Mark Cavendish wins crash-affected Abu Dhabi Tour sprint
Perfectly-timed effort from Mark Cavendish nets him stage one win in Abu Dhabi Tour as Marcel Kittel and Caleb Ewan caught up in crash
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) won the opening stage of the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour on Thursday, as sprint rivals Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) and Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) were caught up in a late crash.
The Manxman powered ahead of André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) in the bunch finish at the end of the pan-flat stage through the Abu Dhabi desert to take his first victory of the season. Niccolo Bonifazio (Bahrain-Merida) came home for third.
"I can't fault anyone in the team," Cavendish said after the stage. "If I'd lost it would have been only my fault. It was the same finish as last year and I was only third then, with us having made some mistakes. We went through what we did wrong last year, tried to do the complete opposite and that's what happened."
Billed as the 'clash of the sprinters', fans were ultimately denied seeing the world's top fastmen go truly head-to-head as Kittel and Ewan fell just as the race hit the final kilometre.
Several other team's sprint trains were also disrupted due to the crash, with Team Sky's Elia Viviani losing a couple of team-mates to the incident, including Welshman Owain Doull. It was Doull's 2017 debut race after recovering from surgery to fix a burst appendix which saw him miss the Tour Down Under in January.
Alex Dowsett (Movistar) was another rider caught up in the crash.
>>> Owain Doull’s foot and shoes ‘cut by disc brakes’ in Abu Dhabi Tour crash
Earlier, Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) was felled in separate crash with around 4km to go. A quick bike change with a team-mate was swiftly followed by the majority of the Trek team falling back to pace Contador back up to the bunch. Prior to the race, Contador had said he would be working for Bauke Mollema, but the team's response to the incident signals that Contador is perhaps co-leader.
Before the chaotic finale, the day's action had been led by an escape group of six riders, who were allowed a margin of five minutes after an hour's racing. The peloton soon pegged that advantage back, and they were caught with around 17km to go.
Several of the sprinters' teams jostled for position on the wide roads before the crashes disrupted their rhythm. Cavendish stayed cool in the melee, and jumped on Bonifazio's wheel as the Italian opened up his sprint early.
As Bonifazio faded, Cavendish upped his pace leaving Greipel with work to do. By the line, Cavendish had opened up a good margin, enough to sit up and savour his first victory of the year.
Cavendish will go into stage two of the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour in the overall race lead. The flat profile once again lends itself to a sprint finish in Abu Dhabi city. The newly-appointed WorldTour race concludes on Sunday, February 26.
>>> Abu Dhabi Tour 2017: Latest news, reports and info
Result
Abu Dhabi Tour 2017, stage one: Madinat Zayed to Madinat Zayed, 188km
1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data, in 4-37-06
2. André Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Soudal
3. Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
4. Simone Consonni (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
5. Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky
6. Roger Kluge (Ger) Orica-Scott
7. Alexander Porsev (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
8. Matteo Pelucchi (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe
9. Nicola Ruffoni (Ita) Bardiani CSF
10. Eduard Grosu (Rom) Nippo-Vini Fantini, all same time
General classification after stage one
1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data
2. Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Soudal, at 4 secs
3. Manuele Mori (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 4 secs
4. Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita) Bahrain-Merida, at 6 secs
5. Mirco Maestri (Ita) Bardiani-CSF, at 8 secs
6. Kazishige Kuboki (Jpn) Nippo-Vini Fantini, at 8 secs
7. Simone Consonni (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 10 secs
8. Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky, at 10 secs
9. Roger Kluge (Ger) Orica-Scott, at 10 secs
10. Alexander Porsev (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo, at 10 secs
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, n exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
-
Cycling and exercise addiction: how much is too much?
What does it mean to get hooked on riding your bike? CW investigates exercise addiction and comes face-to-face with its devastating consequences
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published
-
Shimano S-Phyre RC903 - the brand's new range-topping road shoes reviewed
The standard last is a little narrow but with a wide fit option the Shimano S-Phyre RC903 accommodates a wide variety of riders
By Andy Turner • Published
-
Tadej Pogačar wins UAE Tour with stage seven victory atop Jebel Hafeet
The Slovenian claimed the red jersey with his second stage win of the race.
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Mathias Vacek wins stage six of UAE Tour as peloton fails to catch breakaway
Gazprom-RusVelo make numbers in break count as sprinters have to settle for minor places
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Jasper Philipsen sprints to victory on stage five of UAE Tour
Belgian rider wins second sprint of the race ahead of Olav Kooij and Sam Bennett
By Adam Becket • Last updated
-
Filippo Ganna sticks with the climbers in 'ride of the day' performance on UAE Tour summit finish
The Italian time trial specialist showed he is capable of keeping pace on mountain stages too, crossing the line in 11th
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
'Having a team like this gives you goosebumps': Pogačar credits team after UAE Tour triumph
Slovenian takes control of leader's jersey after stage four
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Tadej Pogačar takes the UAE Tour leader's jersey after stage four victory
The Slovenian leads Filippo Ganna by just two seconds on general classification
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Ineos reveal why Luke Plapp completed UAE Tour time trial on road bike
The young Australian crashed during the recon, causing a mechanical issue to his time trial bike
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Tadej Pogačar 'pretty happy' with fourth place in UAE Tour time trial
The Slovenian sits fifth on general classification after three stages
By Adam Becket • Published