Mark Cavendish takes another stage win as Tanel Kangert wins Abu Dhabi Tour

Mark Cavendish won the fourth and final stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour on Sunday as Estonia's Tanel Kangert claimed overall victory

Mark Cavendish from Team Dimension Data claimed his second win of the race on the 143-kilometres Yas Island stage in the sprint finish.

Kangert from team Astana won Saturday's third stage and finished in the main bunch on the final stagte to claim the overall victory, 21 seconds clear of Nicolas Roche from Team Sky.

The last of four stages took place on the Yas Marina Circuit of Abu Dhabi where the riders completed 26 laps of 5.5 kilometers for a total distance of 143 kilometers.

Frederik Frison of Lotto-Soudal, Michal Paluta of CCC Sprandi Polkowice and Kristian House of One Pro Cycling formed a break and attempted to keep the Peloton at bay.

They couldn't keep the Peleton reeling them with a Sprint finish available and Dimension Data sprinter Cavendish powered to victory ahead of Italian champion Giacomo Nizzolo of Trek Factory Racing.

Third place went to Elia Viviani of Team Sky. Magnus Cort Nielsen of Orica-BikeExchange 4th and Jean Pierre Drucker of BMC Racing Team 5th in the final Sprint.

2016 Abu Dhabi Stage 4 Results Top 10

1. Mark CAVENDISH, DIMENSION DATA, in 3:07:44
2. Giacomo NIZZOLO, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at :00
3. Elia VIVIANI, TEAM SKY, at :00
4. Magnus Cort NIELSEN, OBE, at :00
5. Jean-Pierre DRUCKER, BMC RACING TEAM, at :00
6. Ramon SINKELDAM, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :00
7. Michael MATTHEWS, OBE, at :00
8. Sacha MODOLO, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at :00
9. Mark RENSHAW, DIMENSION DATA, at :00
10. Michal KOLÁR, TINKOFF, at :00

2016 Abu Dhabi Final Classification Top 10

1. Tanel KANGERT, ASTANA PRO TEAM, in 12:27:34
2. Nicolas ROCHE, TEAM SKY, at :21
3. Diego ULISSI, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at :43
4. Vincenzo NIBALI, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:00
5. Alberto CONTADOR VELASCO, TINKOFF, at 1:00
6. Julien BERNARD, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 1:02
7. Ben HERMANS, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:29
8. Martijn TUSVELD, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:38
9. Winner ANACONA GOMEZ, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:38
10. Jesper HANSEN, TINKOFF, at 1:38

VIDEO: 2016 On-Board Highlights Stage 4

Mark Cavendish takes another stage win as Tanel Kangert wins Abu Dhabi Tour

Tanel Kangert climbs to victory on Stage 3 of the Abu Dhabi Tour

Astana's Tanel Kangert won the third stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour and took over the race lead coming into the final stage

Kangert and Team Sky's Nicolas Roche led the race on the final climb of Jebel Hafeet and although the gap with the chase group including Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador remained less than a minute, the two managed to stay ahead with Kangert able to launch a final attack and drop Roche.

The Estonian did well to take the victory with a 17-second advantage over Roche. The nearest chasers trailed by 33 seconds and both Contador and Nibali crossed the line at 50 seconds from the stage winner.

As such, Kangert takes the overall lead, 21 seconds ahead of Roche and 43 seconds ahead of Lampre-Merida's Diego Ulissi. Nibali and Contador are fourth and fifth respectively.

The final stage is entirely on Yas Island. There are 26 laps on the F1 Yas Marina circuit, each of 5.5km with three Intermediate Sprints as we count down to the finale. The first Intermediate Sprint is at lap 11, with 15 laps to go; the second at 10 laps to go and the last Intermediate Sprints with just five laps to go.Last year during the Yas Island Stage, for the first time ever in a men's professional road race, live on-board bike camera footage was made available and used for live television race coverage. Last km - On the perfect tarmac of a 5.5km Formula 1 circuit with wide roads and large, sweeping bends. The final 250 metres are on straight, flat asphalt.

You can follow the race on our 2016 Abu Dhabi Tour LIVE STREAMING page.

