “It’s good that they [local Emirati women] see how professional women’s cycling is becoming in Europe and around the world. I think they have to keep going how they are going now.” 

As for De Baat, the immediate plan is to return to her national title-winning form. "Last winter, I worked really hard to get a bit of shape," she says, "but I need a few more races to be back on my level.

"The first thing I want to do is work for the team, get the best results for the team, and be the team captain they want me to be." 

The Dubai Tour and Abu Dhabi Tour will merge in 2019 to form a single UAE Tour in 2019, according to local press.

The merger will happen after the sports councils of Dubai and Abu Dhabi signed an agreement, reports The National.

Organisers of this single tour are aiming for it to consist of seven stages and sit in the UCI's top-tier WorldTour calendar, like the current Abu Dhabi Tour.

>>> ‘We’re heading to a world where only the Tour de France matters. I don’t like that’

The National reports that Abu Dhabi Sports Council general secretary Aref Al Awani said after signing the merger's memorandum of understanding: "It is time to elevate the success we have had from both the Abu Dhabi and Dubai Tours to another level.

"The nature of the UAE has always been to have a united passion. The instructions have come from our leadership that we should utilise the success that we have got as one nation.”

Al Awani says that the UAE Tour will stay within February, and have a course that will attract sprinters and climbers, and feature a time trial.

“It will be a seven-day, seven-stage and that will allow us to pass through all the Emirates. This is our aim and we hope that all the Emirates participate in it. The distance will vary from stage to stage but in seven Emirates we have more places to discover."

Organisers have submitted the relevant paperwork to the UCI for approval, and are hoping to have everything in place by September or October 2018.

"We will continue to have our race attractive for sprinters, climbers and time trials," said Al Awani. "Our aim is to have teams locally and work more to include continental teams."

He continued: "It’s not less or more on the financial resources for us but more impact in terms on the value of the event in terms of the media coverage.

"The Abu Dhabi and Dubai Tours were both successful, now the UAE Tour is stronger to create a bigger impact all-round and provide the worldwide television audience to discover new areas and locations in the country."

>>> Five things we learned from the 2018 Dubai Tour

Al Awani says that they will work with team organisation Velon to ensure that the top squads continue to participate.

The fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour took place over February 21-25 2018, and included three flat stages, a time trial and the final climbing stage to Jebel Hafeet. This year's edition was won by Alejandro Valverde (Movistar).

The UCI 2.HC-ranked 2018 Dubai Tour comprised four flat stages and one stage finishing with a climb to Hatta Dam over February 6-10. It was won overall by Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors).

Quick-Step Floors sprinter Elia Viviani is ready to “play the game” tomorrow as he anticipates his closest rivals for the Dubai Tour GC trying to find ways to wrestle the jersey from his shoulders.

The Italian placed sixth on the steep uphill finish to Hatta Dam on the race’s penultimate stage. That was enough to preserve a lead of two seconds over Magnus Cort Nielsen (Astana) and four seconds over Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) who finished the fourth stage second and first respectively.

>>> I didn’t realise how steep the final climb was’: Brandon McNulty reflects on Dubai Tour solo effort near miss

Saturday’s race is likely to end in a bunch sprint as it is very flat and only 129km. But with a 10 second time bonus for the win Colbrelli, and Cort Nielsen are at the head of a queue of riders that are within striking distance, including French fast-man Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and Belgian Nathan Van Hooydonck (BMC).

Viviani took the race lead on Thursday after the previous leader, Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo), received a 20 second time penalty for drafting cars after a mechanical. 29-year-old Viviani also won a stage of the race in the sprint finish on stage two.

Viviani said: “We started this morning with four seconds on Mark Cavendish and the main goal is to have more seconds on the pure sprinters. It’s better to now have four seconds on Cort Neilsen than it is to have four seconds on Cav or [Marcel] Kittel because tomorrow they can potentially beat me.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e8rxBKPcPI

If the former Sky rider is able to maintain his lead tomorrow it will be his biggest general classification victory.

He added: “At the moment I’m happy to have two seconds on Cort Nielsen and Colbrelli and play the game tomorrow.”

The Giro stage winner seemed to have been confident of keeping the jersey that he picked up on Thursday, despite the tough climb to the finish.

“I felt pretty good on the climb so I said to the guys to try and close the gap [to the breakaway] and you saw Terpstra and Lampaert were pulling full gas because that gap was too much time,” he said.

Nineteen-year-old American rider Brandon McNulty’s thrilling solo bid for victory at the Dubai Tour stage four came undone within the final 200m because he underestimated the severity of the race’s final ramp.

The Rally Cycling rider had been in the breakaway all day before he left final breakaway companion Conor Dunne (Aqua Blue Sport) behind on the race’s penultimate climb.

>>> Dylan Groenewegen blasts team mechanics after losing Dubai Tour lead through time penalty

He valiantly held off the chasing peloton driven on by Bahrain-Merida and Astana for much of the rest of the race, crossing the 1km to go line with 30 seconds in hand.

But as he rounded the final corner of the Hatta Dam climb he was confronted with the fearsome 17 per cent finishing slope.

“It was an ‘oh sh*t’ moment,” McNulty told reporters at the finish, adding that his legs cramped up on the final climb.

“At 100m to go I thought I wouldn’t get caught but then the wall hit and I looked back and the peloton was there,” he said.

He admitted he’d underestimated the final ramp’s severity, which saw Sonny Colbrelli take victory in the final sprint to the top.

“We saw that it was steep but I think the first two before it were a bit overestimated so I thought it’d be the same as those two but it was quite a bit worse,” the 2016 junior time trial world champion said.

The American said that he had not had updates on the time gaps from his team for half of the stage because of problems with the radio, but that it hadn’t made much difference to measuring his solo effort.

“None of it was pacing it was just going as hard as I could and trying to hold on for as long as I could. I was surprised the gap was 42 seconds and then the moto came back and it was 50 seconds and I was like, ‘oh wow I’ve got a shot.’”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e8rxBKPcPI

McNulty, who could be seen labouring out of the saddle on the final climb, added: “To get caught in the last 1,500m for someone my age isn’t something to complain about.”

However, despite the disappointment of seeing his stage win chances evaporate within sight of the finish line, McNulty was upbeat about the job he and his team had done at the Dubai Tour.

“I still put myself out there so I’m happy, a great day for the team," he said.

"It was great having Robin [Carpenter] up there with me, he did everything to set me up to go solo.”

Italian Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) won stage four of the 2018 Dubai Tour on Friday, powering to victory up the sharp final climb to Hatta Dam.

Colbrelli's Bahrain-Merida team had set him up perfectly going into the one-kilometre final climb. They had chased down lone escapee Brandon McNulty (Rally Cycling), who survived from the day's break until the agonising final few hundred metres.

Dane Magnus Cort Nielsen (Astana) came in for second place, with Dutchman Timo Roosen (LottoNL-Jumbo) in third.

Overall race leader Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) finished in sixth spot to retain his advantage at the top of the general classification with just one stage remaining in the race.

How it happened

McNulty was part of the day's break, also comprising his Rally Cycling team-mate Robin Carpenter, Conor Dunne (Aqua Blue Sport), Christopher Williams (Novo Nordisk), Sun Xiaolong (Mitchelton-BikeExchange) and Simone Bevilacqua (Wilier Triestina).

The group lost Williams and Xiaolong inside 50km to go, and then Bevilacqua also dropped off the pace leaving three riders with 40km to go.

Astana decided to play some cards early in a surprise move, with Daniil Fominykh and Zhandos Bizhigitov attempting to slip away. This did not seem to go down well with the bunch, causing the pace to be upped. The duo were caught heading into the final 20km.

>>> Dubai Tour 2018: Latest news, videos, reports and race info

Meanwhile, at the front of the race Carpenter swung off after working for team-mate McNulty who was evidently feeling strong. As they spun towards Hatta Dam the terrain became more lumpy, and Dunne was also dropped leaving just McNulty.

https://youtu.be/-e8rxBKPcPI

McNulty slipped into time trial mode and looked like a rider who was sniffing victory – but the American had not counted on the severity of Hatta Dam's final ramp to the line, reaching 17 per cent gradient in places. Also not playing to his favour was the pace being set by Bahrain-Merida behind him.

McNulty visibly ground to a halt with only a few hundred metres to go as the rampaging group of assorted sprinters and classics riders blew past him to contest the win.

Colbrelli led from the front, with his rivals simply unable to beat his speed up the climb and over the line.

"The final two kilometres were really challenging," Colbrelli said after the finish. "Vincenzo [Nibali] did really a great job with the team. I had a mechanical problem, but in the end I took the win. The breakaway rider was very strong. We caught up with him just 20/30 metres to go."

Despite the finishing gradient, sprinter Viviani managed to keep in touch with the front runners to finish sixth and at keep hold of the leader's jersey.

Viviani now leads Cort Nielsen by a slim margin of two seconds overall, with stage winner Colbrelli in third at four seconds.

