Grand Tour Stars and Sprinters line up for the Abu Dhabi Tour
Tom Dumoulin, Fabio Aru and last year's champion Rui Costa to do battle over five stages along with the world's top Sprinters
The Abu Dhabi Tour, the only UCI World Tour in the Middle East (21-25 Feb), has drawn the best of the world of cycling with a decorated line-up that includes cycling legend Mark Cavendish, last year's champion Rui Costa, Giro d'Italia winner Tom Dumoulin and former Vuelta a Espana winner Fabio Aru.
And with the addition of time trials for the first, the five-day staged race brings in the unpredictability to go with the three sprint stages and the finale - an uphill climb from Al Ain to Jebel Hafeet.
Stage 1 - Madinat Zayed, Feb 21st - 189 km Flat
Starting at the Madinat Zayed, the riders will be going around the desert for this flat out sprint of 189 km. Wide and straight roads in desert will mean the riders will have to take in account the wind. The final section is a fully urban course with only two proper curves, one to the left and one to the right. The straight, wide roads featuring wide ranged roundabouts, with the final, flat stretch on tarmac.
Stage 2 - Yas Island, Feb 22nd - 154 km Flat
Mostly through the city, 154 km stretch will begin from Yas mall and culminate at the Yas beach and will once again be the playground for fast finishers. The final 5 km is all on a wide road with broader bends leading to the asphalted finish line. The last curve is with 750m to go.
Stage 3 - Abu Dhabi, Feb 23rd - 133 km Flat
This Tricky Stage 3 within the city will present the riders with the challenge of several roundabouts and speed bumps, but they will pass through the Grand Mosque and Al Wathba Camel Track, leading back to Yas Island through Al Falah.
Stage 4 - Al Maryah, Feb 24th, 12.6 km, ITT
A 12.6 km Individual Time Trial will be held entirely on wide and mostly straight roads with relatively broad bends. The U-turn and time check point are at km 7.1. The last section is on wide roads with broader bends and a perfect surface. The final 350m stretch is on tarmac.
Stage 5 - to Jebel Hafeet, Feb 25th, 199km Mountain Finish
Starting from the city, this 199 km stage will feature the 10.8 km of climbing with maximum gradients of 11 percent. From the start inside the inhabited part of Al Ain, the first section of the route is always on wide roads with roundabouts and speed bumps, while the second part in the desert is on mostly wide and straight roads. With 15km to go, the route starts climbing slightly towards the uphill finish. The stage finish is at 1025m above sea level. There's a very brief downhill in the last kilometre before the final uphill stretch. The finishing straight is on flat tarmac.
The Contenders
Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates)
The defending champion, winner of the Red Jersey, Rui Costa will be eying an encore for the home team - UAE Team Emirates - in the fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi Tour. While he finished 10th overall in the recently concluded Tour of Oman, the Portuguese veteran has an impressive list of accomplishments that include the 2013 UCI Road World Championship, three stage wins at the Tour de France and three General Classification victories at the Tour de Suisse, along with numerous one-day podiums. Last year Rui Costa won the Jebel Hafeet stage and the General Classification at the Abu Dhabi Tour.
Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data)
The legend from the Isle of Man has won three stages and two consecutive Green Jerseys at the Abu Dhabi Tour and comes to this edition on the back of his third stage win in the Dubai Tour - his first win of the year.
With another sprint-heavy Tour, Cavendish is a serious contender and will lead the fight for his team - Dimension Data. He was a late addition to the team for Tour of Oman and was content with playing the supporting role, but come Abu Dhabi and Cavendish will have the spotlight.
Tom Dumoulin (NED - Team Sunweb)
Winner of the prestigious Giro d'Italia last year, Dumoulin has the added advantage of having a time trial stage in Abu Dhabi Tour 2018. A time trial specialist, the Dutch will be licking his chops at the prospect of a 12.6 km flat out stage 4 of the tour. Last year, the Dutch was placed third on the climb at Jebel Hafeet and also finished third overall.
The silver medalist at the Rio's Olympic Games, with the addition of a time trial, will be one of the biggest favourites for the General Classification.
Fabio Aru (ITA - UAE Team Emirates)
Riding alongside Costa will be the newest addition to the UAE Team Emirates, the winner of the 2015 Vuelta a Espana - Fabio Aru. The 27-year-old has already stated that he is extra motivated to do well for his new team at their home base. Aru wore the Tour de France's Yellow Jersey for the first time and got a stage win at La Planche des Belles Filles.
Alejandro Valverde (ESP - Movistar Team)
The most successful rider in the Movistar Team, Valverde will be the man to beat when it comes to overall classification. With a win at stage two of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana earlier this year, the 37-year-old is heading in to 2018 Abu Dhabi Tour with good form. Known as El Bala ('The Bullet'), the Spaniard was out for almost six months after suffering a broken kneecap sustained in a Tour de France crash, but has made a stunning recovery in a very short time and seems to be back at his best.
Elia Viviani (ITA - Quick-Step Floors)
Viviani, winner of the General Classification at 2018 Dubai Tour, will be the lead out man for Quick-Step Floors and with three sprint stages, there is little doubt that the Italian will be in the thick of the action. Since turning pro, Viviani has claimed 50 victories. In 2015 he won the Abu Dhabi Tour's second and fourth stages and wore the Red Jersey as leader of the GC for one day. Last year's wins include the Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France, and the Cyclassics Hamburg. Elia has already claimed few victories in 2018: stage three at the Tour Down Under and stage two, five and the General Classification at the Dubai Tour.
Marcel Kittel (GER - Katusha Alpecin)
The 29-year-old German is still finding his feet in his new team as evident from an underwhelming outing at the 2018 Dubai Tour. But the sprint specialist knows that it is still a work in progress and the results will show sooner or later. Katusha's sprint finishes were not that strong, however, there is no doubting Kittlel's calibre who has to his name 86 victories, with one stage at the 2017 Abu Dhabi Tour alongside 19 Grand Tour stage wins (four at the Giro d'Italia, 14 at the Tour de France - five of them being in the 2017 edition - and one at the Vuelta a Espana).
Andre Greipel (GER - Lotto Soudal)
Greipel is one of the best sprinters of his generation, with a powerful physique which has earned him the nickname "The Gorilla". He has won 11 stages at the Tour de France (2011-2016), seven Giro d'Italia stages (in five different editions), and four at the Vuelta a Espana. Andre has won the Tour Down Under GC twice, in 2008 and 2010. Of his 149 wins since turning professional, two of them came this January, the first and sixth stages at the Tour Down Under.
Caleb Ewan (AUS - Mitchelton-Scott)
Ewan is a talented sprinter who claimed 11 professional victories in his first season, including a stage at the Vuelta a Espana on his Grand Tour debut. Caleb was in superb form in 2017 too, having won four stages at the Tour Down Under, a stage at the 100th Giro d'Italia, three at the Tour of Britain and the final stage at the Yas Marina Circuit in the Abu Dhabi Tour. In 2018 he has already won the second stage of the Tour Down Under.
