Last Grizzly Race, Ogden, UT, Sep 20-22
United States | Midwest | Ohio >> Marcel Kittel powers to a second stage victory in Dubai

Marcel Kittel powers to a second stage victory in Dubai 

Marcel Kittel put in an outstanding sprint to take stage 2 of Dubai Tour, the team's fourth consecutive victory

German Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) won the second leg of the Dubai Tour in another massive sprint. In second it finished Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Jakub Mareczko (Wilier Triestina) in third. It is the second stage in which the young Dylan Groenewegen is in second place.

Marcel Kittel was again unbeatable at the Dubai Tour, where he took his second victory, a thrilling one, thus extending his overall lead with three stages to go, two of which are also very likely to end in a bunch sprint. It was the German's seventh career win at the Middle East race, and Quick-Step Floors' – by far the team of the early season – eighth victory of the year.

Starting the day in the blue jersey of the overall leader, Marcel Kittel stayed safely in the peloton on the road to Ras al Khaimah, a new finish in the Dubai Tour, with the break of five not being a threat for the stage win, as Bob Jungels, Davide Martinelli and Julien Vermote always kept it under control, before eventually making the catch inside the last 11 kilometers.

The final part of the stage 2 was scrappy, with the sprinters' teams struggling to find room and a good position at the front. Marcel Kittel was well-positioned by his teammates in the upper part of the bunch, but due to the chaotic nature of the finale, he was closed at one point and had to come from far back with just 500 meters to go.

Despite that and the fact he was forced to start his sprint later than his opponents, the German's acceleration was impossible to beat by the others and he went on to score his second successive stage win at the Dubai Tour, ahead of Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Jakub Mareczko (Wilier-Selle Italia). It was Quick-Step Floors' fourth success in a row, after the one of yesterday and the two of Maximiliano Richeze in the Vuelta a San Juan, last week.

"Today was a difficult one. The final was different and tricky, and as a result there wasn't an opportunity to stretch out the peloton, but adapting to different race situations shows the strength of the team. The guys did once again an incredible job, Fabio brought me to the front when it mattered, Matteo kept the speed high, and I jumped from wheel to wheel and managed to take the victory. It's nice to win also like this", said Marcel, who leads not only the overall, but also the points classification.

Following his perfectly-timed sprint, which brought also important bonus seconds, the 28-year-old rider of Quick-Step Floors Cycling Team will start stage 3 (Dubai – Al Aqah, 200 kilometers) with an 8-second advantage over his closest rival in the GC, a buffer which could provide important at the end of the race: "To have seven stage victories here is nice. As I said at the beginning of the week, Dubai has always been good to me. The race is not over, and our goal is to keep on working and take it day by day as good as possible. We'll see how things pan out."

Dubai Tour 2017 – stage 2 Results Top 10 (Dubai – Ras al Khaimah):

1 Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) 4:06:33
2 Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) ,,
3 Jakub Mareczko (Wilier Triestina) ,,
4 John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) ,,
5 Sacha Modolo (UAE Abu Dhabi) ,
6 Juan Jose Lobato (LottoNL-Jumbo) ,,
7 Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) ,,
8 Riccardo Minali (Astana) ,,
9 Marco Maronese (Bardiani – CSF) ,,
10 Adam Blythe (Aqua Blue Sport) ,,

VIDEO: 2017 Dubai Tour Stage2 Highlights

Marcel Kittel powers to a second stage victory in Dubai

 
Tag: dubaitour
 
Feb 08 2018 - NEWS: Mark Cavendish produces magnificent sprint for stage victory at Dubai Tour
Apr 20 2017 - NEWS: Grivko suspended for hitting Marcel Kittel
Feb 04 2017 - NEWS: Kittel Defends His Dubai Tour Title
Feb 03 2017 - NEWS: Dubai Tour: Stage 4 Cancelled Due to Extreme Weather
Feb 02 2017 - NEWS: VIDEO: Marcel Kittel elbowed in the face by Astana rider Andrei Grivko
Feb 02 2017 - NEWS: Degenkolb sprints to first win in Dubai
Feb 02 2017 - NEWS: VIDEO: Riders Battered by Sand Storm
Feb 01 2017 - NEWS: Marcel Kittel powers to a second stage victory in Dubai
Jan 31 2017 - NEWS: Marcel Kittel Sprints to opening Stage Victory at Dubai Tour
Jan 30 2017 - NEWS: Kittel, Cavendish and Viviani Prepare for Battle in Dubai
 
Tag: livestream
 
Dec 19 2020 - NEWS: 2021 Pro Cycling LIVE Coverage Calendar
May 10 2017 - NEWS: Brutal last week at the Giro d'Italia
May 19 2017 - NEWS: George Bennett time trials into yellow at Big Bear lake
May 19 2017 - NEWS: Gaviria wins his fourth stage before the peloton hits the Brutal mountain stages
May 18 2017 - NEWS: Andrew Talansky Takes Mount Baldy Stage Win
May 17 2017 - NEWS: Rally Cycling One - Two on stage four of the Tour of California
May 17 2017 - NEWS: Omar Fraile wins dramatic 11th stage at the Giro d'Italia
May 16 2017 - NEWS: Tom Dumoulin Takes Maglia Rosa After Stage 10 Victory
May 16 2017 - NEWS: Rafal Majka makes his mark in the mountains, taking stage victory and GC lead at Tour of California
May 16 2017 - NEWS: Toms Skujins crashes heavily at the Tour of California
May 15 2017 - NEWS: Anna van der Breggen wins Amgen Women’s Race
May 13 2017 - NEWS: USA's Coryn Rivera from Team SubWeb wins stage 3
May 12 2017 - NEWS: Katie Hall wins the Queen Stage
May 11 2017 - NEWS: Megan Guarnier wins uphill sprint at South Lake Tahoe
May 11 2017 - NEWS: Silvan Dillier claims his first Grand Tour stage win