The 2018 Dubai Tour concludes on Saturday, February 10, with the final stage: a flat run from Skydive Dubai to City Walk comprising 129km and expected to end in a bunch sprint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AntnS1WXA4

Results

Dubai Tour 2018, stage four: Skydive Dubai to Hatta Dam, 172km

1. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, in 3-40-50

2. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Astana

3. Timo Roosen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo

4. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates

5. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

6. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors

7. Tom Bohli (Swi) BMC Racing

8. Loïc Vliegen (Bel) BMC Racing

9. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis

10. Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) BMC Racing

General classification after stage four

1. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors, in 16-00-28

2. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Astana, at 2 secs

3. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 4 secs

4. Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) BMC Racing, at 7 secs

5. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, at 8 secs

6. Loïc Vliegen (Bel) BMC Racing, at 8 secs

7. Timo Roosen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 10 secs

8. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates, at 14 secs

9. Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing

10. Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC Racing

His first UCI road victory in almost a year was a bitter sweet affair for Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) as he rued missing out on taking the leader's jersey at the Dubai Tour because he sat-up in the sprint a day before.

Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) took the leader's jersey despite finishing sixth on the day after former leader Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) was deducted 20 seconds for drafting his team car following a mechanical problem.

>>> Dylan Groenewegen blasts team mechanics after losing Dubai Tour lead through time penalty

Cavendish said: “I was happy with how today’s sprint went, obviously. I am a bit disappointed now that I sat up in the sprint yesterday. I’m a bit angry with myself, more than I let myself down I let the team down I could have been in the jersey now if I didn’t sit up yesterday. I couldn’t have won yesterday but for sure I could have been second.

"I can only apologise to my teammates for that.”

The Manxman finished fourth on Wednesday's stage two but had stopped sprinting after he realised he was beaten to the win.

He added: “Yesterday, I realised I couldn’t really match Elia in a drag strip race so I knew [today] I just had to had to leave it late. I had to wait until he had passed his initial peak and he was settled into his sprint and use the slingshot to pass by him.”

With Thursday’s win he equalled his tally of UCI-ranked road wins from his illness and injury disrupted 2017 season.

Cavendish also revealed that he is still riding while suffering the long lasting effects of his broken shoulder blade sustained at the Tour de France last year.

“I still feel it when I keep pushing on my shoulder, where the hole in the bone was is where the scapular nerve passes over, so I still get pins and needles and I will do for the rest of my life. It’s irrelevant what I do from now it effects me for the rest of my life not just my career,” he said.

The Dimension Data rider also praised his “wicked full African leadout” that his team-mates gave him into the race’s final big corner at 3km to go.

When asked if the win gave him confidence for the rest of his coming Middle East block of racing and subsequent races in the season, he said: “Any win for any sprinter adds confidence.

"But you can see that there are some really strong teams here. That Quick-Step team, I built that team, they are really just a class above in the sprints. Cofidis look good and Lotto-Jumbo look good too.”

Kittel and Katusha settle for third

Meanwhile, Katusha-Alpecin’s star signing Marcel Kittel, who dominated this race last year, professed to be happy with third place.

“I think we did the best lead out of the whole Dubai Tour. I’m personally very happy with it, I could show my speed.

"In the end I came a bit late and came close to getting that victory. Everyone was super motivated and did a super good job it’s maybe not the victory but it’s a third place, it’s a step forward. We have tomorrow and then the last stage another chance for a bunch sprint,” he said.

He added: “Yesterday I finished the race with an angry feeling, today I finished the race with a happy feeling, everyone in the team did.”

Clearly the progress he felt he was witnessing in the team gave him hope for Saturday’s final bunch sprint. “We’ll take our experiences from the last three days into that,” he said.

LottoNL-Jumbo sprinter Dylan Groenewegen has slammed his own team mechanics after he lost the Dubai Tour blue leader's jersey following a penalty from the commissaires.

The Dutchman suffered a mechanical problem with 70km left to race on stage three and was paced back to the peloton by his team car.

But the judges ruled he had sat in the cars draft for too long and penalised him 20 seconds, obliterating the two second lead he held at the start of the day over Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) and plunging him down to 42nd on general classification.

The Dutchman had no quibble with the judges’ decision to penalise him 20 seconds for drafting his team car but instead directed his fury at his own team.

“I had problems with my bike, the mechanicals f***** it up for me. I actually think it was a good decision by the judges but it f***** it up for me,” he said.

“It’s the fault of my mechanics,” he said. “It was my goal to win the Dubai Tour but now it’s really difficult. Maybe we’ll see on the last day.

He added: “My second bike was f***** too, that’s why I changed it. It was the bottom bracket. It was completely f*****.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHQpOM07U1s

Gorenewegen won the opening stage of the five day race, beating Magnus Cort Nielsen (Astana) to the line on the stage from Skydive Dubai to Palm Jumeirah, taking the overall lead. Despite eventually making it back to the peloton on Thursday's stage, he was unable to contest the finish which was won by Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data).

When asked if he realised he had stayed behind the team car longer than was allowed Groenewegen said: “I stayed behind the car because it was really windy and the race was broken into two groups.”

The Dubai Tour continues on Friday with its only summit finish of the race to Hatta Dam, which will likely play a large part in deciding the race's overall winner.

Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) may have won the opening stage and finish second on stage two of the Dubai Tour, but he is now out of the leader's jersey after stage three after being given a 20-second time penalty by the race jury.

Groenewegen led the race by two seconds over Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) at the start of the day and would have hoped to have held onto the blue jersey ahead of the uphill finish on stage four.

However a mechanical problem with 70km to go saw the Dutchman distanced from the peloton just as Trek-Segafredo raised the pace at the front.

Despite having an hour and a half of racing to use to chase back on, Groenewegen instead sat in behind his LottoNL-Jumbo team car alongside team-mate Bert-Jan Lindeman, before the car accelerated to help them back up to the peloton, an act that was spotted by TV cameras and race commissaires on the ground.

Watch: WorldTour bikes 2018

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AntnS1WXA4

According to UCI regulations, riders who briefly shelter behind a team car can be punished with a 30CHF while riders who draft vehicles "for some time" should be given a 50CHF fine and a 20-second penalty, with the driver of the vehicle also being given a 200CHF fine. On this occasion it appears that the commissaires decided that Groenewegen's actions were worthy of the more serious punishment.

The 20-second penalty means that Groenewgen now drops out of the top 10 overall, with Elia Viviani moving into the blue leader's jersey, just four seconds ahead of Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) who took victory on stage three.

However Groenewegen's 10th place on the stage was not affected by the race jury's decision, allowing him to pick up the single point which means that he stays ahead of Viviani in the points classification.

The Dubai Tour continues on Friday with an uphill finish to Hatta Dam on stage four.

Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) took his first victory of the 2018 season, claiming stage three of the Dubai Tour on Thursday.

It's the Manxman's first win since taking a stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour in February 2017 after last season was severely hampered by glandular fever and a crash on stage four of the Tour de France that saw him forced out of the race with a fractured shoulder.

A visibly disappointed Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) came home in second place with Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) placing third. British rider Adam Blythe (Aqua Blue Sport) finished fourth.

Stage two winner Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) inherited the overall race lead after former leader Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) was handed a 20-second time penalty by the race jury for reportedly drafting a team car. Cavendish moved up to third overall at six seconds.

>>> Dubai Tour 2018: Latest news, reports and race info

How it happened

The wind blew up in the desert around Dubai, causing problems for some riders for the first time in the 2018 race. The result was an amount of fluidity between various groups out on the road in the mid-section of the stage, as small groups were dropped and then subsequently re-joined the lead peloton.

The day started with a four-rider escape group comprising British rider Mark Christian (Aqua Blue Sport), Italian Simone Bevilacqua (Wilier Triestina), Belgian Loïc Vliegen (BMC Racing) and Frenchman Quentin Valognes (Novo Nordisk).

Although the break had things their own way for the first 100km or so, the crosswind-generated mayhem behind meant that they were caught with over 60km still to race.

Several riders found themselves on the wrong side of splits. Groenewegen and Cavendish found themselves with work to do after suffering mechanicals. Both chased back on successfully with assistance from team mates – and in the case of Groenewegen, his team car.

A the race hit 50km to go, the wind eased and everything calmed down and the pace of the peloton eased up. All the while, Quick-Step Floors were setting the pace-making with members of LottoNL-Jumbo, Dimension Data and Katusha-Alpecin in attendance for their respective sprinters.

>>> Mark Cavendish: ‘I thought Viviani was going to die, but he just accelerated. I couldn’t have gone any harder’

Swiss rider Tom Bohli (BMC Racing) broke the truce with an attack at 29km-to-go, and quickly opened up a gap. With so many flat kilometres and clear sight of Bohli up the wide roads, there was no panic in the bunch and he was caught inside 15km to go.

The catch signalled a quickening of the pace and a changing of the guard at the front, with Katusha-Alpecin massing at the front. Other teams also wanted to take pole position in the final 5km, with Cofidis, Trek-Segafredo, LottoNL-Jumbo, Dimension Data and Quick-Step Floors also spread across the road all trying to assemble their sprint trains.

https://youtu.be/nHQpOM07U1s

A large roundabout with 3km to go spoiled the flow for some teams, with Bahrain-Merida cannily edging up to the front for their sprinter Sonny Colbrelli.

>>> Dylan Groenewegen loses Dubai Tour lead due to 20-second penalty for drafting team car

As had happened in the previous two stages, the organisation of many of the teams largely dissolved into the frantic final kilometre, setting up a free-for-all.

Cavendish placed himself perfectly behind several of his rivals, moving from wheel to wheel, and then came around them all with a blistering acceleration to take a clear victory.