Abu Dhabi Stage 3 Top 10 Results

1 Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team 3:31:31
2 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky 0:00:17
3 Mekseb Debesay (Eri) Dimension Data 0:00:33
4 Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre - Merida
5 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff Team 0:00:50
6 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team
7 Julien Bernard (Fra) Trek-Segafredo 0:00:52
8 Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:01:19
9 Martijn Tusveld (Ned) Giant Alpecin 0:01:28
10 Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff Team

Abu Dhabi General Classification after Stage 3

1 Tanel Kangert (Est) Astana Pro Team 9:19:44
2 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky 0:00:21
3 Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre - Merida 0:00:43
4 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:01:00
5 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff Team
6 Julien Bernard (Fra) Trek-Segafredo 0:01:02
7 Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:01:29
8 Martijn Tusveld (Ned) Giant Alpecin 0:01:38
9 Winner Anacona (Col) Movistar
10 Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff Team #

VIDEO: Abu Dhabi Stage 3 Highlights

Tanel Kangert climbs to victory on Stage 3 of the Abu Dhabi Tour

Mark Cavendish Sprints to Abu Dhabi Stage 2 Success

Mark Cavendish showed his class by sprinting to the stage win and taking the overall race leader's jersey on stage 2 of the Abu Dhabi Tour

Elia Viviani (Team Sky) finished in second place and Andrea Gaurdini (Astana) was third.

A short stage that greeted the Abu Dhabi Tour Pro Peloton on stage 2 with only 115km to be raced around the streets of Abu Dhabi.

An early breakaway featured six riders.

Team Dimension Data together with Giant-Alpecin and Trek-Segafredo kept the gap under the three-minutes.

Other Sprint team seemed to be disinterested in chasing.

It was a close as the breakaway was only reeled in with 1km to go, thanks to the work done by Team Dimension Data, Giant-Alpecin and Trek-Segafredo.

Team Sky and CCC Sprandi used fresher legs to lead out the sprint but Mark Renshaw did a fantastic job to bring Cavendish into position with 300m to go.

The Manxman slipped onto the wheel of Viviani just before the final right hand bend. Viviani hit out with the line in sight but Cavendish easily came off his wheel with more speed and surged ahead to take the stage.

Win the stage win Cavendish moved into the overall race lead as well as into the lead in the points jersey competition, with his third place in Thursday's first stage.

Cavendish commented "I am really happy with today, to get the win after going so close yesterday. It was touch and go as to whether the break would be caught but the team rode hard up front,"

"Mark Renshaw gave me a good lead-out. It was only going to be difficult because we didn't have the full team at the end. Mark got me onto Sky before the last corner which was perfect because I was able to come around Elia Viviani to get the win," he added.

You can follow the race on our 2016 Abu Dhabi Tour LIVE STREAMING page.

2016 Abu Dhabi Tour Stage 2 Results Top 20

1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data 2:32:21
2 Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky
3 Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana Pro Team
4 Jakub Mareczko (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Southeast
5 Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing Team
6 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
7 Christopher Latham (GBr) Team WIGGINS
8 Michal Kolár (Svk) Tinkoff Team
9 Steele Von Hoff (Aus) ONE Pro Cycling
10 Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Orica-BikeExchange
11 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal
12 Alan Banaszek (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
13 Erik Baska (Svk) Tinkoff Team
14 Roman Maikin (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
15 Siarhei Papok (Blr) Minsk Cycling Club
16 Yousif Alhammadi (UAE) Nasr Dubai
17 Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Orica-BikeExchange
18 Chun Kai Feng (Tpe) Lampre - Merida
19 Alexander Kolobnev (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
20 Andrew Fenn (GBr) Team Sky

VIDEO: 2016 Abu Dhabi Tour Stage 2 Highlights

Mark Cavendish Sprints to Abu Dhabi Stage 2 Success

Nizzolo seizes victory in Abu Dhabi stage one

The blustery winds made for a sketchy ending to stage one in the Abu Dhabi tour Thursday, a perfect scenario for Giacomo Nizzolo, one of the best positioning unpredictable bunch finishes, and he easily held off John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) to take the win

"This is the best way to start this race," smiled Nizzolo. "After the Worlds on Sunday I said let's go to Abu Dhabi and see if I can get one victory more, and we did it.

