Stage 5

The 5th stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour starts at the Qasr Al Muwaiji fort in Al Ain. The riders enter the desert and following a large loop they are back in the departure place. The route continues to the Green Mubazzarah park at the foot of the only climb of the day. The Jebel ?afee? Mountain Road is a three-lane roadway that goes on for 10.8 kilometers at 6.6%. The first 4 kilometres are irregular, while gradients in the next 4 kilometres vary mostly around 8-9% with a peak of 11% at 2.8 kilometres before the top. In the last 2.3 kilometres the climb flattens out and a minor descent ushers in the final ramp that leads straight to the finish line.

Last year, Rui Costa attacked at 7 kilometres before the finish. Ilnur Zakarin joined him, while Tom Dumoulin almost bridged across on the flatter section near the top. Yet, the time trialist fell short and the race boiled down to a sprint-à-deux with Costa besting Zakarin.

The first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the two intermediate sprints (after 142.5 and 184.6 kilometres) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.

The 5th stage of the 2018 Abu Dhabi Tour starts at 11:45 and the finish is expected around 16:45 – both local times.