The Dubai Tour continues on Friday with stage four, a key stage including a final climb to Hatta Dam. The equivalent stage was cancelled in 2017 due to very high winds. The race concludes on Saturday with stage five, which should once again favour a sprint finish and settle the overall winner of the race.

Results

Dubai Tour 2018, stage three: Skydive Dubai to Fujairah, 183km

1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data, in 3-53-46

2. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis

3. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin

4. Adam Blythe (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport

5. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

6. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors

7. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates

8. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Astana

9. Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana

10. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, all same time

General classification after stage three

1. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors, in 12-19-38

2. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data, at 4 secs

3. Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) BMC Racing, at 7 secs

4. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Astana, at 8 secs

5. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, at 8 secs

6. Loïc Vliegen (Bel) BMC Racing, at 8 secs

7. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin, at 10 secs

8. Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana, at 10 secs

9. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates, at 14 secs

10. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 14 secs

Dimension Data leader Mark Cavendish said he “couldn’t have gone harder” in the sprint on stage two of the Dubai Tour, which he lost to Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors).

Cavendish had a clear run to the line and was out ahead of the pack in the early stages of the sprint but then Viviani came past him to claim the win and Cavendish sat up coasting to fourth place.

“It was a fair drag strip, I couldn’t have gone harder I thought he was going to die before me but he just accelerated,” the Manxman said.

Cavendish, who is riding his first race of the season, said the Specialized Venge ViAS that Viviani and his Quick-Step Floors team ride was a more aerodynamic bike than his own Cervelo S5 (as has been proven by Cycling Weekly's own aerodynamic testing) but that that hadn’t been a decisive factor in his defeat.

“I should be able to make up that advantage, I’ve usually got more watts. I was just beaten that’s it,” he said.

Watch: Dubai Tour stage two highlights

https://youtu.be/p4AlHFJTyk8

When asked if Viviani’s race schedule, which has included the Tour Down Under, where he won a stage, and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, had helped him arrive in the Middle East in better shape, Cavendish said: "It doesn’t matter what the reasons are that he’s better than me today at the end of the day he beat me. I’m happy for him I wish him a happy birthday today.

"Marcel [Kittel] won here the last couple of years, I think it was Quick-Step that made the difference there. I won here with Quick-Step and they are showing it again they’re the strongest team here."

The British sprinter, who had been among several top fastmen who bemoaned the chaotic nature of the previous day’s sprint, added: "The team were definitely better than yesterday, probably a bit too eager because I was on my own in the final. It was still sketchy still hectic bodies everywhere… Ultimately these race are harder for a sprint because we just bowl along most of the day everyone is fresh at the end and everyone gives it a go."

Birthday present for Viviani

Viviani, for his part, said Cavendish had “put me on the limit in this sprint”.

The Italian, who finished third in Dubai Tour’s opening stage, said: “I’m surprised about my form. I am 2kg heavier than when I was in top form last year. I had a good winter I didn’t do anything special but I feel really in good shape even on the short climbs.”

Viviani turned 29 today and said the win was the best cycling birthday present he’d ever had.

Having won two races already this season Viviani appeared very happy with his switch to Quick-Step from Team Sky. “I think this is the season when I can focus on my road sprinting. When I signed with Quick-Step I knew the next three or four years can be the best of my career... There is no excuses because we have a really strong team.”

Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) recovered from a puncture with 20km to go to take his second victory of the season as he edged out race leader Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) on stage two of the Dubai Tour.

Third on the opening stage, Viviani made his way into the perfect position in the final kilometre as the various lead-out trains struggled to control a messy finale.

The Italian sprinter made his move with 200m remaining, jumping out of the wheels to first hold off the challenge of Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) - who would eventually finish fourth - and the fast accelerating Groenewegen to take the victory by half a bike length.

However second place for Groenewegen ensure that the Dutchman held on to the overall lead, although Viviani was able to move within just two seconds of the leader's blue jersey.

How it happened

The second stage of the 2018 Dubai Tour saw six riders go clear as soon as the flag dropped, with Nathan Van Hooydonck (BMC Racing), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Fuwen Xue (Mitchelton-BikeExchange), Charles Planet (Team Novo Nordisk), Mohamed Al Mansouri (United Arab Emirates) and Yousif Mirza (UAE Team Emirates) quickly opening a lead of more than seven minutes after 20km.

With a long day in the saddle ahead, the peloton wasn't in any rush to chase the break down, but did at least bring it to below two minutes with more than 60km remaining before Mirza and Van Hooydonck decided to sit up and drop back to the bunch to leave just four riders still at the head of the race.

UAE national team rider Mansouri was the next rider to fall back from the break as Edet, Xue, and Planet persevered even as their lead dropped below a minute for the first time with 25km remaining.

That was as a result of an upping of the pace by Katusha-Alpecin and LottoNL-Jumbo, with Viviani suffering an ill-timed puncture.

By the time the Italian's wheel was changed he was more than a minute off the front of the bunch, but quickly had team-mates around him as he set about moving back up through the cars eventually regaining contact with 17km remaining.

The catch of Edet and Planet, the final two escapees was finally made with nine kilometres remaining, with the lead-out trains taking up position at the front of the bunch.

Bahrain-Merida took control of the bunch with three kilometres to go, but the front of the peloton was constantly changing with Katusha-Alpecin and Dimension Data also fighting for position.

The final couple of kilometres remained messy as Katusha-Alpecin's lead-out riders tried to create a high pace but without Marcel Kittel anywhere to be seen, before Viviani found himself in the ideal position with 300m to go.

The Italian jumped out of the wheels at the ideal moment as Cavendish attempted to come around the outside before falling back. Instead the main threat came from race leader Groenewegen, who accelerated alongside Viviani but was unable to come past before the line, allowing the Quick-Step Floors sprinter to celebrate victory.

However second place meant Groenewegen maintained his overall lead by two seconds over Viviani.

The 2018 Dubai Tour continues on Thursday with a 183km stage from Skydive Dubai to Fujairah.

Results

Dubai Tour, stage two: Skydive Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah, 190km

1. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors, in 4-34-31

2. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo

3. Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana

4. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data

5. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo

6. Magnus Cort (Den) Astana

7. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates

8. Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing

9. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

10. Adam Blythe (GBr) Aqua Blue Sport, all at same time

General classification after stage two

1. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, in 8-25-50

2. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors, at 2 secs

3. Nathan Van Hooydonk (Bel) BMC Racing, at 9 secs

4. Magnus Cort (Den) Astana, at 9 secs

5. Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana, at 10 secs

6. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates, at 12 secs

7. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, at 16 secs

8. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

9. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo

10. Jacob Hennessy (GBr) Mitchelton-BikeExchange, all at same time

Mark Cavendish said he was ‘terrified for his life’ in the chaotic finish to the first stage of the Dubai Tour.

Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) triumphed on a stage to the Palm Jumeriah that was always likely to end in a bunch sprint. He and fellow podium finishers Magnus Cort Nielsen (Astana) and Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) had clear air between them and the rest of the peloton as others jostled for position behind.

Cavendish, who finished outside the top ten, said the first sprint he has been involved in this season had been dangerously unruly.

>>> Dylan Groenewegen wins hectic sprint on opening stage of Dubai Tour

“It was chaotic at the finish I was terrified for my life,” the Dimension Data captain said.

“I wasn’t trying to fight to get on a wheel, I was fighting to dodge guys who were turning left across the peloton. The UCI ruled over the winter that it was alright to cut across the peloton so I guess everyone was doing it now.”

He added: “I wasn’t able to sprint at all there was a couple of spaces at 3-400 metres to go that I thought I’d go in but then someone, for some reason, was going the other way so…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgyFBBl9Hnw

The Manxman had been caught behind a crash at eight kilometres to go but was brought back into position by his team.

“It took a bit of energy,” he said of moving back up the bunch. “I was behind the crash, skidding, but I got through. It didn’t affect the finish.”

UAE Emirate sprinter Alexander Kristoff’s assessment of the sprint mirrored Cavendish’s though he pointed to the easy riding that had been done throughout the rest of the stage.

“Everyone came in fresh and that’s always more dangerous because everyone thinks they can win. For sure it was dangerous, there was the crash and there were many almost crashes. That’s part of sprinting but today was pretty chaotic and I was even braking with 400m to go and I wasn’t the only one,” he said.

>>> Dubai Tour: Latest news, reports and race info

“People were left and right and then you have a clear shot at the finish you look down and sprint and then you look back up and suddenly it’s not clear any more,” the Norwegian, who finished fourth, added.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the day’s winner Groenewegen didn’t share his fellow riders’ concern. “Sometimes sprinting is dangerous but that’s sprinting. You can also sprint in a straight line but that’s not a sprint,” he said.

Cavendish, despite his concerns over how Tuesday’s finish panned-out, didn’t seem unduly worried about his safety in the three further likely sprint finishes to come at the Dubai Tour.

“I’m worried about every sprint nowadays not just the ones here,” he said.

Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) sprinted to win the opening stage of the 2018 Dubai Tour on Tuesday.

The Dutchman prevailed in the scrappy sprint to the line that saw several of the big-name sprinters out of position or boxed in.