"There was the last real corner 1.2 kilometers to go and then a roundabout with 700 meters to go, and I asked the team to put me in a good position there. From the roundabout, I just managed by myself, and I started my sprint from 200-220 meters to go. I felt power, and I was confident to reach the line first, and that's how it went."

A four-man breakaway, leading from the early going, animated the final kilometers of the flat 147-kilometer race, holding over 2 minutes' advantage with 17 kilometers to go and sounding alarms in the pursuing peloton.

Not about to leave anything to chance, even with a stiff headwind facing the riders in the run-in, Trek-Segafredo added the fast legs of Niccolo Bonifazio to the chase, leaving Kiel Reijnen and Marco Coledan to help position Nizzolo in the finale.

"When I saw that the gap was so big and so close to the finish I decided to put another guy into helping with the chase," explained Nizzolo. "To have no doubts we decided to help pull, and in the end, it was the right choice. I am very happy, and of course a big thanks to all my team, and we will try and keep the jersey tomorrow."

Trek-Segafredo takes the red leader's jersey into stage two tomorrow, also projected to end in a sprint finish.

You can follow the race on our 2016 Abu Dhabi Tour LIVE STREAMING page

2016 Abu Dhabi Tour Stage 1 Results Top 10

1 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 3:15:59
2 John Degenkolb (Ger) Giant-Alpecin
3 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data
4 Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Orica-BikeExchange
5 Christopher Latham (GBr) Team Wiggins
6 Michael Kolar (Svk) Tinkoff Team
7 Romain Maikin (Rus) Gazprom-RusVelo
8 Marco Coleman (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
9 Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing
10 Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Giant-Alpecin

2016 Abu Dhabi Tour Stage 1 Highlights

Nizzolo seizes victory in Abu Dhabi stage one

Abu Dhabi Tour Preview

Spain’s Alberto Contador, Rio Olympic gold medallists Greg van Avermaet, Giro d’Italia champion Vincenzo Nibali, four-time 2016 Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish, and Bradley Wiggins are among a host of world’s elite cyclists who will vie for top honours at the Abu Dhabi Tour

The four-stage second edition of the Abu Dhabi tour which will run from Oct 20 - 23rd will cover 555kms, similar to the 2015 route bringing the international season to a close, the details of which were disclosed along with the jerseys unveiling at a press conference here on Tuesday.

The opening two flat stages -The Adnoc and The Nations Tower stage is dedicated to sprinters, followed by the Jebel Hafeet mountain stage, where climbers and puncheurs will fight for general classification. The grand finale will once again be at the iconic Formula 1 Yas Marina Circuit.

Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the organisers of the race reiterated that the success of the inaugural race last year has gone a long way in attracting world class riders. “The success of the Abu Dhabi Tour has been recognised by the fact that this annual sporting event will join the UCI WorldTour calendar in February 2017. In addition to the race and the UCI Cycling Gala, we are cultivating several side projects for the development of cycling in schools and among the young."

“The short-term goal is still to become a world class event but the longer-term focus is to spread the cycling culture, to inspire people into healthy and active lifestyles,” he added.

The four jerseys once again display the colours of the UAE flag: a red jersey for the race leader, black for the intermediate sprints, green for the points classification and white for the best young rider.

As part of the Tour, a UCI cycling gala event will be also be hosted on Oct 18th.

Stages

Stage 1 – The Adnoc Stage / Madinat Zayed – Madinat Zayed - 147 Km

The first stage runs entirely into the desert, with the first and last parts of about 45km on straight, wide roads. Once in Liwa, first Intermediate Sprint riders will find a short circuit characterised by constant undulations over dunes, adding up to a significant total elevation. After a second Intermediate Sprint passage in Liwa, the second part of the stage takes the riders to Madinat Zayed, where, after one pass of the finish line, a final 14.5km circuit will conclude the stage.Last km - A city path with only three proper bends, one to the right and two to the left (the final bend being to the left). The last kms are on wide, straight boulevards, punctuated by wide-curved roundabouts. The final km is straight on asphalt.