Despite losing several of his team-mates in a late crash, Astana's Magnus Cort Nielsen placed a close second behind Groenewegen, with Italian Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) getting caught with no room to manoeuvre next to the roadside barrier and having to settle for third.

Groenewegen takes the early overall lead in the five-day race.

How it happened
The day's break consisted of five riders: Mohammed Almansoori (United Arab Emirates), Andy Fenn (Aqua Blue), Charles Planet (Novo Nordisk), Daniel Teklehaimanot (Cofidis) and Nathan Van Hooydonck (BMC Racing).

Teklehaimanot was only signed by Cofidis in the week leading up to the Dubai Tour, and evidently did not want to waste any time in showing off his new colours.

The Eritrean and his four escape companions were only allowed to build up a lead of only a couple of minutes as the sprinters teams were keen to keep things on a tight leash.

With 45km to go, the time gap between peloton and break dipped below a minute with Marcel Kittel's Katusha-Alpecin team driving the pace accompanied by Viviani's Quick-Step Floors just behind.

>>> Marcel Kittel and Mark Cavendish headline strong 2018 Dubai Tour start list

Rather than make a premature catch, however, the peloton held the gap at around a minute for 15km and onto the winding roads in among the palm trees of the Jumeirah Islands.

With 23km to go, the peloton started to close the gap, clipping it to 30 seconds. Fenn decided to launch a last-ditch attempt to stay away, and was followed by Planet, with the duo's gap edging back out to a minute.

As Fenn accelerated again up a short rise in the road just inside 18km-to-go, Planet shook his head and dropped back leaving the British rider out front solo.

Quick-Step Floors then took over at the front of the peloton and made in-roads into reducing Fenn's advantage. As the other teams moved up to the front of the bunch, Fenn's time out front came to an abrupt end inside 10km and the bunch all came back together.

A crash in the bunch with 8km to go took down a swathe of riders, including a number from Astana and a couple from Katusha-Alpecin.

No news yet about our riders involved in the crash during the final of stage 1 at #DubaiTour. pic.twitter.com/haXKFNR4gC

— Astana Pro Team (@AstanaTeam) February 6, 2018

Emerging from the long under-sea tunnel to the Palm Jumeirah island, Quick-Step Floors were back at the front of the peloton with 5km to go.

Many of the teams' sprint trains then fell apart in the closing kilometre, with defending champion Kittel, Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) among those missing out. Kittel's team reported after the finish that he had suffered a mechanical issue just as he was opening up his finishing effort.

>>> Dubai Tour 2018: Everything you need to know

One noteworthy result was 21-year-old British rider Jacob Hennessy, finishing an impressive sixth for Mitchelton-Scott.

Groenewegen commented after the win: "Quick-Step made it a very hard sprint by setting a high speed from far out but I launched my sprint with 200m to go. It was very tight at the end but went in my favour.

"It feels good to win my first stage this year, especially with the high level of sprinters who are here."

The five-stage 2018 Dubai Tour continues on Wednesday with stage two, starting from Skydive Dubai and finishing in Ras Al Khaimah after 190 flat kilometres. It should be another day for the sprinters.

The race concludes on Saturday, February 10.

Result

Dubai Tour 2018, stage one: Skydive Dubai to Palm Jumeirah, 167km

1. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, in 3-52-35

2. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Astana

3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors

4. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates

5. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis

6. Jacob Hennessy (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott

7. Eric Young (USA) Rally Cycling

8. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

9. Andrea Peron (Ita) Novo Nordisk

10. Loïc Vliegen (Bel) BMC Racing, all same time

General classification after stage one

1. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo

Mark Cavendish admitted he was disappointed to leave the Dubai Tour without a victory but happy with his overall performance at his first race of 2017, after suffering a mechanical problem that halted his sprint on the final stage won by Marcel Kittel.

The Manxman has been hunting his first win of the season at the five-stage race in Dubai, although he admitted before the race began he was unsure of his form due to his late finish to the 2016 season.

However, after suffering a puncture on stage one the 31-year-old endured another problem on the closing stage with his gears getting stuck, which prevented him challenging for the win. Cavendish finished fourth, while Kittel secured his third win of the race and the overall title for the second consecutive year.

>>> Mark Cavendish on Tour de France glory, his Olympic near-miss, and why second place means nothing

“I didn’t get any wins but I think after working throughout the week as a team we were incredible, that was exactly as we planned to execute today except obviously a win. But I’m happy,” the Dimension Data rider told press after the stage.

Despite being led-out exactly as he wanted during the final one kilometre and having a position on Kittel’s back wheel on the final few hundred metres, Cavendish said his gears wouldn’t shift down preventing him from opening his sprint. He hit his bars in frustration as he rolled over the line.

“My gears wouldn’t stay in the 11 [sprocket] going from the 12, I thought I had it perfect and when I went to kick….one time it flicked my back wheel,” he said. “I don’t know what that is.”

He continued: “For us the finish line was one and a half kilometre to go. If we had anybody extra there it was good, so we had Reiney [Reindart Janse van Rensburg] and Mark [Renshaw] in the last corner which was more than we wanted really.

>>> Five things we learned from the Dubai Tour 2017

“We knew Quick-Step would come late, the thing is not to get swamped in that corner so we thought if we could get first in that we’d use Quick-Step then.

“We had one guy left over, and then going into the last corner we knew it was coming onto clinkers [concrete]. I’m a little nervous when someone is inside and Trentin [Quick-Step] was coming inside, so I just backed off and let him come through, then when I saw him and Mark, I saw Kittel and lost his wheel.

“I thought I could maybe play a bit and use Kittel to bridge the gap there, which it worked out I was sweetly on his wheel. I knew then he’d have to launch early at 200 and I could come back then but... it didn’t quite work like that.”

Cavendish said he would next possibly be racing at the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal on February 15-19, before the Abu Dhabi Tour on February 23.

“I felt brilliant today actually, the team were brilliant today,” he continued. “Yeah it seems like there’s something every day.”

Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) won stage five of the 2017 Dubai Tour to also wrap up the overall win, as gear problems cost Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) probably his best chance of taking a stage victory from the race.

Cavendish had enjoyed an excellent lead-out from his Dimension Data team-mates, who controlled the race through the final kilometre, with Mark Renshaw leading the peloton through a tight right-hand bend with around 400m to go.

British champion Adam Blythe (Aqua Blue Sport) was locked on Renshaw's wheel, with Cavendish in close attendance behind his compatriot. But that's when a mechanical issue seemed to strike Cavendish, as he looked around, seemingly having a problem with his gears.

While Jean-Pierre Drucker (BMC Racing) went early on the left of the road, Cavendish's momentary crisis was all that Kittel need to strike, accelerating clear on the right to take the stage win ahead of Elia Viviani (Team Sky) and impressive Italian neo-pro Riccardo Minali (Astana).

Perhaps the most exciting period of the stage came at the very start, with a ferocious battle at the front of the peloton as numerous breaks went away before being pulled back into the main field.

In fact, it was not until the 40km mark, nearly a third of the way into the 124km stage, that a break finally managed to escape, with Dmitriy Gruzdev (Astana), Matteo Bono (UAE Abu Dhabi) being the first to get away, quickly being joined by Floris Gerts (BMC Racing) and Ivan Garcia (Bahrain-Merida).

With such a short stage, the escapees were only allowed a maximum gap of 1-30, with Bardiani-CSF being the first of the sprinters' teams to hit the front as the gap began to fall with 50km remaining.

The gap first fell below a minute with 35km to go, and was only going in one direction, with the peloton soon having the break in its sights on the wide, straight roads of Dubai.

The sprint trains started to form with 12km remaining, with Dimension Data cutting a lonely farrow for Mark Cavendish on the left of the road, while Quick-Step Floors and Trek-Segafredo remained in perfect formation on the right.

With the upping of the pace on the front of the peloton the break was caught with 9km to go as the stage made its way towards a sprint finale.

Into the final 5km and there was plenty of scrapping between the sprinters, but it was still Dimension Data who led into the final kilometre as the sprinters fought to be in a good position for a tight right-hand bend with just 400m to go.

And it was Renshaw of Dimension Data who led into that turn, with Blythe in his wheel and Cavendish behind.

However as Cavendish suffered a problem with his gears, it was Kittel who seized the initiative, powering clear of his competitors to take his third win of the race and successfully defend his overall title.

Results

Dubai Tour 2017, stage five: DIMC to City Walk, 124km

1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Quick-Step Floors, in 2-34-12

2. Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky

3. Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana

4. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data

5. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo

6. Sacha Modolo (Ita) UAE Abu Dhabi

7. Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing

8. Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani-CSF

9. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida

10. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo, all same time

Final general classification

1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Quick-Step Floors, in 15-08-56

2. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo, at 18 secs

3. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo, at 20 secs

4. Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing, at 24 secs

5. Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky, at same time

6. Thomas Stewart (GBr) One Pro Cycling, at same time

7. Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana, at 26 secs

8. Mark Cavendish (Gbr) Dimension Data, at same time

9. Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Dimension Data, at 27 secs

10. Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar, at same time

Team Dimension Data have been spotted with a new bike, believed to be an updated Cervélo R5 at the Dubai Tour. We managed to take some photos of the bike, which is being ridden by Jay Thomson.

Cervélo is the bike sponsor of Dimension Data, who are currently racing in the Dubai Tour with their star sprinter Mark Cavendish. Although the team has the lightweight Cervélo R5 climbing bike at their disposal, in recent times they have almost exclusively opted to ride the slightly heavier, but more aerodynamic Cervélo S5.

The current Cervélo R5 has been around since 2012 and is consequently ready for an update. A new frame had appeared on the UCI's list of approved frames on January 6, 2017 with the name 'R5 rim brake version.' The specific nature of this name, suggests there is also a disc brake version of the same bike soon to be announced.

The Cervélo R5 has a camouflage style paint job, similar to that used by large car companies, when they test prototypes out on open roads. Car companies use these paint jobs in a bid to break up and hide the shape of the new designs.  Despite this, the new design appears to have slightly different tube shapes, bigger chain stays and more aggressive geometry than the previous Cervélo R5.

The photos also indicate that the bike has a redesigned seat post clamp, that could be of a similar design to the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX. The fork looks deeper in cross section and more bladed, while the head tube is noticeably shorter. The shape of the down tube is hard to make out, owing to the pattern, but it looks like it may have been optimised aerodynamically for bottles.

The seat post looks like it may have a 'D' shape cross section for improved aerodynamics and compliance too. At present, this is all speculation.

Cervélo was asked for comment and responded:

"Cervélo Cycles has provided Team Dimension Data with the latest prototype model of the completely re-engineered R5 for testing at its Team Camp in Calpe, Spain. With the new R Series in its final stages of development, Cervélo’s goal is to have the world’s most demanding riders test the bike in real riding conditions before it is returned for fine-tuning that will precede the official R Series launch this summer. Indeed, the new R Series has been engineered around peak performance in challenging riding conditions. It was an open secret that the Cervélo R Series would undergo an upgrade in 2017. Now, it’s official — and this means major improvements, such as:

• Increased torsional and bottom-bracket stiffness.
• More tire clearance.
• Predictable handling with increased trail and chain-stay length across all sizes.

Cervélo also added that because it didn't want to reveal too much about the new bike before the official launch "the bike has been wrapped in a unique pavé-inspired design."

Riders and officials at the Dubai Tour were unanimous in their belief that cancelling stage four of the race due to high winds was the correct decision.

The race's queen stage was affected by sandstorms and excessively high winds from the start, and after first reducing the stage in length and rerouting it to include three ascents of Hatta Dam, organisers RCS Sport eventually said that the race was unable to continue given the conditions.

It means that Marcel Kittel - winner of the first two stages and the victim of a punch yesterday - is on the verge of winning the tour for the second successive year, with just tomorrow's expected sprint finish to come.

Kittel was one of the first to back the organisers, writing on Twitter:

John Degenkolb, who could have feasibly inherited the leader's jersey off Kittel if the stage had been allowed to go ahead, also backed the decision.

One Pro Cycling founder Matt Prior agreed with the decision, too.

Trek-Segafredo's American rider Kiel Reignen believes that the right choice was made given safety issues, before explaining the difficulty of racing in such conditions.

With a series of high-profile disagreements between riders and the UCI in recent years, Rory Sutherland says today's ruling was a big step forward.

Aqua Blue Sport's Stefan Denifl raised a similar point.

Riders, including reportedly Mark Cavendish, proposed a time trial, but UCI regulations would not have approved it.

After initially shortening stage four of the Dubai Tour, race organisers have been forced to cancel the stage to Hatta Dam as high winds and sandstorms swept across the course.

The pre-race ritual of riders taking to the podium and signing on was completed as usual, before senior riders including Mark Cavendish, John Degenkolb and race leader Marcel Kittel met to discuss the conditions.

After consulting with UCI commissaires and team representatives, organisers decided to cancel the stage shortly after the peloton had been due to depart at 13:00 local time.

This is the second time that the UCI's extreme weather protocol has been called into action this season, with stage one of the Tour Down Under being shortened as riders faced temperatures of more than 40ºC.

Stage four was the only hilly stage of the Dubai Tour, and its cancellation means that Marcel Kittel looks poised to win the overall classification.

Assuming he finishes in the front group on Saturday's final stage, the German can only be beaten if he comes home outside the top three, and the stage is won by either Dylan Groenewegen or John Degenkolb.

Andriy Grivko has taken to social media to give his side of the story about the incident that saw him disqualified from the Dubai Tour for punching Marcel Kittel.

In a lengthy post on his Facebook page, the Ukrainian admitted that he had acted in an "unsportsmanlike" manner, but also claimed that he was responding to dangerous riding by Kittel, and that the German spat at him after the incident.

>>> How long could Andriy Grivko be suspended for after punching Marcel Kittel?

"I have been cycling since I was 12 years old and like everyone I understand that it [fighting for wheels] is normal when the sprinters are fighting for position with 3 km to the finish line. But,when it happens with 100 km to go in such a rough style and under such a tough weather conditions, it brings a very big danger to the riders," Grivko wrote.

"In the fighting for position, and as it was confirmed by Kittel himself, he shouldered firstly my team-mate Dmitriy Gruzdev and then me, creating a very tense and dangerous situation that could cause a big crash in the peloton.

"I responded with aggressive action to aggressive action from him. Perhaps, I got emotional and it has nothing to do with cycling, but in extreme situations, when there is a question of safety, it is difficult to stay calm."

>>> Marcel Kittel 'won't accept an apology for punch; calls for six-month ban for Astana rider

Grivko went on to say that Kittel's riding showed a lack of respect for the other members of the peloton, endangering those around him due to his own "selfishness".

"In the peloton we are all equal and have equal rights, it doesn’t matter if you are a famous sprinter or neo-pro. We should respect each other equally."

The Astana rider also alleged that after hitting Kittel, the German "repeatedly spat" in his direction.

Grivko's statement concluded with an apology to many of those involved in the race, but notably not to Kittel.

"Once again I apologize to the race organizers, to all the fans, and of course, to my team for this unpleasant incident, which led to my exclusion from the race."

John Degenkolb said securing his maiden victory for Trek-Segafredo at his first race of the 2017 season “releases the pressure” going forward.

However, after winning the bunch sprint at the end of stage three of the Dubai Tour, both Degenkolb and race leader Marcel Kittel called for improved protocols to deal with extreme weather after the peloton was engulfed in a sandstorm during the day.

The 28-year-old German opened his account for the American squad, which he joined from Giant-Alpecin at the start of the year, in Dubai. The last time he won here at the start of 2015, Degenkolb went on to enjoy his most successful season to date, winning both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.

Degenkolb was forced to miss last year’s Spring Classics campaign with injury, after he and his team-mates were hit by a car while on a training camp in Calpe, Spain last January.

“The goal was to find the rhythm here and to have a good start into the season and that’s definitely what we’ve got already. Everything that comes now is a bonus,” Degenkolb said at the stage finish in Al Aqah.

“I’m really happy, the whole team is really happy I think that also releases the pressure - which was actually not there - but it’s always a nice feeling to start your first race with a victory, and going into a great Classics campaign.”

>>> Marcel Kittel 'won't accept and apology' for punch; calls for six-month ban for Astana rider

Much of Degenkolb’s lead-out in Dubai are riders likely to support him in the upcoming Classics, and despite being new to the squad he praised how well the riders were already working together.

“Races like this are mental games. I want to be successful but it’s just great to get support like this from the team,” he said. “For me that’s crucial because in the end you are winning these races also in your head and of course you can also lose it.

“It was great that the team just kept believing in me, even after I didn’t feel super great after that sandstorm. It was amazing.”

Around halfway into the 200-kilometre flat stage through the desert plains of the Emirates state, the riders were caught in crosswinds and a sandstorm – something Degenkolb described as “super dangerous”. Such were the conditions the peloton decided to stop racing.

Watch: complete guide to the Dubai Tour, Tour of Oman, and the Abu Dhabi Tour

“I think the conditions were on the limit or over the limit,” Degenkolb continued. “I wish we could have avoided a situation like this. I understand the organisers and the jury - that in a moment like this when you have the sandstorm there is not so much you can do - but you have to think about these kind of things before.

“We agreed together that we’d just ride easy because it was super dangerous. There were sand dunes on the road, and if you are a little bit more in the back then you had no possibility to avoid a crash.”

Although Degenkolb explained the riders asked the commissaires to neutralize the stage, by the time they did so they were refused and told the weather was due to improve in the next few kilometres – which it did.

“It was already too late because then basically it was over, so then the conditions were getting better and better again,” he said.

>>> UCI's extreme weather protocols still unclear, says Giro d'Italia boss

Race leader Marcel Kittel reiterated that better protocols are needed to ensure riders are safe during what he called “really extreme” weather conditions.

“That’s our problem in cycling, there is nobody, there’s not even like rules for it,” Kittel said. “What’s the rules for such a stage; it’s very difficult so the CPA, UCI, they have to keep on working to put that in the [rules].”

Kittel, who finished the stage with a cut above his left eye after being punched by Astana’s Andriy Grivko, continued: “I think it was a good choice what we did as a group also trying to talk to the race directors.

“It’s always a difficult decision, you don’t want to cancel a stage like this but we waited for better weather so that gave us the chance to take no risk and it also gives the race the chance to go for the final to satisfy the sponsors I think that’s also important.”