Stage 2 – The Nation Towers Stage / Abu Dhabi – Abu Dhabi (Al Marina) - 115 Km

The second stage is mostly in the city. After the start, the peloton will travel on wide roads towards the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and then towards Yas Island with a passage through Khalifa City, where there are several roundabouts and speed humps. After the Yas Island first Intermediate Sprint, the race goes to the Sheikh Zayed bin Highway towards Abu Dhabi Corniche. It follows a route within Reem Island – including the second Intermediate Sprint – then returns to the Corniche finish line. The entire route is on wide boulevards with road furniture constantly dividing the lanes. Last km - The final 5km are on increasingly large roads with large semi-curves leading to the straight finish on asphalt.

Stage 3 – The Strata Stage / Al Ain – Jebel Hafeet (150 Km)

The third stage comprises both urban surroundings and mountains. The first part, inside Al Ain city, is all on wide roads with roundabouts and speed humps and is followed by a second part in the desert along wide and predominantly straight roads. At 15km to go, the route starts to rise slightly towards the final ascent, culminating in an uphill finish at an altitude of 1025m, following an 11km climb with slopes with an 11% gradient. Last km - The final climb is on wide-ranging bends on a three-lane roadway. The gradient is mostly around 8-9% with a peak of 11% at 3km to go. There are short descents in the last kilometres before the final ramp with a straight finish on asphalt.

Stage 4 - The Yas Island Stage / Yas Marina Circuit (143 Km)

The Jerseys

Four stages, four days of competition and the four colours of the UAE flag inspired the four different jerseys that the classification leaders will wear after every stage. Let’s start with the most prestigious jersey, the red of GC leader. The leader's jersey will be sponsored by ADSC. Last year the red jersey was won by the first winner of the Abu Dhabi Tour, the Colombian Esteban Chaves. Second, in order of importance, it’s the green Points Classification jersey, sponsored by Nation Towers and won in 2015 by the Italian Elia Viviani.

The black jersey for the Intermediate Sprint competition, won last year by the Italian Alessandro Bazzana, will again be sponsored by Etihad Airways. The Best Young Rider Classification Leader, born after January 1, 1991, will be awarded the white jersey, sponsored by Abu Dhabi Sports Channel, which is also confirmed as the race host broadcaster. The jerseys are designed and made by the iconic brand Castelli and are cut in a close-to-the-body anatomical shape for maximum aerodynamic performance when the peloton head into dusty crosswind sections.

The Teams

Alongside the official route and jerseys presentation of the second edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour, scheduled from 20 to 23 October 2016 - the list of the 18 teams invited to the race has been officially announced.

Eleven UCI WorldTour teams (eight of those members of the Velon group), four UCI Professional Continental Teams and three UCI Continental Teams will be at the start of the four-stage professional cycling race organised by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council that, from 2017, will join the WorldTour Calendar.

Mark Cavendish, Abu Dhabi Tour Official Ambassador, said: “I really look forward for the upcoming Abu Dhabi Tour. As Official Ambassador, of course, but also as a rider: this year my shoulders are fine and I definitively want to race and try to get a stage win and possibly wear a jersey. See you in one month!”

Vincenzo Nibali, welcomed the announcement, saying: "I am very happy to come back to Abu Dhabi after last year’s experience. I well remember the spectacle of the desert and the emotion of the final stage, with the Yas Marina F1 circuit looking spectacular under the lights. The first Abu Dhabi Tour was a memorable race with a perfect route and a very challenging mountain stage.”

UCI WorldTeams

ASTANA PRO TEAM (KAZ)
BMC RACING TEAM (USA)
LAMPRE-MERIDA (ITA)
LOTTO SOUDAL (BEL)
MOVISTAR TEAM (ESP)
ORICA-BIKEEXCHANGE (AUS)
TEAM DIMENSION DATA (RSA)
TEAM GIANT - ALPECIN (GER)
TEAM SKY (GBR)
TINKOFF (RUS)
TREK-SEGAFREDO (USA)