Marcel Kittel has called for Astana’s Andriy Grivko to get a six-month ban after the sprinter was left with blood dripping down his face and a cut above eye having being punched by the Ukrainian during stage three of the Dubai Tour.

The Quick-Step Floors rider ended the day with a significant cut above his left eye, after the incident that took place when the 200-kilometre stage was hit by the crosswinds in the desert.

The race jury expelled 33-year-old Grivko from the race after the stage had finished, while his Astana team issued an apology to Kittel and his team via Twitter for “improper behaviour of its rider”.

>>> Marcel Kittel's Twitter response to Andriy Grivko punching him in the face is absolutely perfect

After the stage, Kittel explained he got into a tussle for position with one of Grivko’s Astana team-mates in the winds that resulted in the two and Grivko pushing back and forth. He said he spoke to the rider to ask why he was "taking that risk" after which he "got a punch in the face" by Grivko.

"I think it’s very clear that he [Grivko] should be disqualified not only for this race, he should get a ban for the next six months maybe," Kittel told press after the stage.

"It’s a terrible disappointment for cycling, it’s a shame for this race, it’s a shame for the sponsors for this team and I really don’t understand how he can show this kind of reaction."

Kittel also tweeted his displeasure after the stage, saying that he "won't accept an apology".

The peloton was hit by crosswinds and then a sandstorm around 100km into the stage as the riders left Dubai city and moved north towards Al Aqah. As the pace increased, echelons formed and Kittel and his Quick-Step team-mates initially got caught on the wrong side of a split in the peloton.

"As soon as we went into the crosswinds there was fighting for positions," Kittel, who remains in the race lead after winning the opening two stages, said. “I think it’s totally normal that you push each other sometimes.

"I was trying to get back into the line in the crosswinds with one of his [Grivko’s] young team-mates. He didn’t like that so he pushed me back and I tried to go around, came in between Grivko and his team-mate, so I also had to push Grivko a little bit but didn’t take my hands off, nothing.

"In the end I was trying to talk to the young guy, why he’s really taking that risk, and at that moment I got a punch in the face."

The 28-year-old explained the punch was just “one centimetre” away from his eye, and also resulted in his glasses being broken. Grivko later tried to apologise to him by passing a message via Dimension Data’s Bernie Eisel – one of the most experienced road captains in the peloton who is also on the UCI’s Rider Commission.

>>> Riders get into punch up at Tour de Guadeloupe (video)

"He sent Bernie Eisel to me that he wanted to apologise, but for what should he apologise – it’s too late," he said. "There is a very thin line that you can cross. I mean if you have an argument in the race you have an argument, you talk about it OK and maybe even you touch the other guy a little bit, no problem. I have no problem with that.

"But as soon as he injures someone he takes the risk to injure me and maybe he injures my eye, it’s over - there’s no feeling sorry, there’s no apology it’s just done."

He continued: "It’s a moment where you have a lot of emotion, it’s like a sprint being in the crosswinds, but it doesn’t give him the right to punch someone else into the face."

Trek-Segafredo’s Kiel Reijnan was in the pack behind Kittel and saw the incident with him and Grivko’s team-mate that led to the punch.

"There was a little alteration in the crosswinds. It gets pretty dangerous and a couple of riders were just taking more risks than necessary," Reijnan said. "Marcel was kind of giving them the what for and one of the guys on Astana came up and socked him, sucker punched him in the face.

>>> Man who was 'punched by Nacer Bouhanni gives his side of the story

"It’s not the way to react and a lot of credit to Marcel for not reacting to that. He stayed calm. Twenty of us saw it. The right thing to do is suspend the rider for that kind of behaviour. It’s not good for the sport."

John Degenkolb secured his first victory of the year and his first since signing for Trek-Segafredo in the bunch sprint that eventually ensued at the end of the longest stage of the five-day race. Kittel was too far back as the race entered the final kilometre to contest the result.

"For sure my concentration was not 100 per cent any more but the day is over now and I try to move on," he said.

Riders had to deal with unfamiliar conditions at the Dubai Tour on stage three as a sandstorm hit the race.

The 200km stage crossed the width of the United Arab Emirates, and with the feed station positioned in a remote part of the desert, it was here that the worst conditions were found.

A number of teams posted videos on Twitter and Instagram, with the view out of the front of the One Pro Cycling team car perhaps giving the best impression of how bad the conditions were.

Crosswinds earlier in the race had seen the peloton split into echelons, before the group mostly came back together as the conditions worsened and the sand began to blow across the road, causing a number of crashes.

That at least meant that the peloton could slow a little for the feed station just after the mid-point of the stage, where soigneurs did their best to hand out musettes, which must have been filled as much with sand and grit as they were with energy bars.

Marcel Kittel hailed a confident performance from his Quick-Step Floors team-mates that resulted in his first victory of 2017 on the opening stage of the Dubai Tour, but urged caution at this early point in the season insisting “it’s a reminder you win like this when you work hard”.

The win was the German’s first race of the year and saw him go head-to-head in a bunch sprint with some of his major rivals.

>>> Marcel Kittel powers to Dubai Tour stage one win with Mark Cavendish third

Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) finished in second and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) – who rode the last three-kilometres of the race with a rear tyre puncture – third, while John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) and Elia Viviani (Sky) rounded out the top-five.

“I’m very happy to see that we started with a victory, that we started with such a lead-out, because it gives also confidence to everyone in the team,” Kittel told press after the stage that finished in front of the impress Atlantis hotel resort on Dubai’s The Palm islands.

“It’s always good to remember that it’s the 31^st January today still and until my personal season highlight for example [the Tour de France] it’s still five months to go.

Watch: Dubai Tour 2017 stage one highlights

“It’s nice to start like this into the season but it’s only a reminder that you win like this when you work hard, when you dedicate yourself to a goal and you have to keep doing that for the rest of the season.”

Kittel won two stages and the overall in Dubai last year, but now in his second season with the Belgian squad he admitted his lead-out train feels much more comfortable.

And while his was the last to appear at the front of the peloton, only emerging with around three kilometres to go, the 28-year-old had five team-mates supporting him to deliver him within metres of the line.

“We did a very good job, the first race of the year you’re always insecure,” he continued. “You can have the strongest team in the world, but even then maybe that’s a point to be the most insecure because you don’t know how well everyone plays together.”

The victory in Dubai also made Kittel the second rider to win a race with disc brakes. His team-mate Tom Boonen was the first, winning at the Vuelta a San Juan a week ago.

He previously said he was using the race as a test for the technology, and is the only rider in Dubai using discs – something he admitted had resulted in a number of questions from others in the peloton during the stage.

“I still think I made the right choice,” Kittel said. “I got a lot of questions, a lot of riders came to me today saying how is it and telling me their opinion. They did not always agree.

“I cannot say so much because I was lucky enough that I did not have to use them too much today especially in the final so that was good.”

He continued: “A lot of the guys were curious, they wanted to know how it feels to ride with the discs. It’s actually a strange question because normally everyone knows it from the mountain bike, from the cross bike. But still, it’s a little bit different on the race bike when you really hit a lot of high speeds.

“Some guys also said they don’t really get why we should change to disc brakes."

Giacomo Nizzolo only needed to finish second to Marcel Kittel on the final stage of the Dubai Tour to win the general classification, but the Italian lost position in the final kilometre to hand the  overall win to the German sprinter.

Kittel beat Team Sky's Elia Viviani and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) to the line under the Burj Khalifa, with Nizzolo trailing in sixth.

By crossing the line first, Kittel picked up the bonus seconds he needed to leapfrog Juan Jose Lobato (Movistar) and Nizzolo and win the race by four seconds

As the stage hit its final kilometres Wiggins rider Mark Christian, part of the day's six-man breakaway, tried his chances on his own with 14km to go, but the flat course and the marauding sprint trains behind him meant he was caught a couple of kilometres later.

Tinkoff and Astana took up the early work as the sprinters set themselves up, but soon the likes of Etixx-Quick Step, Trek-Segafredo and Dimension Data moved to the front.

Etixx hit the front with just over a kilometre to go, with Trek keenly on their tail. Fabian Cancellara put in a turn at the front but his leader Nizzolo lost position in the group, forcing the team to cede their position in order to find him.

Nizzolo, in the leader's blue jersey, could only watch as Kittel, in the sprinter's red jersey, sailed to the line and took the overall title from his grasp.

It was Kittel's first stage race win since the Delta Tour Zeeland way back in 2011, and with two wins already in 2016 the German has eclipsed his total from the disastrous 2015 season.

Dubai Tour stage four, Dubai-Burj Khalifa (137km)

1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Etixx-Quick Step, 2-50-47

2. Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky, st

3. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data, st

4. Andrea Palini (Ita) Skydive Dubai, st

5. Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre-Merida, st

6. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, st

7. Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Etixx-Quick Step, st

8. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo, st

9. Erik Baska (Svk) Tinkoff, st

10. Yanto Barker (GBr) One Pro Cycling

Final overall classification

1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Etixx-Quick Step, 14-46-54

2. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 4s

3. Juan Jose Lobato (Esp) Movistar, at 6s

4. Silvan Dillier (Swi) BMC, at 16s

5. Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Movistar, at 23s

6. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC, at 25s

7. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek-Segafredo, st

8. Daniele Bennati (Ita) Tinkoff, at 28s

9. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Sprandi, st

10. Soufiane Haddi (Mor) Skydive Dubai, at 29s

Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quick Step) made an impressive debut performance for Etixx-Quick Step, winning the bunch sprint at the end of the opening stage of the 2016 Dubai Tour.

Kittel opened up his sprint early in the straight run-in to the line in Fujairah, and powered ahead of his rivals. Defending champion Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) placed second, with Italian Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) a bike length back in third.

Kittel will wear the distinctive blue leader's jersey going into stage two, and sits four seconds ahead of Cavendish thanks to his winner's time bonus.

For Kittel, the win comes as a relief after a torrid 2015 season plagued by illness and poor form, and which ended with him leaving the Giant-Alpecin team for Etixx-QuickStep.

>>> Marcel Kittel discusses his season’s goals ahead of Etixx-Quick Step debut

"After a hard season last year, I'm incredibly happy I could win," Kittel said at the finish. "Even more that it worked so well with the new team. We were the strongest in the lead out. The most important thing is to stay calm for the next few days and see what can come."

The day's escape group consisted of Loic Vliegen (BMC Racing), Martin Mortensen (One Pro Cycling), Charles Planet (Novo Nordisk), Marc Soler (Movistar), Soufiane Haddi (Skydive Dubai) and Jesus Alberto Rubio (Al Nasr Pro Cycling Team Dubai).

The break was caught with 10km to go, as Team Wiggins moved to the front of the peloton.

Philippe Gilbert (BMC) then put in a trademark late attack with 4km to go, provoking Movistar, Astana, Dimension Data and Etixx-QuickStep to take over from Team Wiggins at the front of the bunch.

Watch: Marcel Kittel interview

Gilbert's move was short-lived as the sprinters' team jostled for position on the wide road. Etixx-QuickStep looked to have it nailed, and Kittel finished off their hard work.

In contrast, former Etixx rider Cavendish's new lead-out at Dimension Data appeared to falter, leaving the Manxman with too much work to do to overhaul Kittel in the finale.

British One Pro Cycling rider Chris Opie put in a solid performance in the sprint to place seventh, notably one place ahead of Sky sprinter Elia Viviani.

Sir Bradley Wiggins finished in 121st place, three minutes and 28 seconds behind Kittel.

The 2016 Dubai Tour continues on Thursday with stage two from Dubai International Marine Club to Palm Jumeirah over 188km. The four-day race concludes on Saturday.

>>> Dubai Tour 2016: latest news, reports and preview

Results

Dubai Tour 2016, stage one: Dubai International Marine Club to Fujairah, 179km

1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Etixx-QuickStep in 3-35-21

2. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data

3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

4. Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre-Merida

5. Andrea Palini (Ita) Skydive Dubai

6. Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana

7. Chris Opie (GBr) One Pro Cycling

8. Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky

9. Michal Kolar (Svk) Tinkoff

10. Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Al Nasr Pro Cycling Team Dubai at same time

General classification after stage one

1. Marcel Kittel (Ger) Etixx-QuickStep

2. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data at 4 secs

3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo at 6 secs

4. Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre-Merida at 10 secs

5. Andrea Palini (Ita) Skydive Dubai

6. Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana

7. Chris Opie (GBr) One Pro Cycling

8. Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky

9. Michal Kolar (Svk) Tinkoff

10. Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Al Nasr Pro Cycling Team Dubai at same time

Sir Bradley Wiggins dampened any hopes of him storming to victory in the Dubai Tour, telling reporters that he's there to help his teammates.

The 2012 Tour de France champion is in the Middle East for the four-day race, which starts on Wednesday, with Team Wiggins, of which many riders are significantly younger than the 35-year-old.

With track gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics his main goal for the season, Wiggins insists he will be in Dubai to help his young teammates develop their racing skills and nurturing them as riders.

"Unlike everyone else, I’m not hoping to achieve anything this week," he said. "The Dubai Tour is one of the four road races I’ll be doing this year. Just being here with my team pleases me, it’s nice to be racing with those young guys.

"If I can be next to them in sprint finishes, if I can contribute to their experience in a learning curve along with Team Sky and the other big teams, it’ll be great. Some of them are just 19 – Team Wiggins is moving along.

"There are a lot of British expatriates in Dubai who look forward to seeing us. Cycling changes all the time, it’s very different from ten years ago, now we are here in the UAE for racing. My goal is definitely more of nurturing for this week!"

Wiggins will also race the Amgen Tour of California in May, having competed in all four days of Challenge Mallorca at the end of January.

He is joined in Dubai by fellow Brit and former Team Sky colleague Mark Cavendish, who is looking to win the race for the second year running, as well as high profile riders like Marcel Kittel, Fabian Cancellara and Philippe Gilbert.

Sir Bradley Wiggins returns to road racing next week at the Dubai Tour (February 3-6), joining a strong start list that also features last year's winner Mark Cavendish, Fabian Cancellara, Philippe Gilbert and Marcel Kittel.

Wiggins will ride for the eponymous Team Wiggins, and support his British team-mates. Wiggins is focusing on track conditioning ahead of the 2016 Track World Championships in March, and then the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where he aims to take part in the team pursuit for Great Britain.

Cavendish makes his road racing debut for Dimension Data this weekend at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Australia. He then returns to the Dubai Tour as defending champion having won two stages and the overall of the 2015 edition. Cavendish has spent the winter riding on the track, including fourth place in the omnium at the recent Track World Cup in Hong Kong.

>>> “Marcel Kittel will settle faster in new team than Mark Cavendish,” says Etixx DS

The race's three sprint stages will be hotly contested, as Cavendish will come up against the likes of Marcel Kittel - making his debut for Etixx-QuickStep - and Elia Viviani (Sky).

Kittel is supported by a strong line-up at Etixx-QuickStep, one that also includes former time trial world champion Tony Martin.

Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo) has chosen the race to make his 2016 season debut, as he warms up for the spring classics. The Swiss multiple classics and time trial champion may well have his eye on stage three, which features an uphill finish to Hatta Dam.

Former road race world champion Philippe Gilbert heads up the BMC Racing line-up, which also includes 2008 Olympic road race champion Samuel Sanchez.

John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) won the stage to Hatta Dam last year, and was due to return this season. However, the German Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo champion has been ruled out of the race after suffering numerous injuries after he was hit by a car while training in Spain. It is unclear when he will make his return to racing.

Watch: Men's WorldTour contenders 2016

Along with Wiggins and Cavendish, there are a host of British riders on the start list, including Alex Dowsett (Movistar), Ben Swift and Andy Fenn (both Sky), as well as members of British-based squads One Pro Cycling and Team Wiggins.

The 2016 Dubai Tour starts on Wednesday, February 3, and finishes on Saturday, February 6.

2016 Dubai Tour route

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_TY6hd7wC8

Dubai Tour 2016 stages

Stage one, February 3, Dubai International Marine Club to Fujairah, 179km

Stage two, February 4, Dubai International Marine Club to Palm Jumeirah (Atlantis), 188km

Stage three, February 5, Dubai International Marine Club to Hatta Dam, 172km

Stage four, February 6, Dubai International Marine Club to Burj Khalifa, 132km

Sir Bradley Wiggins will join his team-mates at the 2016 Dubai Tour in February, as Team Wiggins has been named on the roster of 16 squads taking part in the third edition of the event.

A total of 10 WorldTour teams, three Professional Continental, two Continental and one national team will take part in the UCI 2.HC-ranked four-day race, which runs from February 3 to 6.

For the first time three British teams will be present: Team Sky, Team Wiggins and One Pro Cycling. Brit sprint ace Mark Cavendish is also set to return to the event as defending champion with his new team, Dimension Data.

>>> It’s going to be strange to try and beat Cavendish, says Etixx-QuickStep sports director

"I’m really excited to be racing with my team at the 2016 Dubai Tour," said Wiggins. "It’s a really exciting event and we’re looking forward to competing with some of the best teams in the world".

Wiggins has said that he will ride in support of his team-mates, as he focuses on preparing for the team pursuit on the track at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

One Pro Cycling take part after they move up to Pro Continental status for 2016. The team owned by former England cricketer Matt Prior has made a raft of new signings and Dubai will be one of its first races against the top-flight squads.

Along with Sky and Dimension Data, the WorldTour teams taking part in the race are: Astana, BMC, Etixx-QuickStep, Lampre-Merida, Movistar, Giant-Alpecin, Tinkoff and Trek Factory Racing.

The 2016 route offers three flat stages and one with an uphill finish, just as it did in 2015. Stage three has a sting in its tail - a short, sharp ascent to the line. German John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) powered to win the equivalent stage in 2015, with Cavendish reclaiming the race lead on the final day with the stage victory.

2016 Dubai Tour teams

Astana

BMC Racing

CCC Sprandi Polkowice

Dimension Data

Etixx-QuickStep

Giant-Alpecin

Lampre-Merida

Movistar

Novo Nordisk

One Pro Cycling

Skydive Dubai

Team Sky

Team Wiggins

Tinkoff

Trek Factory Racing

UAE National Selection

2016 Dubai Tour route

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_TY6hd7wC8

Stage one, February 3, Dubai International Marine Club to Fujairah, 179km

Stage two, February 4, Dubai International Marine Club to Palm Jumeirah (Atlantis), 188km

Stage three, February 5, Dubai International Marine Club to Hatta Dam, 172km

Stage four, February 6, Dubai International Marine Club to Burj Khalifa, 132km

Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick Step) won the final stage of the 2015 Dubai Tour with a dominant sprint finish.

The ten bonus seconds he gained from being first over the finish line was also enough for him to win the overall, with overnight leader John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) finishing further down in ninth place.

Cavendish benefited from a superb lead-out from his team. With 2.5km they moved to the front of the peloton with a train five riders strong. Despite attempts from Sky and UnitedHealthcare to take over at the front, Etixx retained control at set their sprinter up perfectly.

By the time final domestique Mark Renshaw was at the front, there was a clear gap of a few bike lengths between him and Cavendish ahead of the rest of the peloton. Cavendish thus started his sprint with a head-start, and despite the best efforts of Elia Viviani (Sky) and Juan Jose Lobato (Movistar) – who finished second and third respectively – victory for the Manxman was inevitable.

Britain's Ben Swift (Sky) finished fourth, two places behind team-mate Viviani.

A flat parcours meant that few events of note took place prior to the sprint. A break of five was contained by the peloton and caught with just over six kilometres to spare, and never threatened to make it to the end.

Results
Dubai Tour 2015, stage four: Dubai International Marine Club to Burj Khalifa, 123km

1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx-QuickStep

2. Elia Viviani (Ita) Sky

3. Juan Jose Lobato (Spa) Movistar

4. Ben Swift (GBr) Sky

5. Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana

6. Daniele Ratto (Ita) UnitedHealthcare

7. Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Novo Nordisk

8. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre-Merida

9. John Degenkolb (Ger) Giant-Alpecin

10. Andrea Palini (Ita) SkyDive Dubai all same time

Final overall classification

1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx-QuickStep

2. John Degenkolb (Ger) Giant-Alpecin at 6 secs

3. Juan Jose Lobato (Spa) Movistar at 10 secs

4. Alejandro Valerde (Spa) Movistar at 12 secs

5. Marco Canola (Ita) UnitedHealthcare at 14 secs

6. Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) UnitedHealthcare at 17 secs

7. Grega Bole (Slo) CCC Polsat Polkowice at 18 secs

8. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing at 18 secs

9. Manuele Boaro (Ita) Tinkoff-Saxo at 18 secs

10. Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Lampre-Merida at 18 secs

Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali will start his 2015 season with Argentina's Tour de San Luis in January or the Dubai Tour in February.

"I raced in Dubai this year, and I liked it," team Astana’s Italian told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper at the route presentation. "I'd like to make the same steps into 2015 to be in the best condition for Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-Sanremo."

The race runs from February 4 to 7, includes a mountain-top finish and omits 2014's time trial stage. Instead of beginning in the dusty UAE cityscape, however, Nibali could begin his season with an Argentine steak at the Tour of San Luis, January 19 to 25.

"I'd like to begin 2015 in Argentina, in San Luis," Nibali said two weeks ago. "It's hard to see team Astana racing, but I know that the Italian national team will be there. If [Team Director Davide] Cassani asks me to go, I'd not only be available, I'd be happy. If not Argentina, then I'll start in Dubai."

He told Cycling Weekly in January that he prefers to race in warm climates in the early months than to stay at his home in Lugano, Switzerland, where bad weather can hamper his training.

"I'm more relaxed when I'm at the races, I don't have obligations. I just have to race along," Nibali said. "If I put in good miles then it's OK if I have to miss some training when I get home."

Nibali has begun his season in San Luis five times, including the last three seasons. In other years, he has begun at home, in Spain or in South Africa.

In 2014, he went from San Luis to Dubai to Oman before returning to race in Europe. He placed 21st in Paris-Nice, fifth in the Tour de Romandie and seventh in the Critérium du Dauphiné stage races before winning the Tour de France overall in July.

The Sicilian, who turns 30 on Friday, could follow the same menu for 2015, but can only confirm his plans after team Astana meets for a training camp in Tuscany later in November.

"The Giro d'Italia? I'll decide with the team at the first camp in November, but you must not forget that we have Fabio Aru in team Astana, and he deserves his space. And I'll have the Tour to think about. It covers a route where I'd like to try to repeat my win."

Tour de France 2015 route

Take a look at every stage of the route of the 2015 Tour de France

Taylor Phinney won the Dubai Tour stage one time trial today to take the first Versace-designed leader’s jersey of the inaugural race.

The 23 year old best BMC teammate Steven Cummings and Lasse Norman Hansen (Garmin-Sharp) to take line honours at the end of the 9.9km circuit in which he reportedly averaged 490 watts over twelve minutes and three seconds. Cummings was 14 seconds adrift with London Olympic omnium champion Hansen a further two seconds in arrears.

Riders competed on road, and not time trial, bikes because of logistical reasons.

The tour continues tomorrow with a highly anticipated 122km flat stage from Dubai to Palm Jumeirah that will see the fastest sprinter of the 2013 Tour de France, Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) compete against Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) for the first time this season.

Dubai Tour 2014, stage one: Dubai, 9.9km
1. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC in 12-03

2. Steve Cummings (GBr) BMC at 14 secs

3. Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Garmin-Sharp at 16 secs

4. Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-Quick Step at 22 secs

5. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek at 26 secs

6. Peter Sagan (Svk) Cannondale at 31 secs

7. Adriano Malori (Ita) Movistar at 32 secs

8. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale at 35 secs

9. Alexander Orsev (Rus) Katusha

10. Peter Velits (Svk) BMC at 37 secs

British

37. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Omega Pharma-QuickStep at 54 secs

51. Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar at 1-04

Overall classification after stage one

1. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC in 12-03

2. Steve Cummings (GBr) BMC at 14 secs

3. Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Garmin-Sharp at 16 secs

Mark Cavendish's re-tooled sprint train races for the first time tomorrow in Dubai. After a bumpy debut last year, the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team put the pieces in place for success.

Sports director David Bramati told Cycling Weekly: "We've built up the team and we will see some impressive sprint wins when we have our men all lined up."

Cavendish already began his season in the Tour de San Luis last month. He went there with Alessandro Petacchi, who had to abandon in the first stage due to stomach pains. Regardless, Cavendish and the team worked for Tom Boonen.

In the Dubai Tour, the train will pull for Cavendish. In addition to Petacchi, he will have his former HTC lead-out Mark Renshaw towing him to the line.

Renshaw helped Cavendish to the majority of his Tour de France stage wins before team HTC disbanded and he joined Rabobank. He is a welcomed edition. Cavendish and Omega Pharma suffered at times last spring, most notability in Belgium's Scheldeprijs one-day race on April 3.

"There were some problems. He wanted to win Scheldeprijs and he was on his own in the final. To lose, just missing out by a small amount, hurts," said Bramati.

"We had men to lead him out but they'd never raced together, they'd only trained at the camps in December and January, and that's something else compared to making it work in the middle of a group sprint."

The team admitted last year that it lacked the training and men to pull the world's top sprinter to wins. It re-tooled the train and hired Petacchi mid-season and Renshaw for 2014. Now it only needs to order its train.

"We haven't decided yet if it'll be Renshaw or Petacchi pulling Mark," Bramati said. "We will decide based on the stage or race, usually when the three are racing together we are going decide on the best lead-out, Renshaw or Petacchi."

The Dubai Tour starts tomorrow (Wednesday, February 5) and runs for four days, featuring three possible sprint finishes. Afterwards, Bramati said that Cavendish will race the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal.

Related links

Renshaw preparing to support Cavendish in Dubai

Mark Renshaw preparing to support Mark Cavendish in Dubai

Emirates race important to Omega Pharma-Quick Step

Marcel Kittel and Mark Cavendish will clash for the first time this season at the inaugural Dubai Tour that is a big target for the latter's Omega Pharma-Quick Step team.

Mark Renshaw is currently using the Tour Down Under as preparation for the February race where he will formally reprise his role as Cavendish's chief pilot. Renshaw famously paired with the Manxman at HTC-Highroad but left his service at the end of the 2011 season to pursue opportunities as a marquee sprinter at incarnations of Belkin.

"We're taking an important team there with Tony Martin and Cav so with those two guys we're looking for the overall and for stage wins," Renshaw told Cycling Weekly before the start of stage three today. "To be honest, it's pretty important that everyone goes well.

"Here is more preparation for Dubai," the 31 year old continued. "The Tour Down Under is a WorldTour race, and a good opportunity for points. But personally it's building for Dubai. It's a more important race, than here, for me."

Renshaw traveled 36 hours from Australia to Belgium in December to attend his new team's first training camp, which was centered more on logistics than specific lead-out work.

"There were a lot of things to set-up this year," he said. "I've changed completely everything that I was riding with last year as far as equipment - pedals, shoes, handlebars. It took a long time to adapt and it was pretty important to go to the training camp to get the right-fitting clothes and everything set-up. It was also good to meet the team."

Omega Pharma- Quick Step has bolstered its sprint roster with the addition of Renshaw and Alessandro Petacchi ahead of Cavendish's second year with the squad.

"I think we did three or four sprints the whole camp so it was more a period where guys were building up to racing," the 31 year old Renshaw said. "I think now we're just going to have to practice in racing. I don't see too many opportunities to train together. Dubai will be our first opportunity."

Twitter: @SophieSmith86 

Related links

Tour Down Under 2014 coverage